IAMA Art Museum in San Francisco
Artist: H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III
About Chinese Calligraphy
Throughout history, no art form is able to reflect a person’s moral character and knowledge except for Chinese calligraphy. The aura created by a person’s achievements in a field of study or his creations of art can often cover up his deficiencies in knowledge and character. But that is not the case in Chinese calligraphy, which is like a three-dimensional projecting mirror. The depth of one’s knowledge, the level of one’s moral character, and the strength of one’s mind are revealed through the brushstrokes and they cannot be concealed. How one writes ordinarily in Chinese characters tells how well educated one is. It is all the more true in terms of calligraphy using the traditional brush pen and cotton paper.
Looking at Chinese history, we see without exception that all the famous calligraphers were great masters of literature who had profound knowledge. Examples include Wang Xizhi, Huai Su, He Shaoji, Yue Fei, Yu Youren, among others. They were all well-learned and paragons of virtue.
In addition, the style of the brushstrokes, the content of the writing, and the arrangement of the text convey the moral sentiment, ideals and characters of a man. General Yan Zhenqing, a famous calligrapher of the Tang Dynasty, was also a brave, compassionate and patriotic army general. One can easily empathize with his uprightness by reading his calligraphy works.
Therefore, Chinese calligraphy is an art form that enjoys as high a status as painting in China. The museum has a rich collection of Chinese calligraphy works that range from the past to the present.
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