Perhaps because it hadn't been used for a long time, the sheep hair brush was a bit stiff. Fang Yang let the brush tip fully absorb the ink. After the brush tip became slightly heavy, he lifted his hand, dipped it lightly on the edge of the Duan inkstone, pressed down on a corner of the Xuan paper, and with the brush in his hand, he wrote "Watching the Sea and Listening to the Waves" in one go.
Zhang Xu's calligraphy possesses a wild and unrestrained momentum like raging waves, with harmonious rhythm and pauses. The structure between characters follows the shape of the characters, and the lines vary in weight and dryness. He seemed to be engrossed in writing, yet the overall layout is quite rounded and highly aesthetic.
Yang Huajin only saw Fang Yang make a few strokes of the brush, and just as he was about to take a closer look, he saw Fang Yang put down the brush and admire it carefully. "Is that all? I don't think I've even had a chance to see how you wrote it properly."
Fang Yang let the ink and brush dry naturally before smiling and saying, "That's how cursive script is. It's all about finishing it in one go. Before you put pen to paper, you have a clear vision in your mind. Only then can you have an overall layout. Otherwise, it's just a few characters instead of a complete piece of calligraphy."
Yang Huajin was very interested in these four characters. "These four characters have a lot of artistic conception. I can put them in my office. But you have to frame them for me first, otherwise I can't hang them up."
Fang Yang dipped his finger in ink, signed and dated it on the edge, then took out his stamp from the drawer and stamped it. After finishing, he took a photo and uploaded it while saying, "Mounting is no problem, but you'll have to wait a while. The ink isn't completely dry yet. I'll mount it for you this afternoon."
Yang Huajin carefully picked up the writing and placed it on the self-drying stand next to him. Chen Fushu and Zhu Laosan, who had been arguing at the other end, happened to turn around and saw Yang Huajin's careful manner. When they saw Fang Yang just put down his pen, they knew what was going on and gathered around to see what he had written!
Yang Huajin pushed the two aside with disdain, "Stand back a bit, this isn't dry yet. After it's framed this afternoon, you can hang it in my office and admire it however you like. It's not okay now."
Seeing that it was four characters, Zhu Laosan muttered, "I thought it was something else, but it's just a few characters. I won't look at it. Old Chen, you shouldn't look at it either, or you might not be able to sleep tonight."
Chen Fushu stared intently at the four characters, retorting without turning his head, "What do you know? If you don't understand, don't talk nonsense. I'm afraid these four characters recognize you but you don't recognize them, right? Old Yang, you really acted fast!"
Yang Huajin chuckled smugly and said, "I have to thank you for not taking this one. I always believe in the principle of 'first come, first served.' But I won't compete with you for the next one. What it will be depends on your luck."
At this moment, Fang Yang was adding water to another inkstone, then pouring the ink he had previously ground into another inkstone, lightly applying it with an ink stick, and then putting down the ink stick to select a brush.
Chen Fushu walked over and took a look. "Huh? The ink in this inkstone is so light. Are we going to paint a traditional Chinese ink painting?"
Having watched Fang Yang paint several times, Chen Fushu naturally knew why he mixed the ink in this way—was he trying to paint bamboo? After several of his works were uploaded, Chen Fushu knew that Fang Yang had a very deep understanding of bamboo painting.
"Xiao Yang, you're drawing bamboo, right? Why don't you draw a giant panda?"
Fang Yang, who had just chosen his pen and walked over, paused and said irritably, "I've never even seen how to draw a giant panda. Do you expect me to just imagine it?"
Chen Fushu paused for a moment, "I thought you drew them all based on your imagination."
Fang Yang sighed, “Uncle Chen, there’s a clump of bamboo in our neighborhood. I’ve seen it since I was a child, so I’m naturally very familiar with bamboo. But if you’re painting a panda, you can only know its shape but not its spirit. The panda you paint will have no soul. Such a painting will be disqualified. You see many school teachers often organizing students to go on field trips. It’s the same principle. You can’t just paint based on your imagination.”
Chen Fushu had been to Fang Yang's residential area many times, but he had never really paid attention to the bamboo forest. However, after Fang Yang mentioned it, Chen Fushu believed him. It was just a bamboo forest, which could be found in many places. It wasn't some rare or exotic tree. Many farmers around this office building would plant a bamboo grove on the back hill. Bamboo was very useful and could be used to dig bamboo shoots, which was simply wonderful.
"I misunderstood that. What am I going to draw today?"
"Let's draw a picture of shrimp playing today. It's been so long since we've had crayfish. How about we go and beg for some today?"
Spreading out the Xuan paper, Fang Yang planned how to compose a few shrimp paintings. As the most common and beloved creatures in life, there are many shrimp painting masters in this world. Perhaps they are not as famous as Master Qi in his previous life, but shrimp paintings are deeply rooted in people's hearts and are very popular among enthusiasts.
Fang Yang didn't intend to surpass anyone. No matter how good a living painter's skills are, there's a ceiling to their work, and it's impossible for it to fetch an astronomical price. So he could only paint one piece for everyone to appreciate, and of course, it was also to liven up the atmosphere of the calligraphy and painting section. Fang Yang doesn't make money by painting.
I still choose the vertical format, which is the usual practice. First, I use a brush to dot a little light-colored ink. The colors of shrimp are all light, and even the small shrimp are more transparent. To draw shrimp well, the real essence lies in the spirit, or rather, in a childlike sense.
With a clear vision in mind, the writing flowed quickly. Without any embellishments, it took more than half an hour to bring to life seven frolicking shrimp on the paper. They were instantly pleasing to the eye. Fang Yang skillfully signed and stamped the paper, then took a photo and uploaded it without making any changes.
Yang Huajin and Chen Fushu were used to Fang Yang's behavior, but this was the first time Zhu Laosan had seen it. He looked a little surprised and said, "This is too fast! Half an hour for a painting, it feels like a game."
Fang Yang chuckled, “It’s like when you get a song, you can play it after just a few listens. It looks difficult to laymen, but it’s normal to experts. Besides, it’s just drawing a few shrimp, not a very complicated drawing.”
Zhu Laosan understood this principle, but he always felt that something was wrong. If it were that simple, why would so many people admire Fang Yang's paintings? Moreover, Zhu Laosan couldn't see anything special about the painting, and neither could Yang Huajin and Chen Fushu. This perfectly illustrates the saying that laymen watch the show, while experts see the details.
Fang Yang didn't explain much. He said that if you're not in this industry, no matter how much you say, it's like talking to a brick wall, because others can't understand the artistic conception in your painting. Even painters who haven't reached a certain level can't understand it.
There are three realms of artistic conception: the first realm is seeing mountains as mountains and water as water; the second realm is seeing mountains as not mountains and water as not water; and the third realm is seeing mountains as mountains and water as water again.
Fang Yang is currently at the second stage, where he sees mountains not as mountains and water not as water. Even so, he has already surpassed 99% of his peers nationwide. However, this level is merely something forcibly instilled by the system. To break through and become a true master, he must establish his own unique painting style. This requires Fang Yang to integrate the strengths of various schools, break through the shackles of others' painting styles, and develop his own strong painting style. After countless refinements, there may be hope for success. Even though Fang Yang possesses the system, it is not omnipotent, and Fang Yang is not destined to walk the path of a painter alone. To break through, he can only rely on fate. It would not be surprising if he never breaks through in his lifetime.
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