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Chinese calligraphy is a wonderfully unique form of art. At its most basic,
it is simply a group of words which are painted, drawn or carved by hand. They can form a poem,
a proverb, a verse or can stand alone as a single character. Chinese calligraphy is essentially
a message written with flourish; a stylized means of communication.
But to see Chinese calligraphy as merely a group of words is to miss its most fundamental trait.
A good piece of Chinese calligraphy can tell a viewer not only a story told through words, it can
also communicate a message that transcends the words that lie on paper.
A true master of Chinese calligraphy can use his brush to speak with emotion. A well trained hand
can infuse characters with passion, with rigid stoicism, with freedom or with dramatic efficiency.
A good calligrapher can convey a vast range of emotions. Chinese calligraphy must therefore be
seen as not merely a means of telling a story, but as a high art in itself. And as a pure emotive
art, it can be appreciated by anyone who enjoys expressive creativity.
Development of Calligraphy
The study of Chinese calligraphy is a study of Chinese history itself. Because calligraphy is
essentially a stylized way of writing words, its development is rooted in the growth of Chinese
language.
Archaeological evidence of Chinese writing dates back more than four thousand years. Its
foundation is based on a pictorial writing system, where individual words are created as
symbols of what they represent. In this system, the word for mountain looked like a mountain
and the word for sun looked like a sun.
Today, the body of written Chinese is comprised of fifty thousand separate characters. Each
character is unique, made up of a specific set of strokes, laid down in a specific order. Each
word tells a story and embodies the traces of its ancient pictographic roots.
Development of Style
Different styles of Chinese calligraphy developed hand in hand with society at
large. The first major styles developed were the archaic scripts. These include the
earliest pictographic scripts (known as bone scripts). The most important script to
emerge from this group is the small seal script. This style was developed in the third
century BC by the emperor Chin Shi Huang Di when he embarked on a massive project to
standardize written Chinese. His catalogue of ten thousand characters forms the root
of all modern Chinese characters.
Seal Script
Small seal script is a smooth, highly structured style of writing. It has even lines and no
sharp edges. Strokes are evenly spaced and characters expand to fill the invisible standard-sized
boxes in which they are drawn. The script is a beautifully languid style of calligraphy and is
still used today in areas where formality is important, particularly in official seals.
Official Script
The next seminal event in the development of written Chinese was the invention of paper in the
second century AD. This new medium allowed for a massive shift in the way people could communicate.
Through the use of paper, people could suddenly write much more frequently and in much greater
volume. The use of writing in China therefore exploded.
This expansion in the use of writing brought with it a flourish of new scripts. With the expanding
use of government papers in the later Han dynasty (AD 25-200), an Official Script was created. It
was a simplified version of the Seal Script that utilized the newly refined skills and instruments
that the blossoming of writing brought. The Official Script allowed for the full use of a brush,
giving rise to sharp lines and angular turns. It is an efficient and demure script that is still
used for official purposes. The birth of the Official Script also marked the beginning of
calligraphy as a conscious and independent art form.
Cursive Script
As practitioners of calligraphy began to hone their skills, they found the need to develop a
quicker way of writing. Called the Cursive Script or Grass Script, this new style of calligraphy
became a free and fast form of the Official Script. In this style, characters are not bound to a
grid or a rigid stroke order. Characters are scribbled in a flourish, often leaving them linked
together and marked with distortions and abbreviations. The cursive script allowed for a tremendous
amount of artistic expression and quickly became a favourite style for calligraphers. The script
also created controversy because the characters are often so altered, they are difficult to
comprehend. For this reason, many critics find the style very unpalatable. Nevertheless, it is
one of the most startling and beautiful Chinese calligraphy scripts.
Regular Script
The early Tang dynasty (AD 618-907) was a high point of Chinese culture, where trade, art
and literature flourished. It was during this time that block printing was invented, bringing
the need for a more refined, simpler style of Chinese writing. As a response, the Regular Script
was developed, conforming to a more clear and rigid style. It was a more slender version of the
Official Script and was marked by greater evenness, a higher degree of control and a much more
limited range of variability. It is a very precise and austere script that is still the standard
script in use today.
Running Script
The Tang dynasty also saw the development of another calligraphy script. Emerging at the same
time as the Regular Script, the Running Script was a freer version of the Official Script. It
is defined by the ease of brush strokes, some modification of character structure and the lack
of rigidity and angles. It is an innovative and free form script that allows for a great deal
of artistic expression. Although it lacks the constraints of the Official Script, it is not as
liberal and unconstrained as the Cursive Script.
In modern China , all the different scripts are still used, but today the use of a particular
script is generally dictated by aesthetic issues. To better understand the use of different
scripts, it is sometimes helpful to see the different Chinese writing scripts using an analogy
of transportation. In this way, the Official Script would be seen as marching, the Regular Script
as walking, the Seal Script as riding in a horse drawn carriage, the Running Script as jogging and
the Cursive Script would be seen as a mad scramble.
Appreciating Calligraphy
The key to understanding Chinese calligraphy is seeing the balance between form and art.
Chinese calligraphy is after all just a series of words. But in calligraphy, the words speak
of something beyond their literal message.
It is said that calligraphic style reflects an individual's personality. In this way, it is
believed that an artist can use his brush to speak to his audience. In order to do this he
must perform a work of balance. To produce a good piece of calligraphy the artist must come
to terms with of a large number of forces. He must balance thick and thin, hard and soft, wet
and dry, fast and slow, confrontation and retreat, strong and weak. He must make decisions
about the voice he is to use, about what he wants to say with his ink, whether it is symmetry,
tension, conformity or harmony. As the eighth century historian Chang Huaikwan wrote, the artist
must create music for which there is no sound. When the balances are correct, a calligrapher
can produce a work of art that has tremendous beauty and power.
Chinese calligraphy is a fascinating and beautiful form of art. Unfortunately, it is one that is
little understood in the Western world. But the art is one that does not require knowledge of
written Chinese. The art speaks volumes in its self and can be appreciated for the voice that it
speaks with. It is an art form that can be embraced and appreciated by those who seek out exotic
art or pieces which hold meaning beyond their beauty. Calligraphy is a beautiful art form and
makes an excellent addition to any home or collection.
 Click
here to see Eastern Summerhill's calligraphies
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