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By Gavin Phipps
STAFF REPORTER
Saturday, Jun 16, 2001, Page 11

The Speck of Dust shows how one traditionalist believes the ancient tradition of calligraphy can be expanded without abandoning fundamentals. PHOTO COURTESY OF HO CHUANG-SHIH CALLIGRAPHY SOCIETY

When curators at the Ho Chuang-shih Calligraphy Society (何創時書法藝術基金會) decided to hold an exhibition of contemporary calligraphy earlier this month, they had no notion that the event would spark an uproar in the local calligraphy community, re-igniting an argument that began 25 years ago. On one side are the traditionalists and on the other the modernists.

The traditionalists claim works that contain unrecognizable characters should not be classified as calligraphy. Such works should instead be described as abstract or calligraphy-influenced art. The modernists on the other hand argue that the rules the traditionalists abide by are outdated and should be reformulated in order to make calligraphy relevant to today's society.

Some of those responsible for challenging traditional calligraphic norms are members of Taiwan's only avant-garde calligraphy group, the Mochao or Ink Tide Society (墨潮會). Formed in 1976, the society's aim was to explore new avenues in calligraphy -- avenues that founding members such as Hsu Yung-chin (徐永進) considered suited to the 20th century.

Wei An Fu, an example of the extremely abstract style practiced by calligrapher Hsu Yung-chin, which has purists up in arms. PHOTO COURTESY OF HSU YUNG-CHIN

The Ink Tide Society conveyed its message by incorporating calligraphy into installation art, turning characters upside down and inside out or writing in a variety of colors. The group's work was often so radical and contrary to calligraphic norms that many galleries remained apprehensive of exhibiting their works until the early 1990s.

Hsu Yung-chin in his studio. PHOTO COURTESY OF HSU YUNG-CHIN

"Many called it a betrayal of tradition. The traditionalists and critics who were brought up to believe that calligraphy can only be presented in one particular pattern were outraged," says Yang Tse-yun (楊子雲), a member of the society since 1991.

"Of course, they had to be careful what they said, as the people they were criticizing to weren't unqualified. All the members [of the Ink Tide Society] were teaching art and traditional calligraphy full-time and were well known in the calligraphy community," Yang said, pointing out that the group was simply creating works that "were beyond the imagination of those calligraphers who persisted in following tradition."

Experimentation within the art of calligraphy is by no means new. During the 1940s, Japanese calligrapher Ueda Kuwabapo (上田桑鳩) began experimenting by representing "kanji" -- the Chinese characters used in Japanese script -- in non-standard forms. Color was added and traditional stroke patterns were ignored. Although initially there was an outcry against his tampering with tradition, by the early 1960s, Ueda's works were highly regarded.

The acceptance of non-traditional calligraphy has taken longer in Taiwan. Works by contemporary calligraphers are closely scrutinized by conservatives, who want to ensure that calligraphy does not veer away from tradition.

Even before the current exhibition in Taipei opened, traditionalists and modernists had exchanged heated words. A work entitled Wei An Fu (慰安婦, The comfort women), by Hsu, so enraged the traditionalists that the artist was asked to re-submit the work with specific changes. (The work finally accepted is pictured on the right.)

"The traditionalists called it a painting. They said the three characters `wei' (慰), `an' (安) and `fu' (婦) had no recognizable form and all I had done was to paint abstract nudes," explains Hsu.

"The excuse they gave as to why I had to re-do the work was rubbish. The rules as to what is and what isn't calligraphy are not written in stone; they are written by the traditionalists who are set in their ways and will never change. We are trying to bring calligraphy into the present day ... [We want to] make it accessible to the younger generations of people who haven't been taught about calligraphy, but who should still be able to enjoy it."

Making calligraphy more accessible to younger generations is also important to traditionalists. This is one point -- probably the only point -- on which the two camps agree, although they are poles apart on how this should be achieved.

"It was a nude. He tried to use the characters to create a nude and call it calligraphy," states Fu Shen (傅申), a professor at the Graduate Institute of Art History at National Taiwan University (國立台灣大學) when asked why he vetoed the admission of Hsu's original Wei An Fu.

"It wasn't calligraphy; it was an abstract painting. We've said that for a work to be called calligraphy it must contain readable characters and be two-dimensional. These rules are very clear, and Hsu broke them knowingly. I mean, when you're asked to play basketball you don't kick the ball. So why did he paint a picture?"

Hsu is adamant, however, that the work was never a painting. The fault, according to Hsu, lies with those who can't see the whole picture, rather than with him or his work.

"It boils down to the fact that after 25 years our group and the work we do has been noticed, and people are taking an interest. Which is more than can be said of traditional calligraphy. Okay, it is still very popular, but it has stagnated. It isn't going anywhere. It isn't changing with the times," said Hsu. "I created the Wei An Fu piece to be topical and up to date. What happens? A group of traditionalists who have no idea what contemporary calligraphy is come along and criticize it. They don't understand what we are trying to do with calligraphy. We've never criticized the art of calligraphy; we've simply been developing the content and the way it is presented."

All the same, Hsu resubmitted the work in a form that was acceptable to the exhibition's selection panel.

While remaining staunchly critical of contemporary calligraphy, Fu Shen believes that there is scope for development for the ancient art that does not transgress the basic rules of traditional calligraphy.

"There's nothing wrong with going beyond tradition. But you have to follow the rules. There's certainly nothing wrong with abstract works. Art is art after all. But such art is not [necessarily] calligraphy," explains Fu.

In 1999, Fu created his own contemporary piece. Titled The Speck of Dust (塵網中), he believes the work shows how contemporary calligraphy can be both visually innovative and still encapsulate the stylistic underpinnings of traditional calligraphy.

"I chose to use characters from a poem written by Tao Yuan-ming (陶淵明). The characters are based on styles employed during the Chin Dynasty (晉, 365-420AD), but by presenting them as boldly as I have, the work looks very contemporary," states Fu. "It proves that calligraphers can still look to tradition for ideas and inspiration and still create a calligraphic work that is both recognizable and strikingly different."

Another avenue being explored by contemporary calligraphers is the incorporation of social or political criticism into their works. Two recent pieces by Ink Tide-member Lien Te-sen (連德森), Fo (佛) and Two Nations Two Systems (貳國二制), not only contain rather sharp political messages, but have also been created out of mediums other than ink, taking the works even further away from conventional calligraphic practice.

But according to Fu, while these works do take calligraphy to extremes, neither of them breaks any of the calligraphic rules adhered to by the traditionalists. The mediums might not be traditional -- Fo was created using plaster molded into the form of rose petals and Two Nations Two Systems with plastic topped pins -- but the characters are recognizable and the works both follow lines of traditional presentation.

Of course, not all works created from mediums other than ink can be called calligraphy. Hsu will be the first to admit that it will be some time before the traditionalists will allow that a piece he created in 1994 using a long piece of red cotton spread across a field constitutes calligraphy.

While the traditionalists and modernists will, no doubt, continue to disagree on calligraphic matters, the future of calligraphy looks set to be both colorful and distinctive as both sides push the ancient art to its limits and beyond.

Art Notes:
What: 25th anniversary exhibition of the Ink Tide Society (墨潮創會二十五週年新世紀大展)
Where: Ho Chuang-shih Calligraphy Society (何創時書法藝術基金會), 222 Jinshan S. Rd., Sec. 2, Taipei (北市金山南路二段222號), tel: (02) 2393-9899
When: Until June 24
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