Calligraphy (書法 shūfǎ) has been one of the most practiced arts in China for more than two thousand years. Practiced with brush and ink on rice paper, it requires a technique difficult to master, patience, concentration and inner calm, qualities that approach it to Chán 禪 (the branch of Chinese Buddhism known in the West as Zen). In this section we will devote our attention to its history, stylistic varieties, technique and other aspects of this art.
Within calligraphy and ink painting, there are four tools that are known in China as the Four Treasures of the Study (文房四寶 wén fáng sì bǎo), as they had to be present on every scholar’s desk. These four treasures are: ink (墨 mò), brush (毛笔 máobǐ), paper (纸 zhǐ) and inkstone (砚台 yàntái).
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The Lántíngjí Xù 蘭亭集序 (“Preface to the Collection of Poems of the Orchid Pavilion”) is a short text considered one of the masterpieces of Chinese calligraphy. It is a preface written as an introduction to a collection of poems, with a unique story behind it.
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The ink brush (毛筆 máo bǐ) is used in both Chinese calligraphy and traditional painting, and is one of the Four Treasures of the Study (文房四寶 wén fáng sì bǎo). Let’s see its features and the different types that exist.
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In Chinese culture, the concepts of Wǔ 武 and Wén 文, which represent the military and civil spheres in government, are considered opposite but complementary. At the individual level, these concepts find their best representation in two seemingly antithetical but very similar arts: swordsmanship (Dāo Fǎ 刀法) and calligraphy (Shū Fǎ 書法).
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Calligraphy (書法 shūfǎ) is, along with ink painting, with which it is closely related, one of the most practiced ancient arts in China. Scholars, poets and painters were often great calligraphers. This art is regarded not only as an aesthetic form of writing but also as a way to cultivate one’s own character and to develop gōng fu 功夫.
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