calligraphy

A few thoughts about art

I had a rather intriguing discussion from a friend of mine who has been learning the Oriental brush art recently. She found this art style completely healing and essential to the soul, which I fully agree, it is in fact my meditation. Our conversation shifted toward the relationship between the Eastern art styles and the Western ones, and I think it may be interesting to share some of my thoughts with you too regarding this point, because perhaps you will find some pearls buried in the pile of sand.

An Oriental Style Cat?

First of all, I believe that the basis of art forms of the world are shared. It was until we perceived of the cultural differences from East and the West, we started to naturally classifying the art forms into separate styles. Admittedly there are obvious differences amongst art forms, but at the core they are all expressions and descriptions of the world around us. The mediums that were used for the art creation could even be similar, for example, oil painting was used in China some 2000 years ago, much earlier than the use of ink. Obviously those ancient oil paintings and the oil painting of today are not the same, but the tradition of using oil based color to paint on silk or wood has long existed in the East, and therefore the clear separation between the Eastern and Western styles may not be as clear as we imaged. The image below consists of one of the earliest oil paintings discovered in China, this one in particular has been around for about 2400 years.

Silk Oil Painting, Warring State

The overtake of the ink and water painting was more of a choice made by the literati scholars in the later periods, because these people had a need to “stand out”, to show to the others that they were in fact different, better. The first person to start the trend may have been Wang Wei, a Tang Dynasty poet. In this style of painting the artists avoid the social reality, and the artworks usually focus on the expression and the emotions. This painting style also detaches from the actual shape and form of objects, using various strokes, the artists strive for a spiritual expression.

In order to make the most of these expressions, there came the techniques and other tools. These scholars at the very core were all about how they feel, and the tie between the lines created and their soul. This also meant that these people were almost complete supporters of “content over form”, meaning the transmission of their emotions trumped all accurate shapes and colors. The Song Dynasty Gongbi paintings were almost disregarded because they resemble the real world too much, which they actually do not. 

Fox, Chinese painting style?

Now there is an ongoing debate regarding whether Chinese art students who study paintings should learn the western styles first before picking up their brushes. For the past few decades it has been the requirement that art students start their basic training from the western art. It was the same for me, I started with calligraphy first and then learnt both eastern and western paintings as a child. The sketches and the basics of western painting (such as gouache) were definitely important in my understanding of shapes and form. I find such training important – it is because without such training it becomes “too easy” to make art! If any shape can express our intention, then why bother making these shapes in a special way? Plus, the quest for these artistic expressions developed naturally this way in history, and the content and the form were never really separated. 

Therefore I really believe that art forms do not hinder each other, especially when the basics are all sort of shared. The truth is, I think the better we get at one style, the easier it is to take on anther. So the relationship between the Eastern and the Western art is simple, they are the same in essence, and they serve the same purpose.


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Chrysanthemum culture

In the Eastern society we have the Four Gentlemen Plants, and we discussed the bamboo last time. Another one of the “gentlemen” would be the chrysanthemum flower, which is exactly in season right now! Yesterday was the Double Ninth Festival, so our discussion about these flowers will start with the number “9”.

Chrysanthemum flower

The number “9” is a Yang number according to the Book of Change, which is also the largest digit. Sky can even be referred to as “9”. Yesterday according to the lunar calendar, was the ninth day of the ninth month, which is where the name Double Ninth came from. So when this special Yang number doubles (the name in Chinese is in fact, double Yang), there must be celebrations, because we have encountered an auspicious day!

But what does the chrysanthemum flower have to do with the number “9” or this festival? It is because around this festival there are plenty of activities, and amongst them, the appreciation of the chrysanthemum flowers. These flowers bloom right around the time of the Double Ninth Festival, and the chrysanthemum flowers have always represented longevity (this festival also involves the respect toward the elderlies or ancestors), then naturally a connection was created.

Chrysanthemum Longevity, Qi Bai Shi

Around this time of the year, various parks would have chrysanthemum flower exhibitions, displaying hundreds of kinds of these colorful flowers. In fact the chrysanthemum cultivation has existed for about 3,000 years in China already, and it was at first planted for its medicinal use. Starting around the Tang Dynasty these pretty flowers also attracted more attention and started to be appreciated for their beauty. It was also around this time that the Japanese chrysanthemum culture was developed. The Song Dynasty recorded many detailed variations of these flowers, and it was also around this time that the flower exhibitions became popular. As the technology develops, more and more styles of these flowers appeared, and in the Qing Dynasty there were already 233 variations of these flowers! It was only toward the end of the Ming Dynasty (mid 17th Century) that the Dutch merchants brought these flowers into Europe, where they started to be enjoyed worldwide.

