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Chinese painters cannot do without calligraphy. Foreign paintings are mainly about skills, while Chinese paintings are a kind of culture. Foreign paintings emphasize science, human proportions, anatomy, color, and light, while Chinese paintings emphasize philosophy. Without culture, it is not enough, and without calligraphy, it is even worse. Especially for freehand painting, if a freehand painter does not understand calligraphy and painting, he will never paint well, and his painting style will not improve. Moreover, the deeper a person's calligraphy skills are, the higher his painting skills will be, and the higher his level and style are, the higher his painting skills will be. No one is exempt from this.

We look at Huang Binhong's calligraphy, which gave rise to Huang Binhong's paintings; Qi Baishi's calligraphy gave rise to Qi Baishi's paintings; Pan Tianshou's paintings are actually his calligraphy, the same. We won't comment on Pan Tianshou's calligraphy skills and connotations, but Pan Tianshou's calligraphy is very powerful, and his paintings are also very powerful. Pan Tianshou started by learning from Wu Changshuo, but later he realized that no matter how well he learned, he would only be the second to Wu Changshuo, or even worse. Later he thought about the problem, and when he was learning calligraphy, he proposed a theory, saying that calligraphy should not be learned from famous masters, and should not be learned from Wang Xizhi and Yan Zhenqing, because everyone is learning from them, and it is difficult to stand out if you learn from them. He believes that you should choose a calligrapher or painter who is not familiar to everyone, but has a strong personality, and who you like, so that you can be different from others after learning.

The works of any calligrapher and painter are actually the reproduction of his true "heart and soul", which cannot deceive people. When we look at Pan Tianshou's paintings, they are also his calligraphy. You may not admit that he is a calligrapher, but you must admit that his paintings are his calligraphy. Lu Yanshao proposed that painters should spend 40% reading, 30% writing, and 30% painting. Some people proposed 70% reading, 20% writing, and 10% painting.

In short, for painters who study Chinese painting, the effort they put into calligraphy should be no less than that of painting, at least during the learning period. During the creative period, you can paint more. We say that during the learning period, the effort put into calligraphy and painting should be at least equal. If there is a shortcut to Chinese painting, especially freehand painting, it is to practice calligraphy. My paintings are generally praised by people. I was very happy at first, but later I was not so happy after hearing it too much. I think it is very rare to get a correct criticism. If someone criticizes me well, I will listen to it even if they scold me. Some people say that my paintings have a good artistic conception and good literary style, but they are too weak. The person who said that my paintings are weak is not very famous, and I am very grateful to him. Later, I sent him a lot of books. I think what he said makes sense. Later, I practiced calligraphy and started writing Shimen Inscription. I realized it when I looked back. You can see that the paintings hanging on the wall are thicker than before. After practicing calligraphy, my skills are different immediately. Therefore, practicing calligraphy is a shortcut to painting.

As early as the Tang Dynasty, Zhang Yanyuan had“Calligraphy and painting have the same origin”statement.

If a Chinese painter does not write or read, it is difficult for him to truly understand what Chinese painting is. Painting is earlier than writing. Painting came before writing. Later, painting had to learn from calligraphy. Calligraphy may not learn from painting, but painting must learn from calligraphy. This is because painting was originally done by craftsmen, people without culture, while writing was done by literati. The literati's view on calligraphy is advanced and research-oriented. Literati study how to write characters. They use traditional Chinese aesthetics. Some literati are specialized researchers supported by the emperor, and they have a continuous and systematic study of calligraphy culture. These literati study how to write characters well, how to start the pen, turn the pen, move the pen, lift and press, and there are changes to make it interesting. When painting a straight line, one stroke is drawn, and the other stroke is another straight line. If the outline is drawn in that way, it will not be interesting. However, when calligraphy is used, it has starting the pen, moving the pen, pressing and lifting, and there are changes. This change changes according to the feeling. When the feeling changes, the characters look very good. It is mentioned and then turned around, with twists and turns, just like writing a novel. Only with twists and turns can there be a story, connotation, and flavor. But this connotation is not only the change of the brushstrokes, but also the emotions in it. This is one. Not only the emotions, but also the final reflection of your knowledge. If you are knowledgeable, you can show your knowledge, and if you are not knowledgeable, you can also show your lack of knowledge. Elegant people show elegance, and rough people show roughness.

