on calligraphy

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Calligraphy

Calligraphy as a general term simply means groups of words conveying human thought and written by hand. In China, however, it is considered to be one of the highest forms of Chinese aesthetic and is the most fundamental element of every branch of Chinese art.

The history of Chinese calligraphy is believed to be as long as that of China herself. In their written form Chinese characters not only serve the purpose of conveying thought but also express in a peculiar visual way the beauty of the thought. Affection for the written word is instilled from childhood in the Chinese heart. There is a close connection between Chinese calligraphy and the daily life of Chinese people. It is everywhere revered and believed to have potent mystical powers. Many Chinese spend much of their spare time developing a graceful hand. It is commonly believed in China that calligraphy expresses the personality of the writer. An individual's character, disposition, and propensities, as well as his good or bad fortune, are said to be accurately ascertainable from his handwriting. In former times the ability to write well was the passport to a successful official career, and even at the present time a good handwriting is a social asset.

Chinese characters are monosyllabic and pictographic. They are not made up from an alphabet but stand alone, each ideogram throwing on the mind an isolated picture. Chinese characters comprise three elements, thought, sound, and form, and thus are able to fulfill both the uses of daily life and the exacting requirements of an artistic medium. The characters and the construction of the Chinese language are unchanging; time has scarcely affected them. The first kind of picture writing is traditionally ascribed to the 27th century B.C. Some thousand years later, during the Shangyin dynasty, most of these picture characters were engraved upon tortoiseshell or animal bones. About 213 B.C., under Qin Shihuangdi, an official index of 3000 characters was drawn up. The number had increased to over 10,000 by 200 A.D. Just as there are categories of characters, there are categories of writing styles. The categories in general use are Seal Script, Official Script, Regular Script, Running Script, and Grass Script. Calligraphers often work in many styles but usually are famous for their brilliance in a particular style.

The beauty of calligraphy is the abstract beauty of line. Rhythm, line, and structure, which give way to form and movement, are perfectly embodied in Chinese calligraphy. Every Chinese character presents to the calligrapher an almost infinite variety of problems of structure and composition. Training, beginning in childhood, covers a lifetime. For the accomplished calligraphy student, the goal becomes the study of the beauties of calligraphy. There are straight and curved lines, thick and thin lines, light and dark lines, wet and dry lines, lines full of ink and lines in which the ink almost disappears. The arrangement of the parts of a character need to form an organic whole, a unit which is complete in itself, be perfectly balanced, and have a dynamic posture that is the attitude of a moving figure in momentary equilibrium. Individual inspiration is as necessary to the creation of brilliant calligraphy as to any of the more familiar forms of art. Finally, the relationship between calligraphy and the beauty, gracefulness, and essential nature of line in Chinese painting and sculpture cannot be overemphasized.