不亦快哉—許靜的書法

韋羲

去年秋，在55號院，劉山先生拿出一本冊子，給我看許靜的字，先是小楷，勁挺的《鬥茶論》；然後行草，《唐詩四首》與《石濤畫語錄》力追王鐸、祝允明，竟然一股丈夫氣；最後是大字作品，通常是兩個字，或三四字，顯示出驚人的控制力和爆發力，《風》寫得英爽，《繞梁》、《不寐》如長袖之舞，那幅《自在》撒野似的，何其興高而采烈，我被感染了，同時意識到我們也有了成熟的少字數書法家，許靜就是其中出色的一個。

大字，或者說少字數書法有兩難，其一是難脫俗，其二是難脫江湖氣。我雖非書界中人，間或也目睹兩三件大字作品，或者故意搞怪，或者煞氣重，或者江湖味濃，難得喜歡，但許靜卻讓我耳目一新，認真想了想現代書法。

過去的說法，有書家字和畫家字之別，又說書法近於舞蹈，其中關系，我因喜愛書法而曾思及，所思如是：書似舞，但有一筆是舞即非書，若無一筆似舞亦非書。書如畫，但有一筆是畫即非書，若無一筆似畫亦非書。但此解只限於古典書法範圍，於新派則不然，因新派與古典是兩種遊戲，兩套標準。

許靜研習傳統，自應懂得書與畫和舞蹈之間的分寸，但她就要破門而出，要像舞，也要像畫 —— 像的是抽象畫，甚至，像設計。劉山是生活家，精於玩賞，把他的55號院調理得古雅而禪意，許靜的字與之相投者，亦在於禪意。

古代書法，尺牘與手卷是獨立的，屏幛與條幅則從屬於空間，有裝飾之用。少字數書法亦即從屬於空間的書法，說到底，它是屏幛條幅的異化，或謂現代化，但我們總以尺牘與手卷來要求少字數書法，顯然錯位。這是兩條線，不可混淆，卻偏偏混淆。

古典書法講究自然流露水到渠成，“書者，如也。如其學，如其才，如其誌，總之曰如其人而已”，故而耐看，不是書家的文人，也能把字寫得耐看。與古典書法比，少字數派確乎不夠耐看，可是，雖然不耐久看，但每次看，都會震動 —— 這一路書法並不要妳對之久看，只要妳每次看，心中一動，或者給妳當頭一棒，過後猛然想起那精神的力量。而況觀看少字數書法，重在現場感，不應專註於字，還須配合環境，譬如吃魚生，魚片要蘸著料理吃，單吃生魚片或單吃蘸水，都不夠滋味。明白這點，我們才知道如何看待少字數派書法，或者說，現代書風。是的，現代書法屬於當代藝術，若視古典書法為陳舊腐朽，那是輕薄無知，然而硬要以古典書法來要求新水墨書寫，則昧於現代，昧於事物的演化。從前我們剛見到波洛克、克萊因的抽象繪畫，手島右卿、井上有一的意象書法 —— 少字數書法不妨稱為意象書法，都說不耐看，如今時代一換，有了展示的空間與放置的環境，也都覺得他們的作品與空間環境相得益彰，在合適的環境裏欣賞，漸漸也覺得這些作品好看甚而耐看起來。如今總算古典書法的歸古典書法，當代藝術的歸當代藝術，以古典書法的規則批評克萊因，輕視井上有一的人漸漸少了。

