The University of Kansas

Wu Changshi China, 1844-1927 Stone Drum Style Calligraphy Couplet seal script, ink on paper. Museum purchase, 84.179

Totoki Baigai Japan, 1749-1804 Poem, cursive ink on paper Anonymous gift, 78.82

With a history of at least 3,000 years, Chinese calligraphy is one of the oldest uninterrupted traditions in the world. Throughout the Asian countries that use Chinese characters, calligraphy traditionally is as important as painting and the two are judged by the same criteria. Executed mostly on paper or silk, the main implements of each is brush and ink.

The pliant brush creates strokes that are thick and bold and fleeting and elegant. The rhythm, accents, and speed of the strokes, which range from swift and expressive to deliberate and stately, convey the spirit of the writer. A work of calligraphy, therefore, is appreciated according to the nature of the strokes, the form and arrangement of the characters, the spirit of the calligrapher, and the content of the message. Several styles of script evolved in China, and they are still practiced and appreciated today.

A very early type of script, later called "seal script," was used in inscriptions on bones used for divination and on bronze vessels, stones, and bamboo strips during the Zhou and Qin dynasties. By the end of the Han dynasty, several sophisticated systems of script had developed, including "regular script" (the model for printing), "running script" (used for practical daily life), and "cursive," or "grass script" (abbreviated, abstracted script that allows for greatest personal expression).

It has long been a common practice to inscribe poems directly onto paintings, allowing one to enjoy the combination of all three elements&Mac220;the sentiments of the poem, the style of the calligraphy, and the painting itself. Painting, poetry, and calligraphy are referred to collectively as the "three perfections."