Along with the appreciation of the flowers, people also drink chrysanthemum wine. The making of such wine already started in the Han Dynasty, and lasted until today. Obviously made for its medicinal purpose, this drink has a tint of bitterness, which according to the traditional medicine, usually clears the mind and with the chrysanthemum, it also brightens the eyes. Eventually drinking this wine became an auspicious tradition, indicating a long and happy life. In the painting above, the artist Qi Bai Shi at the age of 91 described, in his rather distinctive style, the association of health, longevity and these chrysanthemum flower and flower wine. The title also says the same meaning: chrysanthemum wine for a happy long life.

Chrysanthemum, Pan Tian Shou

The chrysanthemum flowers also carry the spirit of bravery, especially only when all the other flowers have waned, these brave souls would bloom. This character in particular is what the literati scholars admire, the spirit of a true gentleman. The attraction toward chrysanthemum flowers also has to do with the hermit quality they represent, as the scholar and social elites who aspire to be chrysanthemum generally preferred the peace and quiet outside of the messy society. The Jin Dynasty poet Tao Yuan Ming (365-427) famously demonstrated his grand love for these flowers, as he described his desired life. Below is a wonderful translation of one of the versions of Tao’s poem, translated by Yang Xian Yi and Dai Nai Die, and here I share with you:

Drinking (V)

Within the world of men I make my home, 

Yet din of horse and carriage there is none; 

You ask me how this quiet is achieved — 

With thoughts remote the place appears alone. 

While picking asters ‘neath the Eastern fence 

My gaze upon the Southern mountain rests;

The mountain views are good by day or night, 

The birds come flying homeward to their nests. 

A truth in this reflection lies concealed, 

But I forget how it may be revealed.


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Bamboo

Amongst the Four Gentlemen Plants and the Three Friends of the Winter, bamboo is one of the overlapping images. These groupings are both collections of symbolic flowers and plants that represent a certain characteristic that men admire. Bamboo, 竹 (zhu) in Chinese, is rather special, in the various ancient painting theories it has also been listed as an independent subject, demonstrating its significance in society and in people’s heart.

bamboo grass
Bamboo

Even though common, bamboo is loaded with cultural notions, and in the mind of the literati scholars, bamboo could never be replaced. One of the most famous scholars of the Song Dynasty, Su Dongpo, once wrote (I attempt to translate here): not eating meat will make people thin, but not having bamboo will make people vulgar. It is easy to gain weight again, but there is no cure for vulgarity. Harsh as it sounds, the message is loud and clear – to maintain elegance, one has to be surrounded by bamboo and bamboo like people. What kind of people are these?

Bamboo was given characteristics and personalities that resemble the most virtuous people. In fact people in the eastern societies love learning from various aspects of nature, including flowers and plants. Bamboo is seen to be shooting straight into the sky, never bending. It is gentleman like, standing with integrity and behaving courteously. Bamboo has joints, in Chinese these joints are called “节” (jie), also referring to integrity and a positive energy. Bamboo stays green in colder seasons, a reflection of its perseverance. Bamboo is hollow on the inside, a sign of modesty and broad-mindedness. Bamboo is tidy, clean, and elegant, giving people the impression that it is honest. There are more aspects but you get the idea, all these above mentioned characteristics can be human traits, and when somebody has all these qualities in him or herself, this person must be a good model from whom the others should learn.

Bamboo, Zheng Banqiao

The practice of comparing people with bamboo started already in the early Qin Dynasty ( -221BC). The great philosopher Zhuang Zi (369BC-286BC) in his articles wrote the baby phoenix fed on bamboo fruit only, unintentionally gave the reputation of bamboo a boost, because the phoenix is an elegant bird, and therefore the food it eats has to be elegant too. The connection between literati scholars, the social elites, and bamboo was reinforced in the periods leading up to the Tang Dynasty. The Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove was formed in the 3rd Century, composing of scholars of literature, writers, and musicians. These people resided in the town known for its bamboo forest (no concrete proof), and therefore came the name of the group. These scholars expressed themselves in inferred ways, using symbolism, comparison, or myth to tell the world in an ironic way that they were frustrated towards the system and crude ruling.