新藝術得到正名，雖與時代環境的變化有關，又怎能脫離書家的成功實踐？

許靜有兩副身手，能寫“不耐看”的現代書風，也能寫“耐看”的傳統文人書法，長此以往，她的現代書風比別人耐看，而她的傳統書法比別人當代。而且動靜皆宜，能寫小楷，也能寫草書，現代書風尤其是她目前的拿手好戲，這和她的性子對路。許靜渾身是膽，出手敏捷，實在適宜寫大字，她輪得起大筆，流動有氣勢，巨筆也反過來給予她重量感。而許靜也長袖善舞，大字寫得書非書，畫非畫，舞非舞，另是一境。過去也有把字當做畫的，俗套如水則畫水波，山則畫山，至於“鳥蟲書”、“龍虎精氣神”之類，更不入流，但少字數書法是嚴肅的，並非此類老伎倆，雖然近於畫，然而不是畫，其中差異，有如貝律明在蘇州博物館水池邊白墻下布置的山巒與花鳥市場的假山之間的差異，其實，貝律明的假山和蘇州古典園林中的假山也不可同日而語，因為中間隔著現代觀念。以許靜為列，她的大字作品得益於設計的介入，而設計與時代的關聯，往往比純藝術更直接更緊密，甚至，設計即是時代，即是生活，而純藝術表現生活，揭示時代。此一介入，無異於現代觀念的介入，因而她寫起大字，似書非書，似畫非畫。許靜自幼習字，打的是童子功，大學念設計，陰差陽錯歪打正著。大凡有童子功且長期沈溺者，容易躲進傳統不出來，幸好她長大後學設計，與當代藝術不隔，眼界與思維不受限於傳統書學，而能自由往來於傳統與當代之間，她的大字，也給人予解脫自在之感。

設計，涉及字體，許靜是字體設計的書寫，而非畫字。她的作品其實也是一種以書法手段實現的字體設計，而設計介入的書寫藝術，則又帶來另一種不同於古典書法的自由感與解脫感。因為設計感，少字數書法天然適合影視海報的題字，許靜書寫的英挺與俠氣，果然也獲取諸多導演的認同，張藝謀《英雄》，王家衛《一代宗師》，陳可辛《武俠》，三部電影中都有她的墨跡。而現代書風的實踐，應會開拓許靜在古典書法方面的思路，這是一條長期之路，或許破門而出者亦是破門而入者。

現代書風把過去的約束都拿來解放，不但解放字體，而且解放法度——此亦禪意所在。既然如此，現代書法作為當代藝術，不如叫做墨跡，發自身體的墨跡。許靜猶如野孩子，野孩子潑墨撒野，著實好看，像剛從泥水中出來，雙肩一抖，水珠潑灑而出，滿紙都是她撒野的痕跡。古典書法無法承受如此完全的狂喜，手腕之力不足以揮發，須要身體來帶動，因而她的狂喜是身體的狂喜。古昔，韓愈說草聖張旭“喜怒窘窮、憂悲、愉佚、怨恨、思慕、酣醉、無聊、不平，有動於心，必於草書焉發之。”然而古典書法哪裏容得下這許多猛烈情緒。比起古典書法的無始無終綿延不絕之感，現代少字數書風是瞬間的，爆發的，集中的，有著特別的視覺沖擊力。除了舞蹈，我不知道還有什麽比書法更身體的了，當代水墨書法家，莫不善於借助設計釋放自己，通過筆痕墨跡傳達迷狂或蒼涼。

我願以此看待現代書寫：傳遞心緒的墨跡，以書法的方式完成。許靜的大字書寫是身體的，換言之，是觸覺的。如果繪畫是視覺的，那麽，書法則是觸覺的，而觸覺是身體的，現代書法的解放，不如說是身體的解放。換言之，古典書法是書法控制身體，現代書風是身體書寫墨跡。

現代派大字書寫的要害，在於用墨。不會用墨，寫出來一掛，簡直追悼會，要不一片殺氣，儼然回到大字報年代。許靜會用墨，為她的作品平添一股活氣，而文人書法的儒染，又增加了幾分書卷氣。墨色與運筆速度的豐富變化是她的長處，淡墨帶來豐富而悅目的灰度，即便濃墨，也並不死黑。用墨，潑墨，是她脫去陳規的策略，接近身體的手段，在身體中，她才更像她自己。她遊刃於古典與當代之間，兩者相補相成，傳統，使她善於匯聚能量，設計，使她得以開發能量，身體，使她接近自己。未來，是她如何在兩條路上完成自己。

一代人有一代人的事。傳統還是現代，其實又是如何選擇對手的問題，對於現代水墨書家，與其和古人戰，與書法之“法”戰，不如面對自己，和空間周旋，與字形對抗。

今之書家，或埋首故舊，或側身新風，或在兩者間進退失據，有如無岸，而許靜往來於新舊之間，進退有據而爽然自得，單是此一性情，亦使人驚羨。這篇小文，原題擬為《書非書，畫非畫》，寫到當代書風的淋漓盡致處，不由興奮起來，書之，寫之，與其固守戒律，不如放手一搏，成敗在此一舉，不亦快哉，諸位看許靜的潑墨大字，寫得興高采烈，淋漓痛快而又拖泥帶水，不亦快哉。

