Fang Ruisheng of the Ming Dynasty discussed the standard of good ink in "The Sea of Ink": "dark as lacquer, light as clouds, clear as water, and muddy as lan." It has "fragrant like a good body" and "light like the hair of a wife".

Gu Linchu's "On Ink" also discusses the requirements for ink selection: "The color is as black as lacquer, bright and clear, the quality is extremely light and clear, and it has the fragrance of nature, so that it can not be scattered on the paper, the pen is not blocked, the gelatinity is not moist in the summer, and the gelatinization is not in the cold." ”

From the above theory, we can get enlightenment, ink selection should be identified from several aspects such as color, glue, and quality. First of all, the color should be as black as lacquer, black is not enough, and it must be shiny. "Purple light is the top, black light is second, and cyan light is second."

Chen Jiru of the Ming Dynasty "Ni Gu Lu" discussed the quality of the ink, but also depends on the proportion of glue. The ink glue is too heavy, and the pen is not blocked; The amount of glue is too light, the ink is not solid, and the water seeps when mounting. In addition, the delicate texture of the ink is also an important aspect, the ink quality is fine, and the ink rhyme can be fully displayed when painting and calligraphy.

With the criteria for choosing ink, it will be much easier, with Zhang Tianyuan's eyes, he will definitely not choose the wrong one.

Originally, I was going to pick an inkstone and paper, but it happened that Boss Du had already selected the rest of the things, and Zhang Tianyuan also felt a little tired, so he directly asked Boss Du to help him choose inkstone and paper.

Boss Du instructed his men to help Zhang Tianyuan pack the rest of the things first, and then asked: "The inkstone was praised by the ancients as the 'first of the four treasures of the study'. The most famous ones we have here are the Duan Yan of Zhaoqing in Dongguang, the She Yan of Anzhou, the Lu Yan of Dongshan, the Longwei Yan of Xijiang, and the Chengni Yan of Jinzhou, I don't know what Chairman Zhang needs? ”

"How can the inkstone be fastidious?" Zhang Tianyuan asked.

Boss Du replied: "The importance of the inkstone is: fine and greasy, moist and pure, crystal smooth, beautiful texture, easy to ink without water absorption. Some have breasts, some have eyes. Some have bands, some have stars. It is better to produce in a place with mountains and rivers. If the inkstone comes out of the axe, it is bathed in the pit of the river and the river. Shi Jia still has to be fine. The carving system of inkstone has long formed an art, from the stone, the material, the opening, the groove, the grinding, the carving, etc. Some fine inkstones are no longer practical, and they can only be used as antiques to watch and treasure with their preciousness, and they are reluctant to wet the ink. The prestige of inkstone, there are those who are noble in stone, those who are noble in making zuò, and those who are noble in celebrity, etc. ”

"I just have one opinion, it needs to be useful. Practical, whether it is beautiful or not is secondary, after all, I bought it to use, not to appreciate it. Zhang Tianyuan thought for a while.

"Okay, that's fine, but what about the paper?"

"I don't understand paper anymore, this is going to trouble Boss Du, part of the paper I need is used for writing. The other part is for painting, you can choose it for me. "Zhang Tianyuan used to write and paint, and the materials he used were all ready-made, so he didn't understand these things himself.

"In the world of calligraphy, there has always been 'An Xuan. Lake pen', as the name suggests, is the rice paper of Anzhou + the pen of Nanhu. However, when it comes to the actual book, it varies depending on the font. Generally, the words with strong steel bars need to use a 'soft pen' such as sheep's hair, and the elegant and flexible font needs to use a 'hard pen' such as wolf's hair. As for rice paper. There are raw Xuan, cooked Xuan, half-baked rice paper, the difference lies in the water absorption, the general 'quiet word' uses absorbent general rice paper, 'lively word' uses good absorbent cooked Xuan, or half-baked rice paper! Boss Du said.

