Transcript Chinese Calligraphy A Highly Sophisticated Fine Art An Important Carrier of Chinese Culture Yi-Zhi Huang (黄一知) Rutgers University April 2, 2014 Zimmerli Museum Rutgers University Chinese Calligraphy as.

Chinese Calligraphy
A Highly Sophisticated Fine Art
An Important Carrier of Chinese Culture
Yi-Zhi Huang (黄一知)
Rutgers University
April 2, 2014
Zimmerli Museum
Rutgers University
Chinese Calligraphy as an Art
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A highly sophisticated fine art (not a folk art)
An abstract art with a long tradition
A large collections of classical art works
Many years of technical training starting from
a young age are necessary
• Need delicate tools and materials
• The standard for good art works are based on
personal styles and influences on others
Chinese Calligraphy as a Carrier of
Culture
• The basic education in China emphasizes
music instrument (琴), go game (棋),
calligraphy (书) and painting (画)
• An intellectual needs to be excellent in poetry
(诗), calligraphy (书) and painting (画)
• The calligraphy work of a person often reflects
his or her personality, education level and
cultural background
Chinese Calligraphy as a Carrier of
Culture
• Calligraphy was used as a criterion in the
selection of officials in ancient China
• Chinese calligraphy also had a renaissance
movement closely related to the changes in the
society and the culture
• The western visual art has had much less
influence on Chinese calligraphy than on
Chinese painting
History and Different Scripts
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Oracle bone script (甲骨文) : 1400 to 1000 BC
Bronze script (钟鼎文,大篆) : 1300 to 200 BC
Small seal script (小篆) : 200 BC to 800 AD
Clerical script (隶书) : 400 BC to present
Regular script (楷书) : 200 AD to present
Running script (行书) : 100 AD to present
Cursive script (草书) : 200 AD to present
Oracle Bone Script (甲骨文)
Oracle turtle shell with oracle bone scripts
Artist: Luo, Zheng-Yu (罗振玉)
Bronze Script (钟鼎文,大篆)
Stone drum with bronze scripts
Artist: Wu Chang-Shuo (吴昌硕)
Small Seal Script (小篆)
Artist: Li, Si (李斯)
Artist: Wang, Fu-An (王福庵)
Clerical Script (隶书)
Yi Ying Stele (乙瑛碑) from Han Dynasty
Artist: Huang Bao-Yue (黄葆戉)
Regular Script (楷书)
Artist: Yan, Zhen-Qing (颜真卿)
Artist: Huang, Jian (黄简)
Running Script (行书)
Artist: Wang, Xi-Zhi (王羲之)
Artist: Shen, Yin-Mo (沈尹默)
Cursive Script (草书)
Artist: Huai Su (怀素)
Artist: Zhou, Zhi-Gao (周志高)
Poetry and Chinese Calligraphy
• Chinese poems written using Chinese
calligraphy reveal their full beauty
• Chinese poems provide spiritual meanings to
calligraphy works
• Many Chinese calligraphers are also poets
• In a calligraphy work with a poem as its
content, the poem and the calligraphy are
inseparable parts of the art work
Artist: Huang, Yi-Zhi (黄一知) Poet: Liu, Chang-Qinq (刘长卿)
Artist: Gao, Shi-Xiong (高式熊) Poet: Wu, Chang-Shuo (吴昌硕)
Artist: Shen, Pei-Fang (沈培方) Poet, Li, Bai (李白)
Artist: Huang, Yi-Zhi (黄一知) Poet: Wang, Wei (王维)
Chinese Painting and Calligraphy
• Chinese painting and calligraphy have the
same root（书画同源）
• Training in calligraphy is necessary for a
Chinese painter
• Chinese paintings usually have calligraphy as
a necessary part of the art work
• Techniques and styles in calligraphy
revolutionized Chinese painting several times
Artist: Wu, Chang-Shuo (吴昌硕)
Artist: Huang, Bao-Yue (黄葆戉)
Chinese Calligraphy, Classical
Music and Mathematics
• Abstract but with a long tradition
• A lot of training is needed for someone who
would like to be a calligrapher, a classical
musician or a mathematician
• Experience and study are needed even for
someone who just wants to appreciate them
• People can enjoy them individually but can
still reach agreements on their beauty