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Calligraphers add character to Michelangelo
By Vanessa Xu |
December 26, 2012, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
WHILE traditional Chinese calligraphy is an art form that has been refined by generations over the centuries, modern calligraphy developed by today's artists seeks to convey a contemporary message.
A seminar held last week in Sanshang Contemporary Art Gallery in Hangzhou, together with an exhibition showcasing 25 artworks, sought to explain and showcase modern calligraphy.
The event celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Modern Calligraphy Study Center, a Hangzhou organization promoting modern calligraphy art.
Works on display showed how the style and meaning of modern calligraphy art differ from the traditional form.
In a dramatic moment of the opening ceremony, Wang Donglin, chairman of Modern Calligraphy Study Center, performed calligraphy on a print of Michelangelo's "Genesis" hanging at the entrance of the gallery.
One visitor yelled, "He's ruining the painting!" But Wang continued unperturbed, and was joined by other artists to create a new version of "Genesis."
"Artists should follow their heart and be brave. We cannot lose courage even if others misunderstand," Wang explains later.
When Wang and his peers established the Modern Calligraphy Study Center 10 years ago, their work also proved controversial, facing criticism for breaking traditional rules and accusations that calligraphers gave themselves a "modern" tag to disguise artistic shortcomings.
But as time went by, Wang has attracted more and more support, and people have gradually come to accept and understand the new art form.
Shocking effect
Nonetheless, many works in the exhibition still shocked some visitors. For example, Lu Dadong's "Empty Characteristics" is not written on the paper, but on the silk frame, cramming the edges with characters, yet leaving the paper inside blank.
And Wang Tiande's "Digital No. 12-CRG020" is not a written work; it's a burnt work. The artist used burning incense to "write" characters on rice paper for a smoky, hollowed-out effect.
Photographer and calligrapher Chu Chu took black-and-white photographs of fruit as the material for a series of calligraphy works. These feature small cursive style characters that together recreate the photograph tones.
Calin Andrei, a Romanian PhD student in Chinese calligraphy at the China Academy of Art, presented his latest work "Sleep of Giant" at the show. It features three huge characters, meaning sleep of giant, and the innovative use of shade.
Andrei, who has studied Chinese calligraphy for six years, says the inspiration came from a dream, and he created the shade effect because it is dreamlike.
"I think the content is traditional as a giant is an ordinary symbol in many folk tales, yet the work has a modern spirit as I combine the thought of today into it," he says.
The exhibition was held for just one day, but the works can still be seen at www.sanshang-art.com/Sanshang/NewsDetail.asp?id=214.
A seminar held last week in Sanshang Contemporary Art Gallery in Hangzhou, together with an exhibition showcasing 25 artworks, sought to explain and showcase modern calligraphy.
The event celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Modern Calligraphy Study Center, a Hangzhou organization promoting modern calligraphy art.
Works on display showed how the style and meaning of modern calligraphy art differ from the traditional form.
In a dramatic moment of the opening ceremony, Wang Donglin, chairman of Modern Calligraphy Study Center, performed calligraphy on a print of Michelangelo's "Genesis" hanging at the entrance of the gallery.
One visitor yelled, "He's ruining the painting!" But Wang continued unperturbed, and was joined by other artists to create a new version of "Genesis."
"Artists should follow their heart and be brave. We cannot lose courage even if others misunderstand," Wang explains later.
When Wang and his peers established the Modern Calligraphy Study Center 10 years ago, their work also proved controversial, facing criticism for breaking traditional rules and accusations that calligraphers gave themselves a "modern" tag to disguise artistic shortcomings.
But as time went by, Wang has attracted more and more support, and people have gradually come to accept and understand the new art form.
Shocking effect
Nonetheless, many works in the exhibition still shocked some visitors. For example, Lu Dadong's "Empty Characteristics" is not written on the paper, but on the silk frame, cramming the edges with characters, yet leaving the paper inside blank.
And Wang Tiande's "Digital No. 12-CRG020" is not a written work; it's a burnt work. The artist used burning incense to "write" characters on rice paper for a smoky, hollowed-out effect.
Photographer and calligrapher Chu Chu took black-and-white photographs of fruit as the material for a series of calligraphy works. These feature small cursive style characters that together recreate the photograph tones.
Calin Andrei, a Romanian PhD student in Chinese calligraphy at the China Academy of Art, presented his latest work "Sleep of Giant" at the show. It features three huge characters, meaning sleep of giant, and the innovative use of shade.
Andrei, who has studied Chinese calligraphy for six years, says the inspiration came from a dream, and he created the shade effect because it is dreamlike.
"I think the content is traditional as a giant is an ordinary symbol in many folk tales, yet the work has a modern spirit as I combine the thought of today into it," he says.
The exhibition was held for just one day, but the works can still be seen at www.sanshang-art.com/Sanshang/NewsDetail.asp?id=214.
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