Page 77 - 臺中市第二十六屆大墩美展專輯

ࣣجᗳ

Calligraphy
Juror's Statement, Calligraphy Category CHEN Chin-Chung

This is the 26th year of the nationally and internationally renowned Da Dun Fine Arts Exhibition, which has long been regarded as a model of success for its
diverse competition categories, rigorous review system, and special award mechanisms.
This year's application and review processes for the Calligraphy Category were carried out amid the ups and downs of the pandemic, but we still received
97 submissions, including four from overseas. After the preliminary review on May 2, 15 works were shortlisted. The nal review on July 6 assessed the physical
works shortlisted, all of which were approved. From them, the top three winners and three Award of Merit recipients were determined. Below is a brief
comment on the winning works:
In A Poem by Han Wo by CHANG Pei-Yuan, the First Prize winner, the calligrapher takes a playful turn on the solemn, orderly style of Northern Wei-era stele
inscriptions. The brushwork is seemingly rough but ingeniously combined with a light touch to achieve a moderate degree of variation, the two opposites
complementing each other. This work is a fresh interpretation of Northern Wei-era stele inscriptions, demonstrating the artist's mastery of the use of light and
dark ink and wet and dry strokes, as well as knowledge on the aforementioned stele inscriptions.
The Second Prize winner is CHANG Chia-Hsin's Watching chess poems. The cursive script has precise, powerful strokes that make up dynamic, elegant
characters, displaying tension in a graceful manner. This is a work that balances strength and beauty. On the other hand, the colophon is a lyrical prose written
in semi-cursive script, visually pleasing, vigorous, and refreshing. The colophon expresses the calligrapher's view that politics is like a chess game, which
alludes to the main text and clari es its meaning. Such arrangement is exceptional among the works submitted this year.
The Third-Prize winner is Poem by Ou-Yang Hsiu by WU Hung-Hsi, who incorporates the quaint style of Ching-era clerical script into his own to create a work
that is both serious and entertaining at the same time. The strokes are thin but not spiritless, while the blank spaces serve both to divide and interconnect
each character{a display of the artist's remarkable sensitivity and knowledge that enable such e ortless feats of skill. In the colophon, the calligrapher
describes the process of creating this work as delightful and rewarding.
The three winners of the Award of Merit:
In BAI, JU-YI Behavior of lute by CHENG Shih-Tsung, dots and lines jump and chase each other while strokes interlock and spread apart in layers of dance{
a wonderful handling of cursive script. The transitions between fast and slow stroke movements resemble musical tempos, thus making this piece an original
and ingenious work that perfectly fuses poetic imagery with calligraphic expression.
HUANG Chun-Chia's April showers bring May owers is written in stately, large characters in a mix of the seal and clerical scripts. The strokes are bold and
striking, creating a dynamic, one-of-a-kind work. The marginalia, also written in cursive albeit smaller-sized characters, are also infused with strength that adds
to the impressiveness of the main text.
CHI Kuan-Ti's Record two poems from Taiwan is rendered in skillful cursive script. Straight, wide strokes complement with curved ones and exhibit clear
cadences, with evident pressing and lifting of the brush. It is as if the artist had painted a melody, the whispering of the brush against the paper clearly
resounding in our ears. The lines are steady and visually pleasing, with the dots as vivid as falling stones.
Overall, this year's prize-winning works have impressed us with their expression in various scripts, formal structure, and even mounting methods. The
calligraphers' remarkable skills and original styles both exceeded our expectations, a pleasant surprise indeed. On another note, victory is only eeting and
subjective; one should not make much out of it. "Write to express your thoughts and lighten your heart", as Ou-Yang Hsiu once said. Having calligraphy in our
lives is a privilege. Together, let's pass on this wonderful art.

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