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There is a Chinese saying, "If you can draw, you can write nice Chinese characters."
This idea is based on the evolution of the Chinese symbols from pictograph to words.
Chinese writing is definitely
an art by style and tools.
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In Chinese history, there were several famous artists for their writings, such as
Wang Hsi-chih (312-379 A.D.; in Eastern Jin Dynasty) and Emperor Song Huizong (1,082-1135 A.D.). Both are renowned Chinese
calligraphers. They had their own style and way to control the brush with the right amount of ink.
Talking
about Wang, there were 2 very interesting stories about him, i.e. 1) the basin outside of his house, and 2) a
visit of one of his acquaintances.
1) The Basin outside of Wang's House
There was a water basin in front
of Wang's house. He had a habit of washing his brushes and inkstone after using them. So, he washed them in
the basin.
As time went by, the water got darker and darker. At the end, it became an ink-basin.
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Click to See Writing Chinese Calligraphy with Brush, Ink and Chinese Rice Paper
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2) A Visit of One of Wang's Acquaintances
Unlike most famous artists, Wang was
very well-known when he was alive. One time, he went to visit one of his acquaintances.
Wang somehow wrote
a poem on his acquaintance's dining table which was made of wood at that time. His friend were so excited about
that.
By the end of their visit, his friend walked Wang out of his house (which was a manner in the old Chinese
of showing the respect to your guests). Wang's friend walked back into the house with a lot of joy. Then,
his mother told him, "I just helped you to clean up your table."
Man...what a disappointment. But
it showed that how famous Wang was at that time.
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Hope you enjoy the stories.
If, one day, you learn how to write
Chinese calligraphy, you will understand how difficult to control a brush with that little bit of hair. It all relies
on your wrist as the pressure point.
Nowadays, people extend the Chinese calligraphy apprciation to using regular pen. You may know some people in your life that they have very good penmanship.
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Actually, there are even more. With the popularity of learning Chinese, Chinese
people even pay more attention to their culture.
Some artists specialize on incorporating Chinese calligraphy
and drawing into the modern art, such as paper cutting art, writing a big Chinese symbol on a piece of paper with a brush
as big as a bloom and writing on pottery, T-shirt, anything you name it.
This kind of modern art is not hard to
find around you. A lot of them are available even outside of China.
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