Learning calligraphy well involves a lot of things. You should at least learn and study various fonts. Poetry and songs are the most basic extensions. A true calligrapher carries a lot of things. A true calligrapher cannot be a pure skill. Pure skills cannot make a calligrapher. Calligraphy itself contains knowledge, skills, and temperament. The skills themselves also express temperament. The skills themselves are a kind of knowledge. They are not completely separate. Without knowledge, skills cannot be achieved. Only when you have knowledge and comprehension, you can write to a certain level. Basic calligraphy skills can be obtained through training in youth, but when you are older, if your knowledge does not keep pace with it, then the skills in your hands will become rigid, and even go in the opposite direction. Make something very funny. There are too many examples of this. Some so-called old Ming masters have become "treasures of the world" in this way without realizing it.

At the National Art Exhibition, most people are only interested in painting skills but not in the art of painting. Moreover, the current art schools do not pay attention to calligraphy and traditional culture in the teaching of Chinese painting. There are so many works and award-winning works in the National Art Exhibition, but it is hard to see how much cultural connotation there is. Some of the national award-winning works do not even have a coherent title. Not to mention the calligraphy, the words are not coherent. There was a very famous painter with a very high status who wrote 6 characters but made 4 mistakes. In the "Welcome to the Return of Macau", the "Welcome" in "Welcome" had an extra dot, the "Connect" in "Connect" had one less horizontal line, and the "Ao" in "Macau" had an extra horizontal line...

The problem of China's education system is very serious, not nine-tenths serious. Let's talk about art, for example, learning Chinese painting. The foundation of Chinese painting is calligraphy, poetry and classical literature, and of course a certain foundation in philosophy is required. Now the test for learning Chinese painting is sketching and color, which are the basis for studying and creating Western culture. Many Chinese painters used to learn sketching very well, but when it comes to brush and ink, sketching affects it. Of course, it may not affect it. Even if it does not affect it, I think good sketching is useful for Chinese painting, but calligraphy, poetry and other Chinese studies have a greater impact on Chinese culture. Throwing away the bigger things and keeping the minor things is losing sight of the main point. If calligraphy is not good, the style of Chinese painting will not be improved, and the brush and ink will not be good; if poetry is not good, the style will not be good; if the foundation of Chinese studies is not good, Chinese painting will definitely be worse.

Calligraphy and poetry must be learned from elementary school. Nowadays, children try hard to learn sketching in order to get into art colleges, and have no time to learn Chinese classics. When they enter school, they still learn sketching and some foreign languages ​​in the first semester. By the time they realize that Chinese classics are useful, it is too late. Painting can be learned later, but calligraphy cannot be learned too late. Calligraphy can be learned later, but it is better to learn it early. The earlier you read, the better. It doesn't matter if you learn painting late, because Chinese painting is not a skill but a knowledge. The higher the knowledge, the better for painting.

Among the 38 eccentrics of Yangzhou, the one with the highest style is Jin Dongxin, who started to paint in his 50s. The painter with the greatest influence in the Shanghai School is Wu Changshuo, who started to learn painting in his 50s. It is not too late to start learning painting at the age of 50. Although Qi Baishi and Huang Binhong started to learn painting early, they started to learn painting seriously very late. Qi Baishi focused on learning and writing poetry before he was over 50, and Huang Binhong focused on studying before he was 78. After he was 78, his eyesight was not good, and he could not write or read. He began to explore painting and became a great painter. It is okay to learn Chinese painting later, but it is not recommended to learn it too late. However, Chinese studies and calligraphy must be learned early. Wu Changshuo and Jin Dongxin were very good at calligraphy and poetry before they were 50, and they were all at the level of masters. They had the foundation of poetry, calligraphy, and Chinese studies. Therefore, only those who learn painting at the age of 50 can become masters. This is even more true for Wu Changshuo. Before painting, he was already a master of calligraphy and seal carving.

