A3: Highly Encrypted Art & Condensed Beauty
“The
writing stops but the meaning goes on; the brush has been put down but the power
is unending.”
In
ancient China, all articles, poems, and calligraphy were written in
Classical Chinese Style (“Wen Yen Wen 文言文
”).
The ancient Chinese people did not use punctuations at all, i.e., no comma, no period, and no question
mark. Furthermore, the writings were encrypted with the fewest number of words
and need to be deciphered to the spoken Chinese language as used in our daily
conversations to understand their meaning. Just for Chinese calligraphy Form
Books, the articles are sometimes beyond understanding and require a deep
understanding of historical, geographical, and political background. Those
ancient articles require the readers to be very, very knowledgeable to
understand them. For example, in Gia Gu
Wen ( 甲骨文
)
and Jin Wen ( 金文
)
inscriptions, the contents are very deep. It’s even beyond an average
historian’s and linguist’s understanding. The ancient Chinese people
referred to something we don’t know. Scriptures, textbooks, secret songs of
Chinese martial arts and medicine can be very confusing and can be easily
misinterpreted and misapplied. Sometimes it’s like the find in the pyramids
that requires archaeologists to decipher. The ancient Chinese people did this because
they wanted to transmit the secrets and precious knowledge to the selected few
people who have a high level of knowledge, mind, and spirit.
"Had
I been born Chinese, I would have been a calligrapher, not a painter."
~
Pablo
Picasso
Picasso
once said that had he been born Chinese, he would have been a calligrapher, not
a painter. The attractions of Chinese calligraphy that so fascinated him are
clearly visible in his way of painting more abstract and condensed images than
most other painters.
Brush
calligraphy is not only loved and practiced by Chinese and Korean as
an important treasure of their heritage. They are equally adored by some
Westerners. Picasso and Matisse were two artists who openly declared the
influence of Chinese calligraphy on their works. Picasso said that if he were to
start art with the knowledge of Chinese calligraphy, he would have been a
calligrapher rather than a painter. Traces of calligraphy strokes were also well
recognized in the paintings of Henri Matisse.
In
contrast to Western calligraphy, diffusing ink blots and dry brush strokes are
viewed as a natural impromptu expression rather than a defect in Chinese
calligraphy. While Western calligraphy often pursues font-like uniformity,
homogeneity of characters in one size or inside grids is considered merely a
craft in Chinese calligraphy. To the artist, Chinese calligraphy is a highly
concentrated mental activity that coordinates the mind, body, and spirit to
honestly and directly express oneself. It is a most soothing yet highly
disciplined exercise indeed for one's longevity and spiritual well being.
Please
also refer to T7: Metaphysics in
the "Theories" section.
