Chapter 250: Initial Review of Calligraphy
The day after Ye Ziliang lost his job, Liu Lan learned a piece of good news from Professor Su: her calligraphy passed the preliminary review organized by the Chinese Calligraphers Association and was successfully shortlisted for the National Calligraphy and Seal Carving Exhibition. Professor Su said that there were more than 80,000 works participating in the review, and only about 800 works were selected in the end.
As a beginner of regular script, Liu Lan was of course very happy that her work was recognized by the judges.
Su Yi was also very happy, but he didn't want his beloved student to get carried away, so he deliberately poured cold water on him, "The initial review sometimes depends on luck. Tens of thousands of works are spread out on the ground, like a vegetable market. The judges must decide whether to eliminate or enter the finals within one or two seconds. There are always judges who lose patience and make mistakes."
Liu Lan was surprised and asked, "Could it be that they just misjudged my work?"
Su Yi coughed lightly and laughed awkwardly, "Most of the judges have a strong sense of responsibility. This situation is relatively rare. There are more than ten judges in the initial review. The works that can be shortlisted for the calligraphy exhibition must be excellent."
Liu Lan immediately realized that Professor Su was fooling her.
"However, the preliminary review is only the first stage. There will be a re-review and the most important face-to-face review. The judges for the re-review and face-to-face review are not the same group of people as the preliminary review. The former are all senior experts from the Calligraphy Association. I have served as a judge for the face-to-face review," Professor Su said here with a hint of pride in his eyes.
Liu Lan's face showed her admiration for the teacher decisively and promptly.
Su Yi was very satisfied with his student's reaction and continued, "It is as difficult for a contestant to win a prize or have his work permanently collected by the exhibition as it is for thousands of troops to cross a single-plank bridge. So since the summer vacation, I have been giving you a 'crash course' in the hope that you can make sufficient and solid preparations before the national exhibition so as not to be nervous and perform poorly on the spot. From the perspective of a judge, to be honest, it is unlikely that your current level of regular script and official script will allow you to compete for awards..."
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Liu Lan did not feel disappointed. First, she knew her own level. She had only studied regular script and official script for half a year. No matter how talented she was, she could not compare with those who had followed famous teachers since childhood and had studied for decades. She was really satisfied that her regular script works could pass the preliminary review.
Second, she knew that Professor Su liked to set traps for her, so when he said something like that, there must be a twist later.
Sure enough, Su Yi said, "When the re-evaluation judges select works, they usually refer to who the contestants' teachers are. Apprentices of famous teachers will definitely be shortlisted, unless their qualifications are too poor. You are my apprentice, and the judges will never give me face."
In the calligraphy world, the status of the master is very important. This is an established rule that has been the case for thousands of years. So when Su Yi first met Liu Lan, he asked her who her master was.
A calligraphy master can help his apprentices learn the vision and details that they can never learn by themselves, and experience different ideas and realms. Moreover, being accepted as an apprentice by a calligrapher means that she has been recognized by the master, which is also a round of evaluation. With the endorsement of the master, others will look up to her.
“After re-evaluation, only 300 out of 800 works were kept.”
"The face-to-face review is very difficult, and the author of the work must attend in person. There are a total of 5 judges who are comparable to me. Generally, 10 authors enter the face-to-face review in a group. During the face-to-face review, the judges will re-ask the questions on the spot. Only 2 out of 10 people can pass the face-to-face review. If you can pass the face-to-face review, your work can be permanently collected by the exhibition. If you want to pass the face-to-face review, you must and must only use the seal script that you are good at. Remember?"
Professor Su was teaching her how to pass the "exam" with good intentions. Liu Lan nodded quickly in acceptance.
"There is also a free play session at the end. Each exhibition is different. It is usually decided by several main judges on the spur of the moment. No one knows or guesses what the topic will be in advance. Even they themselves cannot foresee what the topic will be. This session determines the top ten. Only the top ten will receive prize money."
Su Yi knew that Liu Lan liked money, so he emphasized it especially.
"The strength of the authors in the face-to-face review should not be underestimated. Their teachers may even be one of the judges. But you don't have to worry. There are five judges. They come from different places and are good at different fonts. It is impossible for them to favor the same contestant."
"Therefore, in such occasions, your mentality is very important. You must not be nervous or compare yourself with others. You are a newcomer and you are not very competitive. Even if you fail this time, you will have many opportunities in the future. I hope you can look at other excellent works with a calm and humble attitude. You can go over to observe and chat with other authors to learn from them."
"Okay, if there's anything I don't understand, I'll ask others for help."
Although Liu Lan wanted to make money, she did not expect to win first prize in such an elite gathering. Besides, Professor Su had said before that the first place winner of the exhibition could only get a prize of 30,000 yuan.
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