Chinese or Japanese calligraphy art is all about immersion. One has to dissipate into one's element through studies. If you think of the studies as a commitment, your consciousness will disrupt the natural flow and obscure the true purpose. Writing calligraphy is not about focus or executing a premeditated design or a pattern. The aim of endless hours with the brush is to make you lose yourself in the studies. Do not remember, but forget instead. When you think what to write, it is your arm or mind that writes. When you stop thinking, then the Universe writes for you. To write smoothly, one has to become like water. It flows naturally, it is desire-free, and goes to where the geography of the land leads it to. The same with writing Chinese calligraphy. If the mind is knowledgeable, and the spirit pure and strong, the brush will glide like a dragon on the vast skies. The years of training is the geography of your art. Smoothen it with your studies, but do not forget about the beauty of mountains. When your spirit meets them, it will curve graciously. Your pure mind and clear soul is the water. Do not pollute it, do not regulate it. Let it remain like a child. Writing calligraphy could be compared to a strong feeling,. You are not supposed to control it. Let the emotions out. When you master the rules, and then forget them, it is when the journey begins. Stroll with your head upright, but do not be conceited. Chinese calligraphy is created in the absence of pride. Do not look back either, you are not going that way. My teacher once said: "I cannot write the way I was writing last year, and I do not know what my writing will be like next year. I do not focus on either. I do not wish to know what the spring will be like. I enjoy the winter, and welcome the change in weather with anticipation. This is what makes my life worth living for. Instead of wasting the energy on predicting, it is better to cherish what we have and learn how to adjust. This is the true way of living through writing. " Calligraphy teex: 白雲深處金龍躍 碧波心裏玉兎驚 Glittering sun was ascending like a golden dragon amongst the deep white clouds. Reflection of the astonished jade moon was sinking deep beneath the blue ocean waves It is a Zen phrase with multiple possible interpretations. Many thanks to Yuki Mori for finding this phrase, and her help with interpretation.
Together with Mariusz, we are working very hard on creating new exciting content for the Ink Treasures website. At the moment our focus is history related articles, as well as articles regarding the co-created art. Our aim is to create a comprehensive website network, with easy to understand and follow articles on the subject of ink painting and calligraphy. There are several new ideas in preparation, and although I cannot give you all the details yet, I can reveal a few things. First, this month we plan to launch our store, with all kinds of items for purchase. That will include art, custom art, designs, commercial and private orders, prints, and so on. Next, on May we are launching the forums, where people will be able to exchange their knowledge, experience, ask questions, share their art, or simply socialise. We have also started a cooperation with several institutions and artists in Japan and Europe. This year looks very promising, and we sincerely hope that you will enjoy what we are both preparing for you. Many thanks for your support! All updates are published on our Facebook fan page (see below), please give us your LIKEs! Kūkai (空海, 774 - 835) is one of the most celebrated calligraphy Masters of ancient Japan. He was a Buddhist monk known as Kōbō-Daishi (弘法大師, i.e. The Grand Master Who Propagated the Buddhist Teaching). He was also a skilled poet, artist, and engineer. He was also the founder of Shingon Esoteric sect of Buddhism. It is also Kūkai who is said to be the creator of Japanese kana syllabary, which is one of the writing systems used in Japan until the present day (aside kanji), although it was never clearly confirmed by the historians and researchers. According to legends, Kūkai composed the famous Iroha poem, which is still in use for educational purposes in Japanese schools. Iroha contains all hiragana characters, but none of them is repeated. Its text reads: Although its scent still lingers on the form of a flower has scattered away For whom will the glory of this world remain unchanged? Arriving today at the yonder side of the deep mountains of evanescent existence We shall never allow ourselves to drift away intoxicated, in the world of shallow dreams. (translation by Professor Professor Ryuichi Abe) Kūkai was travelling to China and spent there 20 years of his life. His knowledge and skill in Chinese calligraphy was outstanding. His writing style (書風) was heavily influenced by the masterpieces of Wang Xizhi (王羲之, 303–361), the calligraphy sage. He