Asian Art Museum | Out of Character: Decoding Chinese Calligraphy

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OCT 5, 2012–JAN 13, 2013

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DECODING CALLIGRAPHY

Chinese calligraphy is a visual art. Rather than content, the fluid strokes, dots and lines that form each character are its focus.

Centuries of tradition have created strict conventions governing the tools, formats, and scripts calligraphers use. Within these confines, artists make subtle choices that result in profound self-expression.

5 styles of script have evolved over 2000 years:

Seal script

Clerical script

Cursive script

Semi-cursive script

Standard script

FORMAT

Calligraphy is painted either on paper or silk, which each respond to ink and brush differently. These materials take one of several formats:

Handscrolls are sheets of paper that could be rolled, covered in silk, and stored away. Owners added additional sheets of paper over time, so that scrolls could grow to up to 20 feet in length. Out of Character exhibits some scrolls in their entirety, stretching up to 10 meters.

Other formats include fans, albums and hanging scrolls .