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Calligraphy, the Soul of Chinese Fine Arts
Few nations in the world have calligraphy as a form
of art. In China, calligraphy has a long history, is popular among its people,
and has maintained a close relationship with Chinese cultural development.
Calligraphy looks simple. It seems as if anyone that
can write Chinese characters on xuan paper (a high quality rice paper made for
traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy) with a writing brush can become
a calligrapher. But that perception is not true. Calligraphy is a form of art
that involves a great deal of theory and requires many skills; so there are not
many calligraphers that have reached the highest realm of calligraphy.
Calligraphy is a constructive art. The calligrapher creates
his work with his handling of the ink and the writing brush. The black strokes
and white space on the paper create a sense of beauty For calligraphers, the writing
brush is the extension of their fingers: the rhythm and strength of their writings
are all controlled by their moods, and their calligraphy works are expressions
of their sensibilities. Calligraphy is an expressive art. In a work of calligraphy,
we can see the character, education level and experience of the calligrapher.
Calligraphy is a practical art form. It can be used to write inscriptions on paper
or inscribe wooden plaques or stone tablets. Its many attributes show us that
calligraphy is a comprehensive art, expressing the Subjective feeling of the writers.
Calligraphy manifests the basic characteristics
of all Chinese arts. In Western fine arts, architecture and sculpture are the
basis of the other formative, or visual, arts. In China, however, calligraphy
and painting are leaders of the other art forms. When calligraphy and painting
are mentioned together, calligraphy always comes before painting, although calligraphy
is closely associated with traditional Chinese painting. The theories about handling
brush and ink are similar in calligraphy writing and traditional Chinese picture
drawing. Ancient Chinese sculpture was also influenced by calligraphy in that
its defining characteristic lay in the composition of lines, and its decorative
function is derived from the Zhuan (seal characters) and li(official characters)
scripts in Chinese calligraphy. Chinese architecture adheres to the calligraphic
rules of symmetry and balance, and the design of Chinese gardens, pavilions and
temples all reflect the structural rules and rhythms of calligraphy. The development
of Chinese handicrafts and folk arts, too, have been influenced by calligraphy
to some extent. Thus we can see that calligraphy is the soul of Chinese fine arts.
Formative arts are composed of visible factors.
The smallest visible units are dots, and moving dots form lines. Calligraphy is
an organic composition of dots and lines. The moving lines form a surface; the
organic composition of dots, lines and surfaces form the painting. The moving
surfaces form the body, the basic composition of sculpture, architecture and some
other art forms.
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