Chinese Calligraphy

Calligraphy, shufa, occupies one of the highest positions in the rich and colorful treasury of Chinese art. Through the use of a brush to write Chinese characters, a calligrapher can express his or her aesthetic idea, education, thoughts and feelings, personality and temperament in a point or a line. Calligraphy has developed in China over more than 3,000 years. It is an important part of the best traditional Chinese culture.

The art of calligraphy spread to Japan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, and wherever the Chinese diaspora has settled. Its popularity continues to grow.

Two aspects of Chinese calligraphy distinguish it from other calligraphic arts: the nature of Chinese characters and use of the brush. The structure of Chinese characters, each of which occupies a square space, and their rich connotations make them an ideal calligraphic medium. The softness and elasticity of ink brushed make them ideal tools to express the changing styles of calligraphy. A line made with the stroke of a brush may present different tastes of writing styles. This can be completed only with an ink brush. Various types and sizes of characters require different kinds of brushes.

Chinese calligraphy is an art based on the unique form of Chinese characters which developed from inscriptions on tortoise shells and ox bones to dazhuan and xiaozhuan (seal characters), official script, regular script, running hand and cursive hand.

There are three elements in Chinese calligraphy:

1. Maneuverability. This requires the dexterous control of the brush, the scientific movement of the fingers, elbow and body and effective use of the ink. The brush must be controlled to move on the paper at the right speed with the required force, quick or slow, light or heavy, lifting up or pressing down to form various types of brush sharpness, mid-way or side cutting, or hidden or exposed point. The lines should be written with force, giving a feeling of substance, like the veins, bones, blood and flesh of the human body.

2. Structure. This refers to the layout of the points and the execution of the brush movement. It stresses the balance, escape and supplement, capping and piercing, facing up and the reverse, siding, filling a blank, covering, and increase and decrease, to make the combination of the strokes of each character full of life and animation.

3. Style. This refers to the taste, style and quality of the work. It requires the skillful expression of a combination of beauty in form and in quality of the work so as to give a vivid presentation as a result of the producer’s inspiration. The maneuverability of the brush and the structure are techniques used to produce a beauty in form and quality. But the style represents the producer’s personal accomplishments separate from achievement in calligraphy. Style is the most important, but it cannot be separated from the beauty in form and quality. A good calligraphic work is required to contain these two aspects.

Calligraphy, superficially speaking, is nothing more than writing characters. However, good calligraphy cannot be produced without a good educational foundation. The wonder of a calligraphic work is always based on the depth and breadth of the knowledge of its producer. This involves a process of integrating training in basic techniques with knowledge.

It is very difficult to appraise a calligraphic work. This is because the requirements of a work include the practical function of communicating information through seemingly simple points and lines, the expressive function of communicating feelings, and the aesthetic function. The simpler the expression, the richer the content. The more abstract it is, the deeper its implication. It is a medium for expressing the mood, will, feelings, ideas and the pursuit of beauty of its producer. This requires the appraisers and connoisseurs to have extensive knowledge and keen observation.

Like chopsticks, calligraphy used to be wholly Chinese. As Chinese culture spread to the Korean peninsula, Japan, Vietnam and Singapore, calligraphy became a unique art throughout Asia.

Famous Calligraphers

Chinese calligraphy is the product of 5,000 years of Chinese culture. Through the ages, a great number of outstanding calligraphers have emerged. Wang Xizhi (321-379) and his son Wang Xianzhi (344-386) of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420) created a beautiful and flowing new style, which has remained very popular in later generations. Ouyang Xun (557-641), Chu Suiliang(596-658), Yan Zhenqing (708-784) and Liu Gongquan (778-865) of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) each created their own types of regular script which have also been followed by later generations. Zhang Xu and Huai Su (725-785), also of the Tang Dynasty, invented a wonderful cursive style of writing. Su Shi (1037-1101), Huang Tingjian (1045-1105) and Mi Fu (1051-1107) of the Song Dynasty (960-1279) were all well known for their cursive hand and running hand. During the Qing period (1644-1911), calligraphers were divided into two schools: the stone rubbing school and the model book school. Yu Youren (1879-1964) blended the two schools into one to create a new school.

All these calligraphers established their own unique styles: the "free and natural beauty" of Wang Xizhi, the "strong and robust beauty" of Yan Zhenqing, the "fresh and clear beauty" of Mi Fu and Huang Tingjian, the "bold and flowing beauty" of Zhang Xu and Huai Su and the "exotic and clumsy beauty" of Su Shi and Zheng Banqiao (1693-1765). The brilliant history of calligraphy and the achievements of generations of calligraphers are an important part of Chinese culture.

Throughout history, philosophy has exerted a strong influence on calligraphy. Yin and Yang in the doctrine of the Way of nature, and the Chan Sect's sudden enlightenment, meditation and self-cultivation, have all stamped a deep brand upon calligraphic aesthetics. Traditional philosophical ideas have nourished Chinese calligraphy. And calligraphy, in the form of art, has embodied the meaning of traditional philosophical ideas. Good verses and compositions are copied by calligraphers, so calligraphy involves the presentation of literary works. People can enjoy the beauty of both calligraphy and literature at the same time. Wang Xizhi's Lan ting ji xu (Foreword to Poems Composed at Lanting Pavilion) written by hand is a good example. The literati of the Song Dynasty further combined poetry and calligraphy. Many of the poems and essays written by hand by Su Shi and Huang Tingjian can be admired for the art of their calligraphy. Modern master calligraphers, including Kang Youwei (1858-1927), Guo Moruo (1892-1978), Qi Gong, and Zhao Puchu, have produced many excellent calligraphic and literary works.

Calligraphy integrates the aesthetics of painting with those of music and dance. It boasts the rhythm of music, the posture of dance and the pattern of painting. Form, quality, posture, style and reasoning are combined, making substance abstractive to produce a lasting feeling of beauty.