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

COMPOSITION

wards but both face forwards. Both parts must then be written in a similar upright manner. Before attempting to compose any character, the calligrapher must first decide what kind of

character it is.

(5) P%ien-T‘se ( 偏 側 ) 長 4 Ss a ah ah Aslant. Most Chinese char-

Chang Hsin Huo

acters have an erect pos- (jong) (heart) (perhaps) eo. with ture, but a few definitely aa aa) lean to one side or the other. Chang, Hsin, Huo, and Tui Be 用 (Fig. 119) lean to the left. Hist, Nat, Shao, and Li (Fig. 120) lean to the right. Despite the slant, it is in every case necessary that the posture should be stable. A toppling effect is aesthetically fatal. The centre of gravity must fall within the (in this case imaginary) base—like that of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. And the inclination must never be exaggerated. Itis a commonplace of criticism that upright characters should be written with a suggestion of slant and slanting ones with a suggestion of uprightness.

(6) Hsiang-Fang (+9 i), 員 幼 B Bs Mutual Concession. Strictly 防 ? a speaking, the concession is not always mutual; often ess hp) Geen (imme. Gane one part dominates and only He! wee ment the other ‘ concedes’. The concession effect is achieved by variations of the positions of the parts as well as by modifications of their size. Each of the characters in Fig. 121, Chu, Yu, Chi, and Pu, has the left side lifted

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(ev aS me evi a OSs Cea FIG. 120