In the collection of Tang Poetry (全唐诗) of the alleged 49,403 (some poems are considered not genuine) poems, the bamboo as a single subject covered 1,000 of them, a rather significant number. Most poets used the image of bamboo to express their admiration of its qualities, every single one mentioned above.

Bamboo, Wen Tong

The Song Dynasty was the most prosperous time of bamboo culture, and painting accompanied poetry had became a common method of expression. One of the most noteworthy artists of the time was Wen Tong, who was known to be able to paint two differently shaded bamboo using both hands simultaneously. The tradition of bamboo painting lasted until today, and as Ni Zan (a great Yuan Dynasty painter) said, my bamboo painting may not look like the real one, but so what? I paint bamboo as an outlet, and I cannot care less about whether it is straight, bent, or whether the leaves are prosperous. I think Ni has indeed captured the true essence of the bamboo spirit after all.


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A parallel universe of the Chinese Painting

Have you also considered certainty in our universe that is filled with randomness? Ok, let us narrow it down, what about the development of the Chinese painting or the so called Sumi-e painting? What would happen if the universe took a different turn concerning the oriental art? I suppose there is at least one scenario, issuing from the rock painting.

The rock painting means exactly as it sounds, and it was born in the pre-historical times when ancient ancestors of ours painted animals, figures and tools on the surface of caves. It experienced a glorious development during the Sui and Tang Dynasty (6th Century), and the evidences are clearly visible today, such as in the Dunhuang frescoes (see the gorgeous example blow), dating back as far as the year 336. Located in the western side of China, along the silk road, these paintings contained the wisdom of many ancient civilizations. This was also the type of painting that went all the way to Japan, deeply influencing its artistic taste. In China however, the rock painting encountered an overwhelming crush from the later water-ink painting and the literati-scholar art, and the techniques of rock painting were almost completely lost in the course of history. In Japan however, after its initial introduction in the 6th Century, it reached a peak during the 9th Century, manifesting into a rather Japanese style of painting, which led to the Yamato-e. Unfortunately in China, it was rarely seen anymore until recent years.

Dunhuang Murals, photo from the internet
Yamato-e, photo from the internet

The truth is, the usaeg of color of this ancient painting style still lives on in our so called “traditional Chinese Painting”, especially in the Gongbi style. The Gongbi painting also requires color pigments that are rock based. In the rock painting the majority of colors used came from minerals, and some others are chemically made. Some of the particularly beautiful colors such as Azurite (石青), Malachite Green (石绿), Orpiment (雌黄), Cinnabar (朱砂), Ocher (赭石) are still in our daily painting use, where the traditional craftsmen of the high-quality painting colors continued using traditional ways to refine these colors.

However these rock colors could not be mixed to create a new color due to the large grains, even the very fine modern versions. Also, the rock painting color pigments are not transparent, and the less fine pigments would create rough textures on the surface of the artwork, deeming it not desirable in the Gongbi painting, which strives for silk like smoothness.

Azurite ore, photo from the internet

So what would happen if the rock painting continued to influence the Chinese painting without interruption? I imagine the oriental painting materials would be completely different from today. Suppose the mineral paints could be refined at will, the surfaces used to paint on (paper or silk) may not exactly complement the purpose. Delicate paper or silk would be wasted to bear the thick layers of color above it, whereas thicker and less fine surfaces may fit better. The content of the painting may not change but the scale may. The Gongbi art is usually small with great details, thanks to the fine surface and the fine color; art such as Thangka would demand a much larger scale. Perhaps the painting brushes need changing as well, the delicate animals hairs may not be able to sustain the overwhelming rock paints, so perhaps the synthetic hair brushes or even tough hair brushes would be more popular. Also the plant based painting colors may never be developed, simply because these colors will not last as permanently as the mineral colors. Last but not least, ink may never be developed, and therefore, no ink stones.

I think I will be sad to not having silk like papers and silk to paint, not being able to paint in a smaller scale, and not to have the plant based color variations to use. In addition to all the above, I would miss the simplicity of painting using only ink. So in summary, continuing on this path may lead to the disappearance of all the treasures of the scholar’s chamber that we all love (brush, ink, paper, and ink stone), wow, I would be really sad.

