Patrons of art galleries and exhibitions are always humbled by the quiet atmosphere of viewing and critiquing paintings and images. But an exhibition on the calligraphy of east Asian cultures challenges that accepted silence of art viewing, making gallery-goers consider the artistic value of the recorded word or symbol.
The College of Wooster Art Museum at the Ebert Art Center has recently opened a semester-long exhibition in the Sussel and Burton D. Morgan Galleries titled “Chinese and Japanese Calligraphy and Painting.” Though the exhibition is paired with a simple title, members of campus will find profound meaning behind the works presented. After two years of development, 60 pieces from the private collection of College of Wooster Board of Trustee member H. Christopher Luce is now open to the general public, according to Kitty Zurko, the curator and director of The College of Wooster Art Museum. Luce has been collecting Asian art since 1970s. Zurko notes that Luce wanted to share his collection with the campus so that students, faculty and staff could enjoy and experience the intrinsic wonder and beauty of east Asian art. The gallery was funded by the support of The Henry Luce Foundation, Inc. (New York) and an anyomuous donor.
The exhibition is divided into five different sections, spanning four centuries of paintings and calligraphic works from Chinese and Japanese artists. I began my journey in the Sussel Gallery with “Section I: Writing as the Basis of Graphic Art.” As I examined the scrolls of Chinese calligraphy, I instantly realized there was a lot of basic artistic integrity from shapes and strokes of ink to form a character. The characters were delicately drawn, commanding me to carefully study every detail of a line. Of the different styles of characters presented in this section, I was most fascinated with orthodox script style. The Chinese characters were very rounded and did not follow the extremely structured and straight lines that form standard characters. Clearly the artist wrote his characters with fluid and bold movement to define his style of calligraphy.
In “Section II: Writing as Painting,” there was a noticeably harmonious relationship between the Chinese or Japanese words with images of nature. It appeared as if these calligraphic characters gave a final touch to images of nature in a painting. Chinese artist Shao Yan’s piece “Sea” depicts waves of chaos, I was impressed with his use of ink to create the illustrious and destructive movement of the water. Though the painting was composed in 2005, I sense that the dark nature of his work might refer to a conflict within nature or culture.
Once I moved into “Section III: Artistic Techniques and Materials,” I felt that all of the elements of the first two sections solidified together. In a way, it was a nice gesture to remind people how the various styles of Chinese and Japanese calligraphy can seamlessly integrate itself in a painting. “Six Crabs” by Chinese artist Qi Baishi is a perfect example of a painting successfully balanced with calligraphy. Painted in 1945, the depiction and lines of the crabs mimicked the delicacy and simpleness of the poem he wrote on the right side of the painting.
The last two sections in the Burton D. Morgan Gallery primarily carried paintings but still featured the importance of calligraphy in east Asian art. “Section IV: Aesthetic Concepts in Painting” was expansive and thought provoking. It appeared as if the artists were creating calligraphic characters in their work and expanding them to draw from scenes of nature. In “Section V: Religious Inspiration” Japanese artist Nakahara Nantento’s Enso is a beautiful display of an ancient Zen Buddhism symbol of absolute and enlightenment with Japanese characters.
This was a very calming and relaxed visit to the College of Wooster Art Museum for me. When you look at the Chinese and Japanese calligraphy and pair it with some outstanding paintings, you feel connected with the work. There will be more events to highlight the signficiance of this exhibition including a faculty roundtable on Oct. 14, a Gallery Walk on Nov. 10 and a concert in the Sussel Gallery on Dec.1. The exhibition runs until Dec. 5.