Sticking to the law of lettering

At a time when a large number of Taiwan's contemporary calligraphers are relying on bright hues and challenging long-adhered-to guidelines in order to bring new life to the once solely black-and-white art form, their peers in China are taking a less radical route.

Openly flaunting their indignation to many of the rules that govern calligraphy and transforming works into colorful, abstract Dali-esque odysseys, works by local contemporary calligraphers are a stark contrast to those produced in China.

Contemporary calligraphers in China are instead referring to the Bible of calligraphy, the Lanting Preface (蘭亭序) for inspiration.

Penned by Wang Xizhi (王羲之) in the mid-1600s, the Lanting was originally produced with the intention of elevating Wang to a position whereby he would be hailed as China's leading literary giant.

His book did not enjoy the acclaim he expected, however. Instead of hailing it as a literary masterpiece, scholars dismissed much of its contents. Wang's penmanship, however, didn't go unnoticed.

Scholars were soon praising Wang, not for his literary skills, but for his stroke-perfect calligraphy; the style that was to set the standard to which less radical calligraphers have since aspired.

While a recent exhibition in Taipei featuring works by contemporary Taiwanese calligraphers caused conservative heads to look on in horror, the exhibition -- which opens today at the Ho Chuang-shih Calligraphy Foundation (何創時書法藝術基金會) -- is set to appease those offended by the dizzy brush strokes so prominent on the local contemporary scene.

Featuring works by members of the Suzhou-based calligraphy association, the Tsang Lang Society (滄浪書社), the exhibition plots the less reactionary history of contemporary calligraphy in China.

The works are all produced with black ink and all adhere stringently the rules of calligraphy as laid down in Wang's weighty tome. Rules dismissed as out-dated by their local peers.

Members of the Tsang Lang Society don't create random lines on a page, nor do they separate or mold the basic lines, hooks and dots of any characters to suit their whims.

"[The works are] a very different approach to that of many local modern calligraphers," says Gary Ho (何國慶), director of the Ho Chuang-shih Foundation. "The characters are formed perfectly and in keeping with the traditional rules. The works are all very neat and precise, which is more than can be said of much of what passes as calligraphy in Taiwan nowadays."

The way in which the society has attempted to bring the ancient art form into the modern world and managed to keep their works untainted by what some local scholars have been known to refer to as "contemporary clutter," has led to high praise from some of Taiwan's leading calligraphers.

"The society has developed its calligraphy and not veered radically away from the teachings of the great masters of past, which is one of the most endearing factors of any exhibition by the group," states Du Chungao (杜忠誥), professor at Taiwan Normal University. "The calligraphy is pure and uncorrupted."

Formed in 1987, the society is far from China's largest calligraphy society. In fact, it's one of the smallest with only 40 members. Since its founding, however, works by its members have been well received, both at home and abroad.

The group has held successful exhibitions throughout Asia, Europe and North America. The group is now one of the most influential contemporary calligraphy societies in China.