The current education system is the opposite. First, learn sketching and color. This is the opposite. Let's talk about learning foreign languages. I know a person who studied 20 years in China and 20 years abroad, but he can't catch up with his son. His son only went abroad for one year and pointed out his pronunciation errors because his son was very young. Learning a foreign language for one year when he was very young is better than learning it for 50 years after he becomes an adult. For example, if you study a foreign language at the age of 40 until you are 90, you will definitely not catch up. If you go abroad for one year when you are two or three years old, you will solve all the language problems. If you study for 50 years when you are old, you will definitely not solve them. So age is a problem. We are now laying the foundation for Western painting when we are laying the foundation for Chinese painting. Such an education system cannot cultivate Chinese painting masters. People who don't understand education are now managing education. This is a serious problem. People should not deceive each other.

Many knowledgeable people have already recognized this problem, but how to solve it?

China is a society of power. They do it this way. You can't do anything about it. People who are truly knowledgeable and have great knowledge have backbone and integrity. They won't flatter. Officials like to flatter. Really great professors won't often go to the door of power. They won't go to a bureaucrat's house. If they have something to do, they won't go to him. Professors who like to flatter won't have great level. Those people will just follow the officials' meaning. Now they say they respect intellectuals, but in fact they don't respect real intellectuals. Some officials need villains, some can't tell the difference between gentlemen and villains, and some use villains even after they can tell the difference, because gentlemen don't suit their minds, but villains are comfortable to use. Knowledgeable people won't just obey others. They respect a kind of morality.

In the past, there was no painter who was not good at calligraphy. Nowadays, there are very few painters who can write. The sad thing is that many people do not know the importance of calligraphy. Even many people have been painting Chinese paintings for their whole lives, but they still do not really understand what Chinese painting is. Nowadays, most people do not know the importance of calligraphy. There are also a few people who know its importance, but they are still willing to work hard on painting. They know that it is good, but they do not do it. They are eager for quick success and instant benefits, and they paint and sell paintings quickly. Calligraphy can be practiced slowly, and there is no time for this. I know a person who knows the importance of reading. He stopped reading after a week. He said that reading books for a week has no effect. He painted sketches for a week and filled the whole room. Nowadays, most people do not understand, and the few who understand do not do it. They are eager for quick success and instant benefits. Huang Binhong started to paint formally after he was 78 years old. Qi Baishi was poor at that time. According to reason, he should paint to support his family, but at the age of 50, he still focused on writing poems and finally became a great master.

The reason why Huang Binhong and Qi Baishi became great painters is that they had a long-term vision. Qi Baishi really relied on painting to support his family after he was over 70 years old. Huang Binhong's paintings are more rational, while Qi Baishi's paintings are more emotional. Qi Baishi's paintings are more about "meaning" than "method", while Huang Binhong's paintings are more about "method" than "meaning". The two people had different backgrounds. Huang Binhong also wrote poems, but Qi Baishi's poems were better, and poems rely on spirituality. His poems and Wu Changshuo's poems have two different styles, his are fresh and natural, while Wu Changshuo's poems are desolate and sad. If Qi Baishi had studied since childhood, like Huang Binhong's family, he might have been more remarkable in the end, but of course, no one is perfect.

