Cultural Lecture: Calligraphy

Chen Laoshi, a professor at GXNU, gave the Calligraphy lecture. He presented Calligraphy to the students through a brief history of the eight styles of Calligraphy as they evolved through the dynasties. As told by Chen Laoshi, the first example of writing was mainly pictographic. Characters were carved into animal bones as a form of divination. These bones are now known among researchers of Chinese antiquity as Oracle Bones. The second style was a form that synthesized the pictographs of Oracle Bones into newer, slightly simpler though more abstract characters. Some of these new characters are still in use today. When the 1st Emperor of China unified the six kingdoms into the kingdom of China, he also unified the scripts of the six regions into a universal script, which is known as the third style common to Calligraphers.

The fourth style evolved during the Han Jian period and these characters were carved into bamboo. This style is known for being less rigid, more casual. Brushes were not in use at this time. The fifth style is known as the style that drew a distinct line between ancient characters and the characters that have become the modern script of China. The sixth style is called the “Running Style”. It is very difficult to read, doesn’t have a particular method for copying, but is very easy and quick to write. It is considered a style that only masters can truly perfect in an attractive manner. When comparing similar and sometimes not so similar characters written in the Running Style, it can be exasperating trying to determine what makes them different. Chen Laoshi pointed out some of the most difficult to detect subtleties and confounded his audience.

The seventh style was created during the 2nd Emperor of the Tang dynasty’s reign. When he died, a tablet inscribed with this style was placed in his tomb. The tablet was supposed to be sealed into the tomb before anyone could set eyes upon it. However, there are several supposed copies of the tablet available for viewing throughout China, implying that the tablet maker made a copy for himself or someone else saw it for long enough to make at least one copy. The eighth and final style was created during the Hui dynasty and is considered to be the model of script, what one should aspire to in their writing. It is very standard and easy to learn, though not to perfect.

Within Calligraphy, there is talk of the four treasures. These are the brush, the ink, the paper and the inkstand. There are many types of brushes, though ink is generally very standard. Calligraphy is written on rice paper, which there are also many types of. In ancient Chinese culture, the inkstand was a very important part of the Calligraphic process. In modern society, Calligraphers who are not attempting to recreate the past will use pre-made ink from bottles. The typical content of a Calligraphic piece is either poetry or sage advice regarding work ethic and fortune.

In classical China, Calligraphers wrote from right to left and vertically. After Chairman Mao began making changes within society, he changed the way in which Chinese people wrote so that books would read from left to write and horizontally. Today, Calligraphers choose the most appropriate direction for their work. In order to know how to read a piece of Calligraphy, look for the red signature “chop” (the square stamp of the Calligrapher’s name in Chinese characters). If it is at the bottom right of a piece, the piece should be read from left to right. If it is located at the bottom left of a piece, the piece should be read from right to left.

There are nine strokes that make up the toolbox of a Calligrapher. Before the student can begin with even the simplest character, he or she must perfect these nine components. They are the building blocks of a character and require much practice and precision with the brush. The structure of a character is very important. Some ask to be tall, or short. Some demand to be square, or diamond-shaped, or triangular, either base down or point down. Diamond-shaped characters sometimes want to slant forwards and others want to slant backwards. Some are top heavy, others bottom heavy.

Some characters can even be rewritten for the sake of their beauty. For example, if a character is usually written with two components side by side, but the left side is heavier than the right, the sides can be switched and one component can be lightened in style in order to balance the character’s appearance.

Chen Laoshi couldn’t emphasize enough that the variety in the stroke is what makes a character beautiful, unique. It is what makes Calligraphy attractive and alluring. When a Calligrapher’s script is too standard, without distinction or whimsy, or emotion or thought, the writing may look correct but it will also feel soulless and unpleasing to the eye.

Once his lecture was finished, Chen Laoshi demonstrated all eight of the writing styles for the students and then left them to practice on their own until lunch.