Calligraphy & Painting

Pictograph

Four treasures of the study

writing brush

ink stick

paper

ink slab

The art of linesThe art of linesIt stresses the It stresses the overall layout and overall layout and harmony between harmony between characters and characters and lines.lines.

56 strokes56 strokes

书法之妙“ 狡兔暴骇， 将奔未驰”

疾：用笔的畅快 飞动之势涩：运笔之迟缓 顿挫之功

Oracle bone inscription

The Bronze Inscription钟鼎文 Time: The Shang Zhou dynasties

The scripts were engraved on the bronze vessels

The Small Seal Script

• Time: the Qin Dynasty • the simplified form• (unified by Li Si)• more legible and easier to write• engrave inscriptions on stones;

The Seal Script ( 篆书 )

• Soft lines of strokes and upright rectangular shape

• Each of the characters has a balanced and symmetrical pattern.

• keep the seal form characters more close to pictograph.

The Official/Clerical Script 隶书

• It was the turning point in the evolution of Chinese scripts and is the foundation of the later script forms.

• It turned the remaining curved and round strokes of the seal form into linear and flat square shapes.

The cursive script ( 草书 ) • It is smooth and lively

with strokes flowing and characters linking together.

• The characters are often joined, with the last stroke of one merging into the initial stroke of the next.

• It is executed freely and rapidly so that parts of the characters appear exaggerated

The Regular ScriptThe Standard Script 楷书

• Time: the Three Kingdoms Period (Wei)

It is today’s standard writingIt is square in form, and non-cursive in strokes

The Semi-cursive Script The Running Script 行书

• It is somewhere between the regular and the cursive forms allowing simpler and faster writing.

• the running regular form 行楷 • the running cursive

form 行草

Wang Xizhi “Sage Calligrapher”

The Preface to The The Preface to The Lanting CollectionLanting Collection

（（《《兰亭集序兰亭集序》》））

Great Calligraphersin Tang & Song dynasties

• Zhang Xu & Huai Su (Tang Dynasty)

颠张醉素 Su Dongpo, Huang Tingjian Mi Fu & Cai Xiang (Song

Dynasty) 苏黄米蔡

Three Categories (contents) • Flower-bird painting

plum blossom, orchid, bamboo, chrysanthemum (Four Gentlemen)

Figure painting Landscape painting

Wu Daozi (Tang)Master of Painting

Gu Kaizhi Eastern Jin Dynasty

The Gongbi School

• Characterized by close attention to details and fine brushwork

• Paint the feeling (sketching ideas)• Internal spirit guides outward form • Express painter’s subjective ideas and

sentiments

The Xieyi School