Lampo Leong and the Calligraphy of Past

This past week, instead of the normal lecture and discussion section for my Arts of Asia class, I was lucky to find that renowned Chinese Calligrapher Lampo Leong was going to be a guest speaker.  I am not particularly knowledgeable in the art of Calligraphy but sitting through Mr. Leong's lecture was highly educating.  He explained that to understand the art of calligraphy, you first had to know a bit of its' history.  We were shown several slides of the earliest examples of Chinese calligraphy which can be seen in the image to the left.  These writings, or carvings on oracle bones date back to the Xia Dynasty ca 2000-1700 BCE.  As is typical of Chinese writing, it is written in a vertical pattern reading from top to bottom, left to right. 

From then on, Mr. Leong described the evolution of calligraphy from oracle bone carvings to that of the Seal Scripts.  He explained the technical aspects of this style of writing, and how it was classified as such.  Seal script eventually progressed into a new style known as Clerical script.  This style was a little looser with its brush strokes in terms of adhering to the strict grid like pattern of writing that was typical of the Seal script.  Clerical script gave way to Standard Script, the form of calligraphy used most often today.  There are two other forms of Chinese calligraphy based on extremely fluid brush strokes known as the Running Script and the Cursive Script.  The Standard, Running, and Cursive script forms are the most common forms of calligraphy still being practiced as an art form.

There are still many practitioners of Chinese Calligraphy, but the numbers have dwindled significantly.  In an attempt to save this beautiful art form, it is  now a standard in China for students to study calligraphy.  Seeing the images of past calligraphers and the distinct styles of writing that have come about through history was something I felt I needed to share with others.   To some people, Chinese calligraphy may just seem like another type of written word, but the energy and spirit flowing through each and every stroke of the brush tells me another story. Each stroke of the brush utilizes varying degrees of thickness and thin.  This has not always been the case, but recent calligraphy work has shown thus.  It is my opinion that theses varying degrees of thickness add to the overall aesthetic appeal of each and every character.  Chinese writings are a compilation of thin, thick, straight, and curving strokes.  There are many factors to writing in this language, and it isn't impossible to learn.  However, the true artist in terms of Chinese calligraphy takes all aspects of the character in mind, and somehow is able to give his text an elegant uniformity juxtaposed with an air of spontaneity. It is the work of a master calligrapher that can capture the spirit of the this art form.  As a master of the art, Mr. Leong has tried to explain the reasons why a good calligrapher has achieved epic status.  In a yet to be published book, titled "THE VISUAL FORCES OF “Ω CURVE”" these explanations will be accompanied by various illustrations and examples to back up his theories.  If you're interested, take the time to study his writings.  I will.