2017年2月寫於昆明

Nothing But a Joy: Xu Jing’s Calligraphy

Wei Xi

Last autumn, at Courtyard No.55, Mr. Liu Shan showed me a calligraphy album by Ms. Xu Jing. What first met my eyes was On Tea Contest, written in regular script in small characters, vigorous and powerful in style.Then followedFour Poems from the Tang Dynasty and Shi Tao’s Discourse on Landscape Painting, written in running-cursive script, with a touch of manhood, to rival the masterpieces by calligraphers Wang Duo and Zhu Yunming. Finally came works composed of two to four large characters, showing an astonishing measure of maneuver and explosive power: Wind, oozing dashing valor; The Lingering Song and Sleepless, evocative of the image of a long-sleeved dancer; and At Ease,brimmed with riotous revelry. Deeply fascinated, I realized that we already have full-blown calligraphers specializing in creating works with few characters, and Ms. Xu Jing is an outstanding one among them.

Although not a professional calligrapher, I occasionally got to see some calligraphic works with only a few large characters, which were of too much bizarre contrivance and sinister ambience for my liking. It was hard for them to be free from convention or worldly sophistication. However, Ms. Xu’s works made me sit up and take notice, and provoked me to reflect upon modern calligraphy.

People used to draw a distinction between calligraphy by calligraphers and that by painters, yet a parallel between calligraphy and dance. Out of my passion for calligraphy, I’ve been pondering over the relations among calligraphy, painting, and dance: calligraphy is like dance, but a dance movement or any brush stroke not similar to it would make calligraphy no longer calligraphy; calligraphy is like painting, but a painting stroke or an absence of anything similar to it would also make calligraphy no longer calligraphy. However, this interpretation holds true only to classic calligraphy, not to the new school. With two different systems of criteria, the two are different stories.

As a researcher in tradition, Ms. Xu knows too well the fine lines among calligraphy, painting, and dance, but she insists on crossing them to create something resembling both dance and painting—abstract painting or even designs. As an expert in the art of living, Mr. Liu Shan possesses a refined taste that gave his house at Courtyard No. 55 a quaint and Zen mood. And it is the Zen mood about Xu’s calligraphy that strikes a chord with Liu.

In ancient China, epistolary and hand scroll calligraphy are separate from screen and hanging scroll calligraphy, as the latter falls into the category of spatial decorations. Calligraphy with few characters is also “spatial,” and, as a matter of fact, a variant or modern version of screen and hanging scroll calligraphy. However, people are tempted to apply the standards for epistolary and hand scroll calligraphy to calligraphy with few characters—nothing short of putting a square peg in a round hole.

Classic calligraphy believes in spontaneity and naturalness. “A person’s calligraphy is a mirror of his or her learning, talent, and ambition, or, in a nutshell, himself and herself as a whole.” That’s why calligraphy, even that by the literati who were not calligraphers, has a lingering appeal. Compared with classic calligraphy, calligraphy with few characters doesn’t seem to bear much aesthetic scrutiny. However, each time you give it a look, which doesn’t have to be long, you will feel shocked, as if receiving a head-on blow, and the spiritual force will come flooding back to your memory. In addition, the appreciation of calligraphy with few characters requires a combination with the surrounding ambiance instead of exclusive attention to the writing per se. This situation is comparable to the fact that sashimi tastes best when accompanied by sauce, better than either of the two consumed separately. Only after we understand this can we know how to make of calligraphy with few characters, or rather, modern calligraphy. Indeed, modern calligraphy is part of contemporary art. It would be ignorant to dismiss classic calligraphy as anachronistic, and conformist and stagnant to impose on neo-calligraphy the standards for classic calligraphy. In earlier years, we wouldn’t describe the abstract paintings of Jackson Pollock and Yves Klein and the imagist calligraphy (which we might as well categorize calligraphy with few characters as) of Tajima Yukey and Inoue Yuichi as visually pleasant. However, with the passing of time, we have come to appreciate their works displayed in a suitable space which can bring the best out of them. Nowadays, classic calligraphy is seldom lumped together with contemporary art, and fewer and fewer people are criticizing or belittling Jackson Pollock and Inoue Yuichi for the sake of the standards for classic calligraphy.

Neo-calligraphy has secured a well-deserved place, which, though partly due to the change of era, is credited to the successful attempts by calligraphers.