brought back with him many Chinese classics upon his return to Japan in 806 C.E. Kūkai, together with Emperor Saga (嵯峨天皇, 786–842) and Tachibana no Hayanari (橘逸勢 c. 782-842) was one of the initiators of the Japanese style in calligraphy, referred to as wayō shodoō (和様書道). Those three gentlemen are know today as "three brushes" (三筆) of the Heiyan period (平安時代, 794 - 1185). The above two calligraphy works are my humble coipies of the famous "Letter carried by the wind" (風信帖), which was a series of letters written to another Buddhist monk, Saichō (最澄, 767 - 822), the founder of Tendai (天台宗) Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism. "Letter carried by the wind" is a national Japanese treasure, and it is often used for calligraphy studies in Japan. It style is a brilliant blend of Chinese and Japanese calligraphy styles, of which analysis can only enrich one's skills and horizons. See the Chinese and Japanese calligraphy history section to read more. Many people ask me what is the purpose of my Chinese & Japanese calligraphy body art? What do I want to achieve or express through it? Some say, "oh so is this like in the movie Pillow Book by Greenway?" Well, when I started to create calligraphy body art, I was not aware of the existance of the Pillow Book movie at all. Someone told me about it, I watched it in fragments and regretted that I did. I should have known better, that it will be nothing else but some intellectual sweat, with a depressing theme lurking in the background, like a phantom of lost yawn. So what is the purpose of my calligraphy body art? Well, I am not sure that art needs a purpouse. It is such a journey to combine the arts of Chinese calligraphy with photography, and the beauty of woman's body. I absolutely love it. And what is more important for an artist than to enjoy the act of creation. The essence of calligraphy is not what you write, but how it is written. The energy and living spirt of the brush strokes, the composition, etc. Those are the crucial factors of a good calligraphy. When my teacher judges a calligraphy work, he starts from the composition, white space arrangement, character structure, meaning at the very end. If the calligraphy is written by a skilled artist, one does not need to understand what is written, to be able to feel its power. In calligraphy body art I adjust the composition to the natural curves of femal'e body, I blend both natural fenomena into one piece of art. I often use the Heart Sutra (or other sutra texts) text in my body art. Why? I love it. I love writing it, I love the message, and it calms me down when I write it. There is some unexplainable magic to it. And if someone asks me "why do you do that?", I reply: Heart Sutra can be written for protection. It protect the sexiness from fading away. Calligraphy line curves, and so does the female body. They talk to each other. Writing on skin is like designing a landscape. All elements must compliment one another, and stay in perfect harmony. Each person has a different character, so different writing style or calligraphy script can be chosen. Writing itself is not easy either. The skin moves, it is uneven, and the ink used is different than the traditional ink. It is all a great practice, too. Last but not least, I can tell you that body art calligraphy could be seen as a form of therapy. Chinese calligraphy studies are proven to be one of the most effective form of meditation and prolonging life, even more effective than Tai Chi. It is curious, that every single model tells me the same thing; "I loved the the brush tip movement on the skin. It was so soothing." If the text is long, such as Heart Sutra, and it takes a considerable amount of time to write, they simply doze off. Ink Treasures is an artistic project that I am currently working on together with an accomplished ink painter, Mariusz Szmerdt. We decided to combine our efforts, and not only co-create a series of artwork that would merge the traditional and modern ink painting and calligraphy art., but also tell you more about the history and secrets of both, and share some of our knowledge with those who are willing to study them. Our goal is not a specific genre, but a wide spectrum of themes, subjects, and techniques. The aim is to inject some new life into the traditional arts of ink painting and calligraphy. Our works will span from martial art motifs through female acts, abstract or fantasy art (you may expect a lot of dragons), to very traditional and subtle creations, such as you can see in the above picture., or even philosophical themes, such as Buddhism, Zen or Taoism. We will be opening a store with out art, too., which will be for purchase in various formats, be it electronic, raw (prepped for framing), or framed (modern or traditional, including Japanese hanging scrolls). We also except orders for commercial