Chinese calligraphy : an introduction to its aesthetic and technique : with 6 plates and 155 text illustratons

CHINESE CALLIGRAPHY

period to period. The examples given on the two previous pages speak for themselves and should be studied carefully. The art is a subtle one, requiring great manual skill as well as skill in designing. The quality of the seal is often made the final test of a possibly counterfeit painting. 女 女 女

To summarize: In China, anything which can claim to be a work of art has some connexion, obvious or subtle, with calligraphy. The common factor may lie in the design itself or in the introduction of some calligraphic motif. Further, many forms of Chinese art have actual writing upon them—to fill awkward blanks, complete a design, or add some meaning. We frequently, for example, write poems or descriptions on pictures and sculptures, and even on walls and pillars. The smallest oljet d’art bears, for preference, one or two characters.

But we do not regard calligraphy as merely, or even primarily, an embellishment for other arts. We consider it to be itself the chief of all the arts. Without an appreciative knowledge of it no real understanding is possible of the Chinese aesthetic.

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