Rediscovered Art in Berlin

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In recent news, art believed to have been destroyed by the Nazis was recently rediscovered in Germany. While digging at a site near the Berlin city hall to prepare for a new subway line, construction workers unearthed a handful of terracotta and bronze statues thought to have been destroyed. They were found at the site of an office building, originally burned in 1944. The pieces include some that were considered deviant and sexual by the Nazis. These "deviant" characteristics were attributed to Jewish artwork by the Nazis, but only two Jewish artists contributed to the works found.

Originally, one piece was uncovered in January 2010, but was thought to be a unique piece until the other pieces were discovered in August and October. The first piece found back in January was a statue of actress Annie Mewes by Edwin Scharff.

Some of the pieces are set to go on display at Berlin's Neues Museum. Most of th pieces have suffered a great deal of damage; one of them is now too fragile to place on display. Some that have been damaged have been left unrestored or partially unrestored to reflect the the history behind the damage.

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