Chinese Calligraphy A Microcosm of Culture, An Art Form par excellence

1. Chinese CalligraphyA Microcosm of Culture, An Art Form par excellence San-pao Li, Ph.D. Department of Asian and Asian American Studies California State University, Long Beach

2. Introduction • Chinese calligraphy is widely recognized as a bona fide “fine art” • Chinese calligraphy is perhaps the most culturally-rich form of direct artistic expression • More than fair or elegant writing or penmanship • Serves more than a linguistic purpose • It is a highly sophisticated form of art

3. Sample Calligraphy Zhao Yong (Yuan)

4. Sample Calligraphy Yu Yue (Qing) fragrance antiquity/past

5. Introduction • It adds an absorbing, visual element to the beauty of thought • It is a national taste, a common aesthetic instinct nourished from childhood • Used to express felicitations or condolences • An immediate expression of the character and sensibility of the artist • Was the passport to successful official career

6. Introduction • Requires mental preparation -- quietude and serenity • Requires mastery of literature • Rigorous moral cultivation and fortitude • “If the mind is upright, the brush strokes will be right.”

7. The Three Forms of Fine Art in Chinese Tradition • Poetry • Calligraphy • Painting • vs. • Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture

8. Qualities of Fine Calligraphy • The “strength of bone” • Organic unity • Rhythmic vitality

9. Qualities of Fine Calligraphy • The “strength of bone” • the Yin and the Yang • opening and closing • void and solidity • front and back • rising and falling

10. Sample Calligraphy Wang Shimin (Ming)

11. Sample Calligraphy Jin Shi (Ming)

12. Sample Calligraphy Emperor Huizong (Song)

13. Sample Calligraphy Huai Su (Tang)

14. Qualities of Fine Calligraphy • Organic Unity • Reflects the dynamism, grandeur, and limitlessness of the art of Chinese calligraphy

15. Sample Calligraphy Zheng Banqiao

16. Sample Calligraphy San-pao Li

17. Sample Calligraphy San-pao Li

18. Sample Calligraphy San-pao Li

19. Qualities of Fine Calligraphy • Rhythmic Vitality • is of supreme significance • an abundance of very fine masterpieces that exemplify this essential quality

20. Sample Calligraphy Huai Su (Tang)

21. Sample Calligraphy Zhang Xu (Tang)

22. Sample Calligraphy Huang Tingjian (Song)

23. Sample Calligraphy Qi Baishi

24. Chinese Calligraphyas a “Fine Art” • A spatial art form • Linear arrangement and composition • Structurally dynamic • Most effective and direct medium of self-expression • Uninhibited individual creativity • Supreme form of visual art

25. Chinese Calligraphy is a MostCulturally-Rich Art Form • It is history • It is philosophy • It is poetry • It is literature • It reveals the deepest emotions • It reflects the social mores • It manifests the ethos and values • It captures the spirit of the time

26. Appreciation of ItsPhilosophical Profundity • It fascinates • It stimulates • It motivates • It inspires • It enlightens • It develops depth of character in learner

27. Roaming Leisurely in the Garden of Poetry • “Wintry River in Snow” (Jiang Xue) • “The Deer Park Hermitage” (Lu Zhai) • “Farewell to Ling Che” (Song Ling Che) • “The Maple Bridge” (Feng Qiao Ye Bo) • etc.

28. The Notion of Aesthetics • The Platonic notion ofthe beautifulis hardly distinguishable fromthe good. • In the Chinese consciousness, the good must demonstrateorder and harmony. • Harmonized state of contradictions, according to A. H. Muller (1779-1829), represents thehighest good. • Harmonyis both an intrinsic quality of art and the sine qua non ofreal freedom.

29. The Notion of Aesthetics • Coincidentia Oppositorum • Reconciliation of the Opposites

30. The Notion of Aesthetics Beauty Goodness

31. Styles of Chinese CalligraphyA Sense of History • The oracle bone style (jiaguwen) • The bronze and stone drum inscriptions (zhongdingwen, shiguwen, dazhuan) • The seal style (xiaozhuan) • The clerical style (lishu-Hanli, Weibei) • The running style (xingshu) • The cursive style (caoshu) • The modern styles (kaishu, shoujinti, tiexianzhuan, bafenshu, kuangcao, etc.)

32. Sample Calligraphy Oracle Bone

33. Sample Calligraphy Dong Zuobin

34. Sample Calligraphy Sanshipan (8th-Century B.C.

35. Sample Calligraphy Wu Changshuo

36. Sample Calligraphy Yishan Bei (Qin)

37. Sample Calligraphy rocks brooks Lu She (Ming)

38. Sample Calligraphy Zhao Mengfu (Yuan)

39. Sample Calligraphy Caoquanbei (Han)

40. Sample Calligraphy Wang Xizhi (Jin)

41. Sample Calligraphy Liu Gongquan (Tang)

42. Sample Calligraphy Xuanzong (Tang)

43. Sample Calligraphy Yan Zhenqing (Tang)

44. Sample Calligraphy Mi Fei (Song)

45. Sample Calligraphy Huang Tingjian (Song)

46. Sample Calligraphy When I come to revisit, it appears to be beautifully and enigmatically quaint, The willow branches touch the clear water of the brook by the bridge, The sun is warm, flowers sweet, and the mountain birds are singing incessantly. Your old residence was west of the North Bridge; Wu Ju (Song)

47. Sample Calligraphy Su Shi (Song)

48. Sample Calligraphy Dong Qichang (Ming)

49. Sample Calligraphy Zheng Banqiao (Qing)

50. Sample Calligraphy Yin Bingshou (Qing)