Week 2: Introduction to Calligraphy
Hello everyone!
This week, I had my first calligraphy introduction class at the CCI (Chinese Culture Institute) with Mr. Wang Lixin!
A little about him: Mr. Wang, born in 1972 in Hebei, China, has carved a distinguished career path as a calligrapher, poet, lyricist, and composer, now based in the United States. His calligraphy works have been collected by artists and art enthusiasts from countries all over, including the United States, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Canada, and Australia. He has been invited to participate in international calligraphy conferences and deliver keynote speeches. Currently, he is employed by a prestigious federal government agency in the United States.
Here are some of Mr. Wang’s works. The one above is in Lanting Xu form.
At the CCI, Mr. Wang introduced us to the history of Chinese calligraphy, including its history, various forms of script writings, multiple calligraphers’ styles, and the number of years and hours needed to practice establishing one’s styles. The five major different scripts are Oracle 甲骨文 (old stone carving), Zhuan 篆书 (seal script), Li 隶书 (official script), Kai 楷书 (standard/formal script), Xing 行书 (running/moving script), and Cao 草书 (cursive/grass script). Throughout the history of China, each dynasty has targeted a different type of script and corresponding authors who practiced them, such as the Qin Dynasty focusing on Zhuan script, the Han Dynasty focusing on Li script, and the Tang Dynasty focusing on Kai script. Kai script is the common script that we see today, for formal and presentation uses, though there are multiple forms of Kai script. Other forms of calligraphy also have their intended uses, such as using Xing and Cao scripts for informal or self-needed notes, as they are not for showcasing. Mr. Wang also introduced a few calligraphers and their styles of writing, such as Wang Xizhi, the sage of Chinese calligraphy, and Yan Zhenqing, Duke of Lu. One of Wang Xizhi’s most notable works is Lanting Xu (shown in the 1st picture), written with a specific form of Kai script.
This is Li 隶书 (official script) and this is
Kai 楷书 (standard/formal script).
There are many forms of calligraphy and styles by each calligrapher, and sometimes not even the same calligrapher can repeat the same form of font. A fun fact that Mr. Wang shared was that some calligraphers would drink before writing and producing magnificent works, but after they become sober, they cannot repeat and rewrite on the same level.
The CCI has decided to invite Mr. Lixin to come for more classes, and hopefully, we can try hands-on practice for calligraphy ourselves. We are also planning for tea ceremonies and incense use in the upcoming weeks!
Thank you for reading!