Why would an English
educated, almost Chinese illiterate person be interested in Chinese Calligraphy?
Here is how I went with the flow of ink, brushes and rice paper.
"You can buy the ink, the rice paper, the
brush, but if you don't cultivate the art of calligraphy, you can't do
calligraphy."
- Vietenamese Zen teacher
and mindful calligrapher, Thich Nhat Hanh
“The
beauty of Chinese calligraphy is essentially the beauty of movement, like the
coordinated movements of a skillfully composed dance: impulse, momentum,
momentary poise, and the interplay of active forces combine to form a balanced
whole.” -
Chinese
Calligrapher
Formative Years
Growing up in an English
speaking family, the Mandarin language was never heard at home. And in school
we would avoid these Chinese speaking ones as they usually break into dialects
and often get loud and rowdy.
Second
Language was just secondary
Chinese was a second
language for us and it remained secondary then and Chinese lessons were much
dreaded and just a big yawn. I figured it was the teacher who did not make
learning Chinese interesting or that the teaching system was simply not
effective. 无药可救 were the last words
from my Chinese Language teacher who obviously had given up on me.
Against the odds I
managed a pass in Chinese at my O levels examinations. Even then it wasn’t
something I was proud of. English and Art were my favourite subjects and there weren’t
any stimulus for me in regards to the Chinese Language. The sloppily spoken
mandarin language here in Singapore wasn’t a motivation for me. Except for a
few bilingual friends who would curl their tongues when teaching me the right
way of pronouncing words like ’吃’ and “上“.
Sources of
influence
Getting acquainted with
some mainland Chinese friends and
watching Chinese productions like Professor Yu Dan introduction to Zhuangzi and
Confucius, together with made-in-China art-house movies, Chinese folk art like
Papercutting , Wood carved panels and even Guqing (古筝)
music got me more interested in the
Chinese culture. It was a refreshing shower of culture, history and arts with
each visit to China. Tea appreciation and opera theatres really stimulated my
senses of being Chinese. Interestingly I never felt the same interest with
Taiwanese mandarin. Art have always been
an important part of me as I studied design and graduated to become an Art
Director in an advertising agency. Western typography, hand scripting and Chinese
calligraphy have always interest me even when the Chinese language didn’t.
I remember a documentary
that featured a European artist who was mimicking the strokes of a Chinese
master painter. The lines and strokes she painted were very impressive, but
when the master was asked to appraise her standard, the master paused and said
“your strokes are artistic and nice but lacks the profound spirit that embodies
a Chinese painting because you have no foundation of Chinese calligraphy!” Since then, I have decided to pursue Chinese
calligraphy one day. Due to my lack of the Chinese language ability I almost decided against it,
but found out that the course accommodates non-Chinese speaking students. Exposure to Chinese Buddhism and meditation
helped me connect with the process and the flow which are the very essence of
Chinese calligraphy.
Working
with Chinese concepts
In the course of my
work, whether in creating a Chinese product or company name and design of the
pack or brandmark, a certain understanding
of the Chinese culture and language is essential. I have created a contemporary
poster symbolising “平安”, an east-west fusion
design, garnered me a design award. Lately I am applying calligraphic strokes
to my design work. I would definitely encourage any non-Chinese literates to
take up Chinese Calligraphy if they have the interest.
