Shi Wai Tao Yuan - Calligraphic Works Collection of Shi Kai (ePub)

Criticism on calligraphy, like the criticism on other categories of art, is a theoretical form dominated by feeling and speculation. But it seems to be completely the same as other artistic criticism, first of all, it lies in the narrow-mindedness and ambiguity of its aesthetic standard. The so-called narrow-mindedness is because critics tend to have a clear-cut attitude toward the art form of calligraphy. For example, a person who is very familiar with the work of study of calligraphy book history is likely to resist or belittle the beauty of the Northern Dynasties inscriptions. The so-called ambiguity is because the art form of calligraphy is too abstract, in the view of a person with discerning eyes, there's no doubt that it is easy to find a benchmark of comparison, for example, the mentoring relationship and the attribution of style of the works, but it is extremely difficult to timely and objectively make an accurate judgment on its independent personality value, usually a decision can be made upon the works themselves pass through the examination by society and time. If the above narrow-mindedness and ambiguity also exists in other categories of art, then there's one on which calligraphy art is particularly valued, i.e. experimental property. Calligraphy is an art that is very difficult to appreciate the aesthetic value therein unless in-depth hardworking practices were made personally, it is clearly not enough to comment on calligraphy only by the profound cultural training and well-trained artistic sense, because the recognition obtained therefrom has not only a feeling of nearing nowhere, or even completely unintelligible.