Ms. Xu Jing practices both modern calligraphy, which doesn’t seem to bear much aesthetic scrutiny, and classic calligraphy, which has a lasting appeal. Now her modern calligraphy has more lasting appeal than that of others, and her classic calligraphy looks more “modern.” She can alternate between the dynamic of cursive script and the decorum of regular script. Now she is particularly good at modern calligraphy, which suits her character well. Her great courage and dexterity makes her a good calligrapher in terms of large-sized characters. With fluency and great style in movements, she has a good control of a large brush, which, in turn, lends her a sense of weight. When writing large-size characters, like a long-sleeved dancer, she was creative enough to blur the lines among calligraphy, painting, and dance. Some people used to write calligraphy in a way to imitate paintings, and the stock-in-trade was to add ripples or hills when it came to writing water- or mountain-related characters. The “bird-and-insect” script and the works on the theme of the spirit of dragons and tigers don’t deserve much mention. However, calligraphy with few characters is not about such artistic flirtation or old tricks. Although similar to painting, it is not painting after all. Their difference is comparable to the contrast between a rock from the bonsai market and the rock arranged by Ieoh Ming Pei beside a pool against a white wall at Suzhou Museum. In fact, Ieoh Ming Pei’s rock and the artificial rocks in Suzhou traditional gardens cannot be mentioned in the same breath, for it is modernity that sets them apart. Take Xu Jing’s works for example. The beauty of her calligraphy with few characters lies in its integration with design, which is more closely related to modernity than pure art. In other words, design is synonymous with modernity and life, and pure art is their expression and reflection. For Xu Jing’s calligraphy with few characters, it is the integration with modernity that blurs the distinction between calligraphy and painting. Xu Jing began to practice classic calligraphy since her childhood, an experience that threatened to confine her to traditions. Fortunately, somehow she studied design in her college years, which opened her eyes to contemporary art beyond classic calligraphy and enabled her to shift freely between modernity and tradition. That explains why her calligraphy with few characters has a sense of unrestrained boldness.

When it comes to design, Xu Jing designs in a calligraphic way, rather than by painting. And the presence of design gives her works a sense of freedom and relief that cannot be seen in classic calligraphy. This sense of design also makes calligraphy with fewer characters ideal for the title of a movie on its poster. Xu’s bold and heroic style decided many directors to choose Xu’s calligraphic inscriptions for their movies, as we can see in the cases of Zhang Yimou’s Hero, Kar-wai Wong’s The Grandmaster, and Peter Chan’s Swordsmen. On the other hand, Xu’s efforts in modern calligraphy must have given new inspiration to herself in terms of classic calligraphy. In this long way of exploration, a non-conformist is also probably a trail-blazer.

Modern calligraphy frees people from the past constraints placed not only on styles but also on manners—that’s also where the Zen mood lies in. In light of this, we may as well call modern calligraphy “ink marks,” which are born out of body movements. Xu Jing is like a naughty girl, who comes out of the muddy pool where she has been going wild, shakes her shoulders, and sprays the paper with the proof of her rapture. Alien to classic calligraphy, this sheer rapture should be unleashed by the movement of the entire body instead of just the hand and wrist. Therefore, Xu’s rapture is as much physical as mental. According to Han Yu, a renowned ancient writer, whenever Zhang Xu, known as the “Saint of Cursive Script,” was stricken by a sense of happiness, comfort, anger, helplessness, sadness, rancor, nostalgia, drunkenness, boredom, or injustice, he gave expression to it by writing in cursive script. However, classic calligraphy has no room for the whole gamut of such strong emotions. As opposed to the sense of infinity in classic calligraphy, modern calligraphy with few characters features intensity, explosive power, instantaneous experience, and unique visual impacts. Apart from dance, I cannot think of anything more physical than calligraphy. For contemporary calligraphers, writing is cathartic experience, and ink is the messenger for their confusion and melancholy.

Leaving ink marks in a calligraphic way as an expression of emotions—this is the way I would like to interpret modern calligraphy. Xu Jing’s calligraphy with few characters is physical, or rather, tactile. If painting is visual, calligraphy is tactile and physical. The liberation brought by modern calligraphy is more physical than calligraphic. The body is subject to the constraints by classic calligraphy, while modern calligraphy is the creation of the body.

