Blending Traditional Chinese Calligraphy with Modern Painting
Why I Work with Chinese Calligraphy
Painted Calligraphy (绘书, huìshū) is my way of bringing the discipline of Chinese calligraphy into contemporary abstract painting. Writing remains the starting point, even when the individual characters become difficult to read.
Since I am not Chinese, one might wonder why this art matters so much to me. There are three closely connected reasons. First, I consider Chinese calligraphy one of the most demanding art forms. Years of diligent practice are needed before a work satisfies both the writer and a trained viewer.
The old Chinese masters set a standard that I find extraordinarily difficult to approach. For me, the challenge is to honour what they achieved while finding a way to convey something of my own time.
Overpainted Calligraphy
Second, calligraphy gives me a way of judging my own development. I think of a musician returning to Bach over many years: familiarity with a piece does not exhaust it. Repeating the work reveals whether understanding and execution have deepened, or whether one is standing still. In the layered works below, old poems are written over one another until the writing also becomes texture.
Traditional Calligraphy
Third, calligraphy offers a way from my earlier figurative painting into abstraction. Alongside the painted and overpainted works, I continue to practise traditional Chinese calligraphy. Returning to the written character keeps that exploration grounded in the movement of the brush.
Practice and experiment keep returning me to one another. How far can the writing move towards painting while still carrying something of the written gesture?
Related articles
Painted Calligraphy Series: Text as Texture · Experimental Calligraphy: Deconstructing the Character · Red Dao and Black Zen: Painted Calligraphy
Explore Art & Writing
Art Portfolio → Featured Artworks → Arts & Philosophy Journal → All Articles
Explore Asian Art Essays for writing on Chinese painting, calligraphy, aesthetics and art history.
Available Artworks
Original works are available on FriedrichZettl.com and Saatchi Art
Leave a Reply