Thangka, photo from the internet

History cannot be assumed, but after this thought experiment I do appreciate the various branches of the oriental art more. I love the fact that the ancient rock painting is not the dominate artistic expression any longer, but we are fortunate enough to still be able to enjoy this ancient art style and be able to paint in that way. What do you think?


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Introduction to Chinese Calligraphy

I am excited to announce to you that you can now subscribe to our membership to follow in-depth art learning! In the various tiers of the memberships you can receive different awards that are exclusive. One of the projects involve the creation of art syllabus, where I interpret original and important contents from books written in Chinese (such as art theories) and edit related comments and add related images to provide you with simple to understand yet applicable information. There will also be tutorials and audios, providing you with as many perspectives of the oriental art as possible. Below is a sample of our downloadable resource that introduces you to the Chinese Calligraphy.

Each country has its unique scripts, and calligraphy refers to the law of construction of each of the components within these scripts. The calligraphy is a representation of the civilization, when the law of writing wanes, the country cannot be strong. The Chinese education started in the Zhou Dynasty (around 1100BC-771BC). At that time one enters elementary school at the age of 8, and the young pupils study the “six basic skills”, including courtesy, music, archery, driving, calligraphy and mathematic.

The origin story of the Chinese characters is rather legendary. An official (some say a tribe leader) of the Huang Di period (primitive society) Cang Jie (仓颉) was considered the creator of the Chinese characters. He was born with four eyes and great wisdom, allowing him to observe the paw prints of various birds, shell patterns of turtles, landscapes of mountains and waters, palm prints, and analyze the movements of the stars, therefore abandoning the recording of events by tying knots, and creating writing systems. This is a hieroglyph system mainly based on the images of an object, but it has 6 variations and categories. This system has been used since its creation until today. The script that was created during this time was used called Seal Script (篆书), used for over 2,000 years, until the Qin Dynasty (221BC-207BC) unification, where the small seal script was put to use.

Cangjie
Stone tablet with writings created by Cangjie

One of the reasons for the creation of small seal script was due to the burning of ancient books during the Qin Dynasty. So scholars such as Li Si (李斯) created the small seal script. Around the same period, the Official Script was also formed, facilitating the convenience of writing. Cheng Miao (程邈) was known to be the creator of the official script, marking one of the major transformations of the Chinese writing systems. Today both scripts are alive.

Since the Han Dynasty (202BC-220) the national official examinations included calligraphy as one of the test parameters. These calligraphy scripts included both Seal and Official Scripts and other smaller scripts from the Qin Dynasty (8 in total). In the Tang Dynasty (618-907) an official position was set up for master calligraphers.

Han and Jin (226-420) Dynasties gave birth to 3 more important scripts, the Standard Script (楷书) and 2 Cursive Scripts (行书、草书). The Jin Dynasty in particular was known for its achievements in the calligraphy, but the later periods including Tang and Song (960-1279) Dynasties both produced many great masters. These 3 later scripts are all much more convenient to use than any ancient scripts, which produced another major transformation of the writing system that influences us until today.

Chun Hua Ge Tie

The Yuan Dynasty (1721-1368) introduced Mongolian culture and new scripts into the Chinese land, but the mainstream practitioners continued with tradition. Since the late Tang Dynasty the most important calligraphy “text books” have been carved onto stone or wooden tablets, making it possible to study by later period scholars. The most notable one is called Chun Hua Ge Tie (淳化阁帖), known as the earliest collection of various calligraphers made in such way. There were 10 scrolls in total, collecting over 1,000 years of 420 art pieces from 103 artists and emperors. There are rubbing editions from various periods and a Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) edition even surfaced in an audition in 2019.

Stone tablet

In the Qing Dynasty (1636-1912) the study of stone tablet rubbing scripts from the past became a popular trend, the scholars of this time both went into tradition and strived for innovation. It is unknown where the Chinese calligraphy will go from here on, but it is extremely fortunate that these scripts are still available and being studied today.


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About “autumn”

In the Northern hemisphere we are embracing the autumn already. Autumn is such a pretty season, it is full of colours and is inspiring for people who love painting or photography. I certainly enjoy this period of time a lot, and I secretly love the European autumn more, because it lasts so much longer than in my hometown! In the Chinese language, the character for autumn has some interesting stories to tell, would you like to find out about its origin?

The character of autumn is “秋”, which is a character that has the “crop” on the left side and “fire” on the right. But this is only how we see it today, in the long historical evolution this character has actually changed a whole lot!

