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In China, the style in which an individual writes has long been believed to communicate something essential about his or her personality, intellect, and abilities. Even today it is a common presumption that one can "read" the identity of the person through his or her handwriting.
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The European term calligraphy means "beautiful writing," and reflects an interest in ornamenting words on the page; most European calligraphy is highly stylized, regular, and decorated with flourishes, which in themselves are lacking in personal expression. Calligraphy in the West was always considered a minor art and tended to curb spontaneity, producing fairly static forms.
In China, however, this was far from the case; the most widely practiced writing styles favored spontaneity, and the brush was thought to act like a seismograph in recording the movements of arm, wrist, and hand. East Asian calligraphy was established as a "high art" form well before the Tang dynasty. It has continuously enjoyed a high status among the arts ever since, and is practiced today by many people, including every school-aged child.
This unit will cover
calligraphy in China up through the Tang dynasty, with an emphasis on the Six
Dynasties and Tang. It was during this period that calligraphy first began to
flourish as an art form. By the Later Han, the basic script types had been
created, and no new types developed after this time. The first writings to
evaluate calligraphic style also date from this period. These texts reveal a
notable shift toward seeing an expressive quality in writing that went beyond
the mere ability to communicate meaning.
As you go through this unit, keep the following questions in mind:
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