The use of ink can make or break modern calligraphy. The ill use of ink can make calligraphy evocative of elegiac couplets at a memorial service, or those gloomy banners and slogans in the leftist period. But Xu’s delicate use of ink lends her works a touch of vitality and literary grace. The variety of ink intensity and stroke speed is her strong suit. Different ink intensities bring different shades of color, which enriches visual experiences. And even high ink intensity doesn’t mean lifeless black. The use of ink is her way to break away from convention in favor of her own body, or rather, her true self. With effortless grace, she walks along a fine line between tradition and modernity, which are complementary and mutually beneficial. Tradition endowed her with power, design unlocked her potential, and physical experiences made her closer to her true self. In the future, she will fulfill herself on this two-lane path.

Each generation has their own stories. Tradition or modernity—it is in fact a question of how to choose a rival. For contemporary calligraphers, it is less desirable to compete against their ancestors and traditional aesthetic standards than to work on themselves, the space, and the way their calligraphy looks.

Nowadays, most calligraphers are either conformists or reckless innovators, or caught in the dilemma between tradition and modernity. Ms. Xu Jing is one of the few who have been blessed with an enviable character enabling them to stroll and strut between the two. The original title of this work was “Blurred Lines between Calligraphy and Painting.” But I changed it when seized by the “joy” as the article unfolded. Isn’t it a joy to take a long shot against all odds without slavish adherence to calligraphic rules? And isn’t it a joy to appreciate Xu’s calligraphy with few characters, written with euphoria, unvarnished emotions, and lingering resonance?

February 2017

In Kunming

許靜简历

許靜，1975年出生於江蘇淮安。自幼跟隨父親習書，有紮實的傳統書法的功底。本科畢業於南京藝術學院設計學院平面設計專業，讀硏究生期間跟隨著名書法家黃惇先生研習書法。獲碩士學位。現為南京書畫院專職書法家。

許靜書法涉獵較廣，真草篆隸皆行，尤擅大草與小楷，她強調書法的當代性，其＂酒書＂系列最具代表性。

此外，許靜書法被運用於諸多電影作品中，如：張藝謀導演的《幸福時光》、《英雄》，陳可辛導演的《武俠》，王家衛導演的《一代宗師》及紀錄片《宗師之路》。

參加的主要群展有：
“書寫的藝術”，威斯巴登休閑宮藝術論壇，德國，2011年。“墨守成規 —— 跨地域的水墨經驗”，上海證大喜瑪拉雅美術館，2013年。“風欲靜 —— 許靜杜可風雙個展”，藝穗會，香港，2015年。

2013年，她在江蘇省美術館舉辦了首次個展“縱橫可象”，2017年她的第二回個展在北京“55號院子”舉辦。

XU Jing, born in 1975 in Huai’an, Jiangsu, has solid trainings and cultivation in traditional calligraphy. She started her training from her father since young and graduated from the Major of Graphic Design, School of Design at Nanjing University of the Arts for her undergraduate years. Later, she became a student of Mr. Huang Chun, well-known calligrapher to further research into this field and gained her Master degree. At present, she is the full-time calligrapher for Nanjing Painting and Calligraphy Academy.

The calligraphic work of Xu Jing ranges widely from regular script, cursive script, to seal characters and official script (zhen cao zhuan li), particularly skilled in grand cursive (da cao) and regular script in small characters (xiao kai). She emphasizes the modernity of the calligraphy, with the series “Writing of Wine” as her most iconic work.

Besides, the calligraphies of Xu Jing have been widely used in films, for example, Happy Times and Hero directed by Zhang Yimou, Wu Xia by Peter Chan Ho Sun, The Grandmasters by Karwai Wong and the documentary of the same name.

She participated in the exhibitions including “Art of Writing”, Art Forum of Kurhaus Wiesbaden, Germany, 2011; “On Site: Cross-Contextual Ink Art Experience” Shanghai Himalayas Museum, 2013; and “Still Wind: Joint Exhibition of Christopher Doyle and Xu Jing， Lucie Chang Fine Arts， Hong Kong, 2015.

In 2013, she held her first solo exhibition “Zong Heng Ke Xiang” at Jiangsu Province Art Museum and in 2017 her second solo was held in “No. 55 Art Space” in Beijing.

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来源：2017-10-19No55ArtSpace伍拾伍號院子藝術空間伍拾伍號院子藝術空間