#ORNATE PICTORIAL CALLIGRAPHY PDF PROFESSIONAL#

626–649), who based his own style on Wang’s writing and promoted it as the imperial model, attempted to collect every surviving example of Wang’s calligraphy. Perhaps the best example of this historical phenomena is the case of Wang Xizhi (303–361), the most famous calligrapher in Chinese history. In this manner, a calligraphic canon and market rapidly developed, providing both originals and copies, often indistinguishable to the purchaser, that were then used as models for novices to emulate. Later, even rudimentary epistles by famous calligraphers were collected by admirers who in turn traced copies that were widely circulated. It was seen as the medium through which a person’s thoughts, feelings, and artistry were best conveyed, the visual manifestation of the writer’s inner character and cultural cultivation. Although command of the written word and the ability to write beautifully were crucial responsibilities for Chinese elites who served in the government bureaucracy, by the fourth century the elegant writing of characters had come to be thought of as something more. 220), Chinese aristocrats began to take up calligraphy as a personal and aesthetic practice, which not only elevated the social status of the art form but also changed its nature in fundamental ways. However, in the centuries following the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.–A.D.

#ORNATE PICTORIAL CALLIGRAPHY PDF PROFESSIONAL#

The early history of calligraphy in China is dominated by the work of professional court scribes. During the Bronze Age in China, court calligraphers produced beautiful inscriptions for monumental display, examples of which can be seen among the bronze ritual vessels on view in the Museum’s galleries. Whereas in Renaissance Europe, painting, sculpture, and architecture came to be viewed as the apex of artistic achievement, in China, Japan, and Korea calligraphy was the preeminent art form. Elliott and his family made generous donations to the Museum during his lifetime, and upon his death in 1997, the remainder of his collection of Chinese calligraphy came to the Art Museum.īy focusing on Chinese calligraphy, Elliott was following a long tradition in East Asia of venerating the written word. They made the most of these opportunities, and Elliott amassed an unrivaled collection.

Not only did they find extremely important examples of calligraphy on the market, but they also faced relatively little competition from other buyers or collectors. Restrictions on acquiring Chinese art in Asia were lifted in 1971, and together Fong and Elliott traveled to Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan in search of great works. The timing of Elliott’s collecting activities could not have been more fortunate. Calligraphy would remain the primary focus of his Chinese art acquisitions for the next thirty years.

Within weeks of their meeting, Elliott acquired Scroll for Zhang Datong by Huang Tingjian, a masterwork of Song dynasty calligraphy dating to 1100. In 1967, Elliott, already a dedicated and passionate art collector, approached Fong, then professor of Chinese art history at Princeton and faculty curator at the Art Museum, with the idea of starting a collection of Chinese art. Fong, two Princetonians who first met as members of the class of 1951. Its formation is primarily the legacy of John B. The Art Museum’s collection of Chinese calligraphy may be considered one of the finest outside of Asia.

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