What should one do to become a truly excellent freehand painter? How should one construct his knowledge structure? Chinese painters must have knowledge and basic knowledge of Chinese studies. Western foreign language knowledge is also very important, but it is not very useful for Chinese painting. I am a little worried about the future of Chinese painting. The current environment and trend are not very favorable for Chinese painting. Because before the 1950s, Chinese people only needed to study for 7 years. Mao Zedong studied in a private school for 5 years and then studied on his own. That was basically enough. Now it is not enough to study for 17 years. If you don’t learn foreign languages, you won’t be able to do it. If you don’t understand physics and chemistry, you won’t be able to do it. If you don’t have a high school or college degree, you won’t be able to get by. This is an era of knowledge explosion. The development of the times requires you to learn more knowledge. The West also needs to learn. Both sides are better at laying a foundation than us. Western doctoral students may not be successful in the future, but their basic foreign language knowledge is quite good. Foreigners who study Chinese art history may not be able to paint, but their ability to appreciate the quality and authenticity of Chinese paintings is better than many Chinese people. They can see where the painting is good. Chinese painters paint for a lifetime and often don’t know where it is good.

Therefore, talent, literary accomplishment, and calligraphy are indispensable for every painter. Calligraphy is the thought of literati. When literati participate, it is cultural. Painting is originally the work of craftsmen. Craftsmen have no culture, so painting must learn from calligraphy and draw lessons from calligraphy. In the Northern Song Dynasty, there was a calligrapher who was also a painter, and was mainly an appraiser, named Mi Fu. He received good paintings and good calligraphy. Some literati had good calligraphy but did not give it to him, so he exchanged it with good paintings. He would rather remove the painting and keep the good calligraphy. In the past, literati paid more attention to calligraphy than painting. Painting was self-entertainment, and calligraphy had many missions. Calligraphy can express deep meanings. Couplets with very high philosophical realms and content that is inspiring to life are different when written in calligraphy. Painting certainly has a certain guiding role, but it is limited. Look at my couplet: "Heaven and the mountains and rivers are excellent in fruits, and people push the monuments and tablets to be the best among the talents." People must be cultural. Yu Youren said, "The reputation of ancient and modern figures is not the high position he holds, but the success of his career." Calligraphy carries more Chinese knowledge.

If you have culture, you are a literati. If you don't have culture, you are not a literati. Let alone new literati painting, I don't think anyone has culture. If you can't write, you have no knowledge. This is a big problem. You haven't even read the Thirteen Classics. They say that the Thirteen Classics are for scholars of literature and history. That's not right. Which ancient person didn't read the Thirteen Classics?

The Analects only has more than 10,000 words. Now a doctoral dissertation has 100,000 words, which is equivalent to 10 volumes of the Analects. The Mencius has only 20,000 to 30,000 words, and the Laozi has only 5,000 words. What's so great about you having read them all? What's more, you haven't read them yet. It's said that it's the job of literary and historical experts, but literary and historical experts don't have that little knowledge. The Thirteen Classics are the job of literary and historical experts, history is the job of historians, reading novels is the job of novelists, and reading poetry is the job of poetry scholars. So what else are you reading? If a scholar doesn't read the Thirteen Classics and some poetry, how can he be called a scholar?

Nowadays, many painters do not write, so it is difficult for them to improve their paintings. After a certain period of time, their paintings will even regress. People with knowledge will improve as they paint, while people without knowledge will regress as they paint. Why are they good at painting in their 30s? It is because their skills are good, but they are not good later. One reason is that their calligraphy skills are not good enough, and the main reason is that their knowledge is not good enough. Their skills will regress. When they are young, they will be full of vigor, but when they are old, they will no longer be full of vigor, and will only have turbidity and twilight. Little girls are beautiful even without makeup, but they are not beautiful when they are old. But when they are old, their temperament is extraordinary. I have knowledge, and the demeanor of an old man is different. Why is it called scholar demeanor? Scholars read a lot, so they naturally have demeanor. They are naturally elegant because they have poetry and books in their belly. Why don't we talk about painter demeanor or writer demeanor? Although writers have written many books, they may not read a lot. Some painters have demeanor, but it still depends on their knowledge. People who read a lot have a different temperament.

Knowledge is very important. Without knowledge, you won't be able to succeed. Nowadays, people are eager for quick success and instant benefits. If a painting cannot be sold at the age of 30, it will be fine.

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