use, such as advertisement, books, posters, stock photos, business cards, concept art, etc. Please visit us on www.ink-treasures.com / facebook Ink-Treasures / Google+ Ink Treasures Our contact: info@ink-treasures.com / szmerdt@ink-treasures.com / ryuurui@ink-treasures.com You can also mail me directly at ponte@ryuurui.com Yin and Yang (陰陽), the complementary forces (and not opposing, as many people erroneously believe) of the Universe we roam within, be it dead or alive. Yin and Yang should not be compared to the Western concept of good and evil, although both concepts are based on the idea of balance. Yin-Yang theory is ancient. Its origins go back to the 15th century B.C.E., during the Shang dynasty (1600 – 1046 B.C.E.). It had a global impact on so many disciplines of the Chinese, including medicine, martial arts, literature, politics, and so on. We find its traces in the Book of Changes (易經; Yi Jing, or I Ching) of which hexagrams that originated around the 3rd millennium B.C.E., were to be the cradle of Chinese writing system, as some sources incorrectly assume. Yin-Yang was in close relation to nature, which is not surprising at all. Virtually any ancient Chinese art or philosophy has similar background. That includes Chinese calligraphy, of which many brush strokes, for instance, were based on a falling rock, rapid creek, moves of a female dancer, or even the way geese turn their necks. In the 42nd chapter of Daodejing (道德經) by Laozi (老子, c. 6 or 5 century B.C.E.), we read: “The way begets one; One begets two; Two begets three; Three begets the myriad creatures. The myriad creatures carry on their backs the yin and embrace in their arms the yang and are the blending of the generative forces of the two.” Yin cannot exist without Yang, and vice versa. Those forces are so closely related, that one becomes the part of another. If the Yang gets stronger the Yin gets weaker. In calligraphy, the Yang can the paper, white, bright and absorbing the light. The Yin can be the ink, shiny, dark and supple. The relation between those two elements will have an impact on the final work, and the skill of maintaining the balance between those two is more intuitive rather than a solid knowledge than can be put down in books. Yin and Yang exist in everything. They cannot be defined, but only sensed. They cannot be measured, but can be subconsciously influenced. They cannot be fully mastered, but can be studied and meditated upon. And this is exactly how I would define the art of Chinese calligraphy. The work above reads Yang-Yin (read from right to left, as traditionally it should be). Written with a very soft, long and thin brush. Work is in stylised seal script (篆書), a script which stared to emerge in the last century of the Xia Dynasty (夏朝, 2070 – 1600 B.E.C.), even though its origins go back way back to the New Stone Age. To see this work in larger format, please visit my gallery, here The above work is my copy of one of the masterpieces by Wu Dacheng (呉大澂, 1835-1902). This work is entitled "Red crane spring bronze pillar engraving" (白鶴泉銘銅柱銘), and it is written in seal script (篆書), or more precisely small seal script, which is one of the five major scripts in Chinese calligraphy. The original calligraphy was cast into one of the Zhou Dynasty (周朝, 1046 – 256 B.C.E.) bronze vessels (c. 5th century B.C.E.). Wu Dacheng started to learn Chinese calligraphy att a young age, and at the age of 17 he began his studies of seal script under Chen Huan (陳奐, 1786-1863). In later years, the seal script and seal carving, which is an art form closely related to seal script, became his specialty. Like many of the calligraphers of the Imperial China, Wu Dacheng was a politician, serving, among other posts, as governor of Guangdong Province. Masterpieces by Wu Dacheng are used today for advanced calligraphy studies of this ancient script. His seal script is simply outstanding. Seal script is not only a crucial script for researching and understanding the etymology of Chinese characters, but alo invaluable for advancing in one`s technique of writing. I purposely used a long hair (5cm) thin (0.4cm) brush, to increase a difficulty of writing, and slow down the pace. Each line ought to be written with utmost care and concentration. If the focus is lost, the line will reveal the weaknesses of a calligrapher. To your left, you see a character 書 (to write / calligraphy) written in small seal script (小篆) by the Master Wu Dacheng himself. To view this work in a larger format, please visit my coloured paper caligraphy gallery. Life is Joy (人生一楽) . This calligraphy work is written in stylised seal script ((篆書). Seal script is a large family of scripts, and can be split into two groups; great seal script (大篆) and small seal script (小篆). However, this calssification is not that easy as it would seem. Great seal script is rather difficult