Unlike Western calligraphy, which is essentially just a method for making handwriting beautiful for decorative purposes, Chinese calligraphy is considered one of the most significant expressions of that culture's art, and even a path to spiritual development. Chinese calligraphers come from the literati class of poets, painters and scholars, and the traditions of calligraphy and painting are closely intertwined.
Chinese Calligraphy
Most of the symbols in the Chinese script are ideograms or pictures of a particular thing or idea. A single character can have a range of meanings and connotations. All characters are drawn according to a predefined pattern learned in childhood. Strokes have to be done in a certain order and a certain direction with no variation. Despite this fact, Chinese calligraphy is highly individualistic in terms of the emotional expression of the calligrapher, and there are a number of distinct styles of calligraphy, some of which are so abstract that individual characters cannot be recognized.
Calligraphy and Painting
Chinese calligraphy is closely associated with Chinese painting. The tools used by the calligrapher and the painter are the same, and are referred to as the "Four Treasures of the Study." These are the brush, the ink, the stone for grinding the ink, and the paper. The "Four Treasures" are traditionally treated with great reverence. Although calligraphy appears almost everywhere in Chinese society, it was often incorporated into paintings.
Symbolism
Symbolism is a central feature of Chinese art. In landscape painting, the possible elements of a landscape all carry traditional symbolic meanings. For example, the inclusion of a pine tree in a painting is symbolic of longevity. The combination of different elements in a landscape allows it to carry a complex symbolic meaning, which can only someone educated enough in classical Chinese aesthetics can understand. Calligraphy contributes to this symbolic mosaic by offering commentary in the form of poetry or a single well-chosen character.
Calligraphy and Poetry
When a Chinese painter and calligrapher in the classical tradition wished to comment on a landscape he had painted, he could do so by brushing a single character in the margins of the work, or by adding a piece of his own poetry or a fragment from some work by one of the classic Chinese poets. This allowed the calligrapher to provide a clue or a guideline to his intentions for the piece. Because calligraphy was so closely associated with such highly refined artistic expressions and the scholars, artists and literati who created them, the prestige of calligraphy in China was much higher than in the West. It was believed that the practice of calligraphy was a life discipline that could refine and perfect the character of the would-be calligrapher.