"Then choose a little bit for me, I copy calligraphy, soft and hard, the words are sometimes lively, sometimes quiet, if it's just a kind of paper, I'm afraid it's not enough, by the way, if you can, trouble mark it for me, so as not to make a mistake in the future." Zhang Tianyuan really didn't know that there was so much knowledge in this paper.

"What about the paper you use to paint? It can't be the same as calligraphy, right? Ouyang Xiaodan on the side asked.

"Freehand flower and bird landscape painting and Gongbi flower and bird landscape painting need to use different papers, freehand requires raw rice paper, Gongbi requires cooked rice paper, there are many varieties of raw rice paper on the market, strong selectivity, and cooked rice paper due to the use of less, so it has few varieties, it is difficult to find light and thin, elastic and tough, can not leak the cooked rice paper. In particular, the modern painting of flowers and birds that pays attention to the texture system has higher requirements for paper, and there are few papers on the market that meet the requirements to buy. Boss Du explained.

"It's really troublesome, isn't there any paper that can be drawn?" Ouyang Xiaodan asked again.

"Actually, ordinary rice paper can be painted, but different raw materials, different manufacturing processes and different origins have produced different properties of paper, or according to habits and needs, choose different papers, otherwise it will really spoil the painter's talent." Boss Du said with a smile.

"What a hassle!"

"This art can't be too troublesome, after all. Modern industry is developed, and there are countless papers with various properties and textures, but if Chinese painting wants to maintain its unique national personality, only China's unique rice paper painting silk can be fully reflected. There are many varieties of paper and silk for Chinese painting, the performance is different, only by fully understanding their quality characteristics, can they control it freely, handy, this matter is really troublesome, I think Chairman Zhang does not need to buy it all at once, anyway, our store has been here, if Chairman Zhang still needs, just call me, I can send someone to you to send it to you for free. "This Boss Du is good at doing business, and when he saw Zhang Tianyuan, he was a master who was not stingy with money, so he immediately attracted customers.

"I just want to know, it's so troublesome to choose a piece of paper, how did the ancients paint?" Ouyang Xiaodan is most afraid of trouble, so she doesn't like makeup, she doesn't like to have long hair, and she doesn't like to wear those very complicated clothes.

"Xuan paper is a unique carrier of painting and calligraphy in China, and it has a long history. Although it has always been believed in history books that Cai Lun of the Han Dynasty invented papermaking, today's archaeological discoveries have pushed the history of papermaking back hundreds of years. The texture of the original paper is very poor, and the raw materials used are generally hemp, rattan, etc., until the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, and basically use linen, hemp shoes, fishing nets and other waste materials to produce paper through reprocessing. Due to the limitations of raw materials and production technology, the paper fiber at that time was coarse, the paper was thick, and the color was yellow, and it could not be used as a carrier for painting. Therefore, the paintings at that time were all depicted on silk fabrics. Boss Du explained: "At that time, people were not only troublesome when they painted. And it's also very expensive. ”

"I remember that rice paper developed into the Tang Dynasty, although it was still relatively coarse. The thickness is uneven, but it has been used by running water bleaching method to remove the yellow pigment on the paper, and the paper is white and clean, and it has the necessary conditions as a painting carrier. Zhang Yanyuan of the Tang Dynasty wrote in the "Records of Famous Paintings of the Past Dynasties": "A good thing should be a hundred pieces of rice paper, and the wax should be used for copying." Zhang Tianyuan interjected.

"Chairman Zhang is right, but it is accurate enough. Most of the paper in the Tang Dynasty was suitable for calligraphy and painting, but it was generally mainly written, and the main carrier of painting was silk fabrics, and occasionally some people tried to use paper for painting. It is rumored that the Tang Dynasty's "Five Oxen Picture" is a work depicted on white linen paper. Boss Du said.

"I see, it seems that the ancients were really hard enough, unlike now, we have to choose which kind of rice paper is good to draw a picture, I am really happy." Zhang Tianyuan said with a smile.