to define. To fully understand the complexity of the issue one would need to appreciet the political history of ancient China, and its influence on the art of Chinese calligraphy. In short, great seal script begins with bronze inscriptions (金文), which first appeared during late Xia dynasty (夏朝, 2070 - 1600 B.C.E.). Also, although oracle bone script (甲骨文) is often regarded as separate script, it could be classified as a member of the great seal script. Those are subjects for a longer articles, and I will be discussing those issues in greater details on the Ink Treasures site pages (it is an ongoing project between an ink painter, Mariusz Szmerdt (翔隼), and myself). Seal script is without a doubt the oldest linguistically mature script in Chinese calligraphy. It played a significant role in the history and development of the ancient China. To see the calligraphy artwork pictured above, please vising my gallery of calligraphy works on white paper, here. A short poem which I wrote last year. It was inspired by one of the works of possibly the most cherished Chinese poet, Li Bai (李白; 701 – 762 C.E.). He lived during the Tang dynasty, the golden age of Chinese poetry, but also golden age of art in general, including calligraphy. English text: Bright moon illuminated the night skies Concealed in haze of vast sea of clouds Wind that travelled a few thousand miles Fluttered my mind light as silk Chinese translation: 明月照夜空 藏蒼茫雲海 風游幾萬里 心舞如白糸 Chinese translation by Yuki Mori (森由季). You can view this calligraphy in a larger format in a gallery, here According to the most recent archaeological findings, the bronze inscriptions (金文) preceded oracle bone script (甲骨文) by at least 100 years. It would mean, that bronze inscriptions appeared during the last years of the Xia dynasty (夏朝, 2070 - 1600), the first historically verified dynasty of China. Bronze inscriptions were in official use for hundreds of years, throught Shang (商朝, 1600 – 1046 B.C.E.) and Zhou (周朝, 1046 – 256 B.C.E.) dynasties. Most of the texts were written in a clay, prior to casting on bronze items (bells, vessels, etc.). This script was mostly of an ornamental nature, whereas oracle bone script had more of an official use (for rituals, recording state events, etc) This pictured calligraphy is one of my poems, translated into Chinese (translation by Yuki Mori / 森由季), written in brozne inscriptions. Below, you will find both English and Chinese versions. Body is our temple Life is a prayer Will is our power Desire is a weakness Mind is our freedom Future is a memory Love is our child Born to be wild 身體是聖殿 生命是祈禱 意志是動力 慾望是弱點 心靈是自由 未來是記憶 心愛是孩子 天生的野性 You may view this calligraphy in larger format in a gallery on this site, here. This is a calligraphy of one of my poems, written in oracle bone script (甲骨文), a script that started to evolve in early Shang dynasty (商朝, 1600 – 1046 B.C.E.), approximately 3500 years ago. Writing in this particular script may be challanging at times, as out of 4700 character in total, "merely" 2000 were deciphered by the scientists. Since the oracle bone script forms of the vast majority of Chinese characters (there are more or less 90,000 of them) simply do not exist., to be able to write this poem in this particular script, I had to create those forms from scratch. It took me nearly half a day of researching of the etymology of some of the radicals of characters in question, their forms in bronze inscriptions (金文 ) and seal script (篆書), but it was a great experience. Below, you can find the full text of the poem in English and Chinese (translated by Yuki Mori / 由季森)),. Shade of whisper sneaked upon Teasing night with silver moon Depth in eyes reflecting mine Shy world hidden in cocoon Drop of nature dipped in bliss As playful breath on naked skin Sound of smile brushing lips I am possessed by wicked sin 耳語輕拂面 明眸照對嫻 寒夜戲銀月 羞怯繭中憐 吾欲盡酣暢 快意任流淌 暖息澤玉膚 罪惡心中響 You may view this calligraphy in larger format in a gallery on this site, here This haiku launches a new project, that will involve three people, Yuki Mori, Mariusz Szmerdt, and myself. I am afraid I can't reveal all the secrets at the moment, but we assure you it will be worth waiting for. We anticipate that the final result should be ready within a few months. Pictured work (left) reads: 雪だるま、星のおしゃべり、ぺちゃくちゃ(夜)と, i.e. "A snowman sits there, under the whispering stars, a cold winter night" (translation Yuki Mori & Ponte Ryuurui). I wrote the third hiragana character や ("ya") as manyougana character 夜 (also reads "ya"), which means "evening", and perfectly emphasises the meaning of this haiku. Big thanks to Yuki for finding it. The author of the haiku text is Takashi Matsumoto. Calligraphy is of my authorship. Silver ink on Japanese hand made calligraphy paper, written with a small size weasel hair brush. Size: 22x35cm. |
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