Page 63 - 第22屆大墩美展專輯電子書

Juror’s Statement, Calligraphy Category

CHEN Wei-The

The process of creating artwork is a difficult, long and lonely path The First Prize entry this year is CHENG Li-Hsun's five character-
on which you cannot anticipate the results. This is especially true for couplet. Its style is based on Han clerical script and displays the simple,
calligraphy. straightforward nature of scripts found on Qin and Han bamboo slips.
CHENG fully leveraged the traits of long goat-hair brushes and his ink-
Calligraphy first appeared during the Han dynasty when people maneuvering skills to create an interesting piece that displays a powerful,
began to write Chinese characters with brushes. About two decades ago, simple quality through a running-yet-dry ink effect. His postscript and
calligraphy was still taught in schools and nearly everyone shared this signature seal are very unique, and the lively and delicate style is an
experience. I am sure that, back then, quite a few students truly wanted to interesting contrast against the simple tone of the couplet, presenting
perfect their calligraphy skills, although not many continued to practice another trait that makes this piece stands out.
this art form after leaving school. The main reason for this is because
calligraphy is difficult and years of practice do not guarantee that you Second Prize winner LIN Chia-Nan's entry is “Bring in the wine by
can eventually master the art. You take a brush with ink and write out LI Bai”, which reminded us of the script style HUANG Shan-Gu used to
a Chinese character. There is neither attractive scenery and objects nor write his poems. The size, structure and spacing of the characters and
beautiful, fantastic colors in the final product. You cannot change the wetness/dryness of the ink present an array of variations. We can tell
existing form and rules of the Chinese characters, nor can you express the calligrapher has everything under control and writes in a smooth,
your thoughts or style through the characters. Many calligraphers do not instinctive manner, an attitude which matches LI Bai's poem perfectly.
display their works to the public, and may not even keep their own works The final entry is presented as a scroll, which adds a unique ancient touch.
themselves. Consequently, many people give up calligraphy after a while
or, if they continue, do it only as an amusement. Third Prize winner George LIN presented another poem by LI Bai.
The characters display the balance and calmness of HUAI Su's cursive
Today, calligraphy is no longer a course taught in school, nor is it style and the smooth and eccentric characteristics of FU Shan's cursive
used during major examinations. People have less and less incentive to style. The different styles complement each other and the strong, yet soft,
learn and write calligraphy. This trend worries cultural experts and those lines written in running/dry ink provide an arrangement of diversity
wishing to carry on the tradition. which transitions smoothly, making this truly an intriguing piece.
However, if we look at calligraphic entries at county and city art There are three entries that won an Award of Merit. SHIH Po-
exhibitions, we can witness a large number of participants showcasing Hsien's “Overlooking the Qin River by LI Chi” was inspired by the varied
high-quality works and a variety of styles lending new perspectives to styles used by calligraphers during the late Ming dynasty. The character
this old form of art. This is especially true here at the Da Dun Fine Arts sizes are not unified and seem to have been written in a random manner.
Exhibition. Of course, the efforts of promoters and the fact that there Characters are also not written neatly in a straight line and instead sway
will always be calligraphy geniuses in each generation are among reasons wildly from side to side, conveying strong emotions. CHANG Pei-Yuan's
we see so many wonderful of these works at exhibitions. But I believe the entry, “A Couple by QIAN Qi”, implements Han clerical script as its base
primary reason Chinese calligraphy has been able to exist for thousands and carries the awesomeness of cliff statues and directness of bamboo
of years is because the art itself has a profound charisma that can be and silk scripts. The grand strokes are clean and sharp, showing his strong
interpreted and discovered in endless ways. And we should certainly and unique personal trait. FANG Li-Chuan's presentation of LIN Yi-The's
preserve and promote this precious art form given to us by our ancestors. poem combines bamboo and silk scripts, ancient cursive, modern cursive,
and semi-cursive scripts. However, this smorgasbord of different styles
The 112 calligraphy entries received this year include all types has created its own harmony within the discord and presents a unique
of script styles, and all attain certain level of quality. On May 21, five form and style that is unlike any other.
jurors carefully looked at all entries multiple times before selecting their
favorites. After three rounds of voting, we finally finalized a shortlist that Overall, award-winning pieces in this year's calligraphy category
included 18 pieces. The final selection was held on June 20 when jurors all show that the calligraphers have mastered traditional basic skills and
again carefully went through and compared the shortlisted entries before incorporated the essences of various styles. What we see here are creative
selecting the top six works, which were then given scores to determine interpretations of each calligrapher's personal aesthetic, which offer new
their ranking. Although it is impossible to evaluate art in an absolutely perspectives and contribute to this old form of art. Judging from this
objective way, we still managed to be as fair and just as possible. We do trend, we can expect to see such calligraphers taking this art form to
acknowledge there may be outstanding pieces that did not make it into another level and surpassing what has already been done.
the final six, so I would like to encourage those who did not win any
awards this time to not feel disappointed. After all, in all competitions,
there is always the factor of luck.

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