Chinese calligraphy : an introduction to its aesthetic and technique : with 6 plates and 155 text illustratons

ABSTRACT BEAUTY

structure, with the result that the character appears to totter. In the second character from the right, Ts‘ai, ‘ style’, the left lower corner is too small for the rest and the character only just maintains its balance. After a study of the Emperor’s Running and Grass writing one is at a loss to find any movement as graceful even as the gestures of a street dancer! The writing of the Sung Emperor Hui Tsung (Fig. 47), on the other hand, is worthy of the highest praise. Social ee it is certain,

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Fic. 88 FIG. 89

does not make an artist. When I first came to London I rather liked the handwriting of some of the post-office officials who wrote out receipts for registered packages. Later I discovered that there was no difference between their writing and that of most other clerks and secretaries. Neatness without individuality is not hard to attain. I imagine that people unacquainted with Chinese characters may easily fall into the same temporary error about them as I did with English writing. But to achieve individuality it is not necessary to be eccentric. Strokes and compositions must follow general rules, otherwise [131]