Chinese Calligraphy The artistic and descriptive value of Chinese characters leads to the development of its own art—calligraphy, which enjoys popularity in China. Calligraphy is regarded by many Chinese as their supreme artistic achievement and a man’s writing is a clue to his tempera
ment, his moral worth and his learning.
In China calligraphy occupies a distinguished position in the field of traditional art. It is not only a means of communication, but also a means of expressing a person's inner world in an aesthetic sense. Ancient people paid great attention to calligraphy. It was the essential whereby a candidate could manifest his literary talent in the Imperial Examination, for it gave a first impression to the examiners. Children of high officials had to learn and try to write a good hand; even emperors themselves were good at calligraphy, for example, the versatile Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1911) has left us many examples of his handwriting on steles in temples and palaces. Calligraphy, like a mirror, is a silent reflection of the soul. It is believed to have verve, of optimism, moderateness, or pessimism. Su Dongpo, one of the four litterateurs in the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279), composed many bold and unconstrained Ci(a form of poetry that flourished in the Song Dynasty), also could write handsome characters in good taste.
Today, although various modern ways have been substituted for the original calligraphy, especially which created with a writing brush, people still love the ancient form and practice it untiringly.
Four Treasures of the Study Writing Brush The earliest writing brush that has been found is a relic of the Warring States Period (476 BC – 221 BC). From that time onwards, the brush has evolved into many forms. The nib can be made from rabbit's hair, wool, horsehair, weasel's hair, or bristles, and so on; while
the shaft may be made from bamboo, ivory, jade, crystal, gold, silver, porcelain, sandal, ox horn, etc. It is important to see that there can be both soft and hard brushes each producing their own particular styles.
The delicacy gives literators and painters inspiration for creation, and has led to brush shafts being decorated with artistic patterns. One prized example was an ivory-weasel's hair writing brush. On the ivory shaft with the diameter of 0.8 cm, there carved eight figures of the immortals and pavilions concealed seemingly in the clouds. With this in one's hand, the threads of writing would hardly halt.
Ink Stick
A good ink stick should be ground so as to be refined black with luster. With the invention of paper, they were improved accordingly. Since the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220), ink sticks have been made from pine soot, using other procedures that include mixing with glue, steaming and molding. In ancient times, emperors such Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911) had paid great attention to the production of ink sticks and were expert in their appreciation of quality inks.
Paper
Paper making is among the four great inventions and one of the great contributions that ancient Chinese people made to the world.
Before the existence of paper, our ancestors utilized knots in cords to record events. They then carved on bone, ivory, tortoise shell and bronzes. For very many years they wrote on pieces of bamboo. There is a story that tells how Confucius was such an avid and diligent reader that he would wear away the strips of ox-leather used to bind the pages of bamboo books together. During the early Han Dynasty wealthy people would write upon white silk but this was beyond the reach of the majority as the cloth was so precious.
It was Cai Lun who made the valuable contribution and his research gave rise to paper. Afterwards, many varieties of paper were produced of different quality and usage. Today the Xuan paper originally made in Anhui Province still shines with its charm.
Ink slab
The ink slab is the reputed head of the 'four treasures', for its sobriety and elegance has endured the passage of time. Through ink slabs, people can sample the artistic charm of sculpting and the ink stone's natural tints. Nearly all Chinese calligraphy enthusiasts hold that the star of ink slab is the Duanyan, ink slab produced in Duanzhou of Guangdong Province. It has its base a purple hue and enjoys the poetic name 'purple clouds'. It was always a tribute to the royal families during the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907).
Chinese Calligraphy, a unique art
Chinese calligraphy is a unique art. It is the aesthetic manifestation of Chinese characters. It is present in all forms of writing—essays, poems, songs, short letters, even two or three character titles or single character signs. The only condition is that the writing contains the aesthetic intention of the writer. Although Chinese calligraphy differs from painting which depicts the appearances of commonly recognized objects, the beauty of calligraphy is often described with the imagery of nature. As was once stated in the ancient past, “Calligraphy is images without form, sounds that are inaudible.”
For a total appreciation of Chinese calligraphy, however, it is important to grasp the meaning of the characters in proper context. However abstract their forms, Chinese characters always retain their inherent meaning. In spite of the rules governing individual script forms, Chinese call
igraphy is marked by an extraordinary diversity that continues to the present day. That diversity results, in part, form the Chinese reverence for past achievements. Consequently, when one script form gave way to another in the passage of time, the older type was not abandoned or forgotten. Rather, it survived to become an integral part of a rich cultural legacy, where it remained to influence or inspire students and scholars.
Chinese calligraphy has remained an unending source of inspiration for later calligraphers. Many years of practice and study of the existing works of written art and theoretical literature were demanded of one in order to become a master of calligraphy. A good calligrapher has to master all styles of writing and, in addition to this, develop his own style. The individual style can, as with handwriting in the West, disclose information about the character of the writer. Even today calligraphy is highly esteemed in the classes of educated Chinese.