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

CHINESE CALLIGRAPHY

until the Ch‘in dynasty (246-207 B.c.), when the separate feudal States of China became united under one Emperor and the Prime Minister Li Szu decided to unify the scripts of the various states, and to this end devised the style now called Hsiao-Chiian, Small Seal. This style, which was based on the one used in the Ch'in state, was a modification of the Great Seal Style and was more suitable for universal use. Next, in the period from Ch'in to Han (the Han dynasty lasted from 206 B.c. to A.D. 219), there gradually developed, through many processes of change and simplification, the Li or Official Style. The invention of the final form of Lz-Shu (2 #) is attributed to a certain Ch‘éng Miao (## #). The Pa-Fen (A 3) Style, which was also devised during the Han period, is closely related to Li-Shu. After Han, as a consequence of improvement in the writing instruments, three further styles were produced which quickly gained acceptance and have remained to this day the most widely used of all the styles: K‘ai-Shu (## #), Hsing-Shu (4 #) and Ts‘ao-Shu (& #) Regular, Running, and Grass. Though not actually simpler than Li-Shu, these three styles are quicker to write and offer a wider range of stroke and construction, besides being generally more convenient in practice.

But while, for general use, K‘ai-Shu, Hsing-Shu and Ts‘aoShu became permanently established, the older styles continued to be practised by calligraphers. For artistic purposes no distinction was—or is—made between the ancient and the later scripts. Calligraphers practised them all, though they might specialize in any one of their preference. With the passage of centuries an almost unimaginable variety of styles has been evolved. And still there is room for novelty! Every new style has, however, derived—as, I am convinced, every new

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