A Comparative Study On The Calligraphy Of Liang Kuan And Hong Yi

This paper consists of five chapters,and the main contents are summarized as follows.In the first chapter,the author investigates the life and character of Liang Kuan and Hong Yi.Liang Kuan’s real life is not as clear as the literature record.He is natural and unrestrained and doesn’t care about fame and wealth.Besides,he rarely talks about his experience with others,which caused the lack of his biographical data.And it is hard to describe his life clearly.Liang Kuan is really "a great wisdom".He likes to play with children,and he also native,self-willed and freewheeling like a child.Liang Kuan converted to the Cao Dong School of Zen,and he also mastered the Theory of Taoism.Therefore,his main character is made up of Tao and Zen.Liang Kuan is also familiar with the Confucian classics,but the influence of Confucianism is far less profound than that of Taoism and Zen.As for Hong Yi,there are abundant materials about him in China.Just one of these documents that the Chronology of Hong Yi Master compiled by Lin Ziqing which is unmatched.Therefore,for the purpose of comparison,the author quotes some important materials about Hong Yi’s learning experience and his character,and discusses that the main character of Hong Yi was formed by Confucianism and Vinaya school.In the second chapter,the author investigates the artistic thought of Liang Kuan and Hong Yi.The former emphasizes the emotional expression of art,and he rejects the technique and standard works.His view can be summarized in a poem: "If you don’t write the things in your heart,you will never know what to do".On the contrary,Hong Yi is influenced by Confucianism and his recognition of the identity of the traditional "scholar-officials",so his view of literature and art emphasizes that "moral integrity comes first,art comes second",which means the virtue is far greater than the merits of the art.In terms of calligraphy,Hong Yi emphasizes that "words are passed by people",his concept of calligraphy is greatly influenced by Buddhism and Western aesthetic concepts.His composition of a picture stresses "tidiness,unity and change",and his aesthetic taste pursues "plain,tranquil and elegant".As for his purpose of writing is to spread the Buddhist Dharma and benefit to each other.In the third chapter,the author explores the calligraphy development of Liang Kuan and Hong Yi and the origin of calligraphy learning,finding that the two different calligraphy are completely the embodiment of their characters.Liang Kuan is childish,thus his calligraphy is unsophisticated and vivid,and his regular script is like a child’s writing,clean and thorough.As for Hong Yi,he is rigorous,respectful and serious,so his calligraphy reflects a sense of order.In the fourth chapter,the author aims to find the common features of Liang Kuan and Hong Yi in terms of calligraphy form.When they are writing and painting,both of them are used to keep the tip of the writing brush in the middle of the character.And when Hong Yi writes calligraphy lines thinner,it has no difference with Liang Kuan.Due to the similarity of their writing style,when Liang Kuan writes calligraphy lines tighter,it is also the same as Hong Yi’s calligraphy.In addition,their calligraphy form both have the characteristic of "empty silence".The fifth chapter aims to find the common aesthetic taste of Liang Kuan and Hong Yi’s calligraphy--"simple and serene",to trace back and analyze the aesthetic meaning of it and the support of Taoism and Buddhism.The similarity between Taoism and Buddhism is the basis of "simple and serene",which is the key clue that contributes to their style of writing with Zen.It is the spiritual core of Buddhism to promote Hong Yi and Liang Kuan’s calligraphy to the development of "simple and serene".