Autumn landscape, Fiona Sheng

In the beginning, autumn had to do with crickets or grasshoppers (the first two examples on the left side). We can clearly see how this character used to look like in the oracle bone script below. Obviously there were various ways of writing this character in this script, but they all resemble this general shape of a bug, with the tentacles on the head and some legs on the left. Also the field in the ancient time needed rest before the next planting session, which requires burning, and “fire” became a necessary component in this character, but the bug side slowly evolved and disappeared. Some theories say that the fire was also used to kill the grasshoppers that eat crops, but either way, a new component meaning “crop” started to appear in this character.

In the Spring and Autumn period this character started to take on a “turtle” side (see the example below on the far right side), rendering it too complicated to write. The various components of this character change location occasionally, but the character does not change in the meaning.

Since the union of Chinese calligraphy in the Qin Dynasty, the character of autumn started to be regulated to having two components only, the “crop” and the “fire” (see the example below on the left side). Although these two components also switch location from time to time for a long duration since then. The other two examples below shows some other variation of the Jinwen, another ancient style of script before the Qin Dynasty.

Now this character of autumn has been clearly determined to be written this exact way “秋”, however in Chinese calligraphy the two sides may still switch, for artistic purposes mostly. How do you like the final version of the character of autumn? Would you miss the bugs inside?

Enjoy such cultural discussions? Have comments? I look forward to hearing from you!


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The circular culture

Tomorrow will be the Mid-Autumn Day, also known as the Mooncake Festival, so happy Mooncake Festival everybody! This is the time of family union, and in this post let us follow the tradition and gather around to admire the moon above us, have a cup of tea while eating some nice food as we talk, shall we?

A long long time ago in the East far far away, there were a group of people who loved round things. The ancient oriental belief systems held a deeply-rooted belief that stated “the sky is dome and the earth is square”. As the very first root of a giant cultural tree, this belief has its extensions and applications consciously or subconsciously in almost every single branch that developed from this tree. So the notion of “round” equals “fulfilment” and “complete” took root in all the children and children’s children’s hearts of this cultural sphere until this very day.

Weekend Sale

This weekend as a celebration, our Bunny in the red leaves Round Wall Art (canvas print) will be on sale, you will receive 10% off over ONLY this weekend, and there are ONLY 3 prints available. Come quick!

Remember the bunnies and the moon? If not, come to our live streams to find out!

The circle not only represents the heavens, it also since the start of the oriental culture represented change and reincarnation. Just like in the theory of Yin Yang, where the world moves following certain regulations, and the wax and wane of all matters are normal. Events also evolve in a similar manner, where history eventually repeats itself, starting from the beginning. Perhaps gazing up into the night sky at the moon inspired a few great minds? We can only guess, but the oriental wisdom has a way to regulate the extremes and normalise our lives for us.

The application of round and circular shape is definitely seen everywhere, starting from architecture. You must have seen at least some images of the round shapes used in the traditional architecture, such as windows, doors, bridges, and sometimes even entire buildings. The shape feel safe, harmonious, comforting and pleasing, our sentiments towards it may have been carried in our genes.

Round window, photo from the internet
Round door, photo from the internet
Bridge, photo from the internet
Round building 土楼, photo from the internet

In the smaller cultural aspects of our lives there are ubiquitous round shapes too. The Chinese chess, ancient and modern coins, traditional plates, bowls, and jewelries, in all these objects the most common shape is round. In the oriental art, the best lines are never either round or sharp, we say there has to be edges in the roundness and in the roundness there has to be holding structures. Below is a fragment of a calligraphy piece written by one of the most important artists of the Cursive Script, where such lines are clearly visible. Even though you do not understand what has been written, nor do many Chinese people who has not been trained in such arts, you must be able to appreciate the flow, the harmony, and the emotion – we see round shapes everywhere yet nowhere, a true masterpiece.

Cursive Script, Zhang Xu, Tang Dynasty

Finally I would like to introduce you a rather important round object, the mooncake. We started the discussion from the Mid-Autumn Day, and on this day if you can find a Chinese store normally you can get a piece of mooncake. They are round and golden, just like the full moon on this very night. They are rather tasty, but do not have too much of it in one go, they contain quite a lot of sugar and oil. Although there are many healthier versions, and you can find many types of stuffings, some sweet, some savoury. Enjoy!

Egg Mooncake, photo from the internet

Enjoy such cultural discussions? Have comments? I look forward to hearing from you!


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