|
|
Essays on Chinese Calligraphy
Eight Formulas
By Ouyang Xun
- In the shape of a rock falling from the top of mountain.
- Like waxing moon in the vast sky.
- As cirrus stretching to the horizon.
- Age-old rattan.
- A branch of sturdy pine hanging over precipice.
- A crossbow drawn in full.
- Cutting ivory or rhinoceros horn by a sharp sward.
- Write with three moves.
Be peaceful in mind and at ease in body, so imagination and aspiration can flash. With the fist hollow and the wrist level, the fingers firm and the palm void, start to write if idea appears. Space out characters evenly and align them vertically and horizontally. Ink that too thin downgrades the expression whereas ink that too thick obstructs the brush movement. A fat stroke produces blunt impression while a thin stroke produces bony impression. Do not weaken an expression with feeble brushwork, nor exaggerate it with affected fury. Write characters square with their eight sides present and strokes in proper length and moderate thickness. Fix the space and the gradient of the strokes by common sense, and set the brush rhythm according to stroke lengths. The stroke that at the top is the weight, that at the bottom is the support, that at the left is the move, and that at the right is the response.
Ouyang Xun (557 - 641)
The Spring, 632
Ink rubbing on rice paper, Song dynasty
Palace Museum, Beijing
Ouyang, one of Four Tang Masters, had several treatises on handwriting. This one shows his promotion of conventional regular script.
Back to essays on Chinese calligraphy
Chinese Calligraphy
Home |
Contact |
Rice Paper
|