The Art of Chinese Calligraphy

On Thursday, October 7, I listened to a lecture given by Chinese calligrapher, Lampo Leong, about the history of Chinese calligraphy. The lecture encompassed the evolution of Chinese script, and ended with a demonstration of Dr. Leong's work. Although the lecture was interesting and informative, it was the demonstration, which lasted less than a single minute, that captivated my attention.

In his demonstration, Dr. Leong stressed to the audience the importance of chi within any given piece. The idea of chi is that every written character has a certain energy, and that energy must flow continuously from one character to the next. Calligraphy is judged based on several criteria, including this notion of chi. Chinese calligraphy, of course, is not the only form of art that stresses an ease of motion, and this is evident as Dr. Leong compares calligraphy to dancing, the way the brush moves continuously from one character to the next, even when there is a break in between characters.

Below is a clip from the demonstration given by Lampo Leong, in which he writes the characters for "fine ambition" in the dance of the Chinese calligraphic brush.

++Photo and video by Kylee Ferguson