Calligraphy

Calligraphy

Calligraphy is the traditional art of writing Chinese characters. Calligraphic arts are based on the square structure and lines of Chinese characters. The Chinese people embodied their philosophy of the beauty of shapes into the invention of Chinese characters. With balanced structure and smooth, clean and changeable form, each Chinese character evokes a sense of artistry. 

Calligraphic works pay more attention to the structures of script types; for example, the component parts, size and spacing of a Chinese character should be harmonious and natural and the spaces between words and lines should also be carefully arranged. Another notable characteristic of Chinese calligraphy is the use of brush pens and Chinese ink. Brush pens are soft and elastic; in writing, the thickness and thinness of the tip of brush pens and the ink can present artistic features.

Common styles of Chinese calligraphy include seal, official, regular, cursive and semi-cursive (running) scripts. Different calligraphic styles have varying structural, features round and smooth lines that retain the same width, showcasing the aesthetic effect through calligraphic curviness; the strokes of lishu script are undulate and vary markedly in width and strength; regular script is square and neat; cursive script has continuous, dance-like strokes and is thus lively and vigorous; the word 'running' in 'running script' suggests 'speediness', so semi-cursive script is not as neat as regular script, nor is it so illegible as cursive script, presenting a sort of convenient handwriting. Among all these scripts, regular script and semi-cursive script are the most frequently used and regular script is the very foundation of the exercise of calligraphy.

Each master, after years of hard practice, formed a unique calligraphic style and school to raise the profile of Chinese calligraphy to a towering level. There is some famous calligraphers in the history of China:-

• Zhong Yao (There Kingdoms Period)
• Wang Xizhi ( Eastern Jin Dynasty)
• Ouyang Xun (Tang Dynasty)
• Huaisu (Tang Dynasty)
• Yan Zhenqing (Tang Dynasty)
• Liu Gongquan (Tang Dynasty)
• Su Shi (Song Dynasty)
• Zhao Ji, The Emperor of Huizong(Song Dynasty)

A cursive script by Huai Su

The original handwriting of The Preface to Lanting