"That's not it! You're absolutely right! The papermaking technology of the Song Dynasty basically followed the old methods of the Tang Dynasty, and there was not much progress, so the 'Chengxin Paper' left over from the Tang Dynasty was very precious in the Song Dynasty, so that it was almost equivalent to gold. Although the literati and ink writers of the Song Dynasty liked to play with pen and ink on rice paper, the medium of Song painting basically maintained the old habits of the Tang Dynasty. Mainly silk fabrics, paper is mainly used for writing. It was in the Yuan Dynasty that rice paper was really widely used in painting, which was closely related to the popular trend of 'literati painting' at that time. Boss Du nodded.

"I'd like to try painting with silk fabrics, but I wonder if you have that kind of material here?" Zhang Tianyuan asked.

"That's not going to be good. I don't really have that thing here, but if Chairman Zhang wants it, it's easy. I have a lot of friends in this area, so I'll just look for you when the time comes. Boss Du patted his chest and said.

"Thank you very much. Please help me pick out some good paper and a few good inkstones. ”

"How many inkstones?"

"Well, I'll probably split it up. At the very least, you have to choose four or five yuan, what, I'm afraid of losing money? Zhang Tianyuan said with a smile: "If it's superfluous, I'll pay for it." ”

"No, no, Chairman Zhang, don't say that, these things won't exceed 10,000 yuan when they are full, if I can't even give up this money, then what else can I say." If you write me that couplet, that's enough, and more. Boss Du hurriedly waved his hand.

"Boss Du doesn't regret it?"

"What do you regret later, if you can make Chairman Zhang a friend, it will be a blessing for Sansheng." Boss Du hurriedly shook his head and said.

"Okay, I'll make you a friend." Zhang Tianyuan is also refreshing, when he hears that the thing is only about 10,000 yuan, and his couplet is definitely more than this money when he sells it, so he doesn't take advantage of it, and if he doesn't take advantage of it, he won't owe favors, which is fine.

"I have to remind Chairman Zhang. The inkstone needs to be washed frequently, not contaminated, and each ink must be clean and fresh. The older the ink ingot, the better, because the glue will naturally dissolve over time, but the water cannot be stored in the old, but must be renewed. If you are afraid of oil, you can use lotus pod or old tea brush to wash it. It is better to add water to lukewarm, and do not add it to the value of boiling water to prevent bursting. Therefore, calligraphers should not only know how to use inkstones, but also be able to raise inkstones. ”

"Haha, it looks like I'm going to have to hire a scholar, otherwise, I won't be able to do these things." Zhang Tianyuan really had this idea in his heart, if he could invite a scholar who was waiting on the side, just like the ancient literati to write poems and paint, it would be interesting.

"It's not bad to hire a scholar, otherwise you'll be too tired to be alone." Boss Du smiled and said, "Then you take a rest first, and I'll help you pick up things." ”

"Okay."

Zhang Tianyuan sat on the chair and drank tea.

At this time, Boss Park looked at Zhang Tianyuan and said: "Xue Tao, a talented woman in the Tang Dynasty, once wrote the poem "Four Friends Praise": 'Polishing the belly of Mr. Polish, hiding the head of the Fengdu Lieutenant, leading the book coal and dimming, entering the literary mu and resting. The poem sings about inkstones, pens, ink, and paper. Pen, ink, paper and inkstone are known as the 'Four Treasures of Study', and since ancient times, they have been deeply loved by literati and ordinary people. ”

"That's right, the so-called 'famous inkstone and clear water, ancient ink and new hair, habitual brush, and old paper' are a whole set, and then write our country's words, which synthesize into our unique traditional calligraphy art. It is not only for us to appreciate ourselves, but more and more people from all over the world to pay attention to and cherish, such as you South Korea, to be honest, you gave up the Chinese language, it is really a pity. Zhang Tianyuan smiled. (To be continued......)