30 Powerful, Majestic, Confiden (1/2)
As the saying goes, one's calligraphy mirrors one's personality. Due to the difference in personality of each master, their writing usually carried their own style, and this helped with identification.
There was a school of Unbridled Passion, a school of Flowing Elegance, and a school of Magnificent Vitality; there were numerous calligraphy styles throughout the years, but none of the old experts there had witnessed a style that was so… precise?
Yes, precise!
When Ye Shuang wrote, he didn't exude the ease and freedom that was normally associated with calligraphy. Instead, he approached the activity with the precision and accuracy of a determined scientific researcher…
Ye Shuang's calligraphy couldn't be called calligraphy; it was more of a scanning and photocopying venture.
In Ye Shuang's mind, the white paper that she was supposed to write on was already separated into precise and accurate vertical and horizontal lines. Every brush stroke was a replication of the original, following its ratio and distribution. She had completely copied the original onto the white paper. To be frank, it was as Fang Mo commented in his mind, this was merely another form of photocopying, albeit more complicated in nature. A scanner used line-by-line analysis to duplicate the original, but Ye Shuang copied the original brush stroke for brush stroke…
This required a speedy and concise mind, a careful hand, and a meticulous attitude. It was no wonder that the room was made uncomfortable by it. If someone picked up Ye Shuang's calligraphy and placed it over the original, one would realize they overlapped precisely.
Therefore, when Ye Shuang asked politely for opinions, Fang Mo was speechless, and the group of elders chuckled amusedly to themselves.
”Indeed, heroes come from the youth.” An elder, who seemed to be the lynchpin of the group, was pushed forward by his friends' gazes, and he said to shatter the awkward silence, ”If you don't mind an old coot like myself take a look at your calligraphy…”
Ye Shuang obediently took a step back from the table to allow space for the elder. The elder walked forward and lowered his head to look. Damn! It is really a hundred percent similar!
Facing the anticipatory glow in Ye Shuang's eyes, the elder felt weirdly inconvenienced. ”…The structure of your writing is not bad; it looks like you've put a lot of practice into your work.”
Oh, pfft. You shouldn't have. This is only my first time… Ye Shuang smiled brightly, blinding his audience with his handsomeness. ”Sir, you're being too kind.”
”…” Even the elderly liked to look at beautiful things. Appreciating Ye Shuang's neat looks that were rare these days, the elder bit on the comments that he felt like adding. Then again, he would feel too frustrated if he didn't speak his mind. Therefore, with an intention to lend a guiding hand to his junior, the elder forced out a ”But.”
He then continued with his critique. ”In spite of the perfect structure, the calligraphy is too derivative of the original, to the point that it has lost a personal touch.”