Home | Arts & Entertainment
The Han Dynasty in 100 A.D. is the first origin of Chinese characters. The Chinese dictionary completed at that time included around 9,353 characters. The next version of the Chinese dictionary came out of Qing Dynasty and was called the "Kangxi" dictionary. The 42 booklets contained over 46,964 characters, which most are not even used today. There are variants on the characters, revised and refined in the current simplified edition of the Chinese language. This edition was put out by the People's Republic of China in 1956. This book narrowed the characters down to about 6,500. This is considered a simplified form and is the most common form used now, though some remain committed to using the old traditional ways. Chinese characters have been defined as complicated yet beautiful in their meaning. They are complex in relation to other writing languages. Romanization is used in terms of relation or simple visual information, however the meaning of the character remains mysterious as the art styles behind it. Some Chinese characters mimic similar tones of other characters, yet have different meanings. Some characters written with just an added dot or stroke, turn into something totally different. Of Chinese history, the crowning achievement to their culture, is the Chinese characters. They are an abstract art form displaying incredible depth of meaning in just a few brushstrokes. This thick symbolism has made it's way into mainstream art from centuries gone and desirable still today. Words like love, faith, endure, tranquility, written in a one character form creates a personalization amongst the observer admiring it. Many of these characters live on walls in homes to communicate a feeling. Many masters have created their own unique style and now exists over 120 diverse styles of written Chinese calligraphy. The more I searched on Chinese calligraphy, the more infatuated I became of the work, yet I was not getting closer to choosing a tattoo because, quite honestly, each word or quotation inspired a feeling in me. There were simply too many I identified with on a deeper, more spiritual level. After skipping across the top of the Chinese calligraphy history and art information, you can decide to take the process further by actively seeking out places or internet sites offering a more thorough course in the art of Chinese calligraphy. Many instructions remain basic in it's course, while others incorporate reading or speaking Chinese as well. Whether you embark on learning to write one character well to display as art on your wall, or you continue with the craft to put words together, even learning to read Chinese, it is rewarding. The more you unravel the mystery living inside each of these characters, it seems to create added curiosity and a desire to keep going. There is a quiet appreciation for Chinese calligraphy (called "Shu Fa" in Chinese). We see it everywhere. It has been around for thousand's of years, and has danced it's way into the western world. Character techniques were refined throughout the history of China as their culture's social circumstances changed. Self expression thru disciplined understanding of form and technique has been handed down by the great masters of Chinese calligraphy, with each master leaving a unique, personal style. Within this heritage many artists have taken some influence from it for their own works. Picasso and Matisse are two artists who used some Chinese calligraphy in their art. It is considered an art form and with it's amass of many followers, it is now a sought after as a class in which one can learn the art of Chinese calligraphy.
Article Source: http://www.ApprovedArticles.com
About the author: Lee J Avery runs an information site about Learn Chinese. Articles,News,Resources and Video about Learn Chinese Calligraphy Click here to get your own unique version of this article.
Please Rate this Article
5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5
Not yet Rated
