Chinese Calligraphy (中国書法) in the Uncultured Eyes of Cavin

I am not known to have an "officially correct" artistic eye and could not really understand the deep yet symbolic meaning for most art pieces.

Chinese calligraphy is undeniably one arts segment i have major difficulties in grasping. To me, a Chinese character is purely a Chinese word and i could at most differentiate between a nice handwriting and an ugly one.

Anyway, this post touches on the calligraphy the Great Kon bought in Raffles City a few weeks back! Just for clarification, it was not taken off the rack and in fact, required the strokes of a calligraphy master from China.

Paper is one of the four treasures of a typical study room in ancient China. In the present, the colour of the paper and patterns of the border are equally important for decorative purposes.

Ink is no longer the traditionally black form; in view of the charcoal black paper base, gold ink (signifying wealth and prosperity) is definitely the most suitable.

The name of the Master (张永红) came next. It marvels me to see someone writing with such a thin ink brush! Such delicate action is beyond me.. Trust me, i tried before and what appeared at the end were not words but blots of ink.

Starting on his skillful stroke, the master began. Anyone has watched the Curse of the Golden Flower (滿城盡帶黃金甲). The scene where Chow Yun Fatt apparently wrote the following four words; 忠孝礼义, is actually the words of this master.

Anyone can guess what is Kon's surname? By this time, it should be pretty clear.

His surname is Guan 官, which is actually the same character used for officials or official businesses! In case you are wondering, the word is currently upside down.

Finishing touch for a completed work of calligraphy; the seal of the master that is given the same status as a signature in the modern world. Such seals are still used in Japan for official documents though.

The Master and his work. Kon was too shy to take a picture with him! Given my limited artistic flair, my appreciation is only limited to one word: nice!

For a pretty good explanation on what makes a good piece of calligraphy work, please refer to Wikipedia here, under "Evaluation and Appreciation".

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Location

Event Hall, Level 3

Raffles City Shopping Centre

Note: The event (promoting Chinese culture) has already ended but from my understanding, such events are quite common and you may be able to find something similar in time to come.