April 24, 2017. Monday we said goodbye to our Calligraphy Teacher, who also teaches politics, Mr. Yu Aosen. We discovered Calligraphy – more than “beautiful” writing in China In China calligraphy is a valued art form of self-expression and a sign of refinement. As a matter of fact how a person writes holds more value than what that person wrote. During the Han dynasty the basic materials were combined that are still used today; brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. The flexible brush is made from a bundle of animal hair from black rabbit, white goat, or yellow weasel. The hairs are cut to different lengths and sizes and taper to a point. The shaft is most often made from wood. The ink is made from a sooty residue left behind after pine resin is burned. This is called lampblack and is combined with glue and hardened into a cake; however, modern day ink bottles are the most convenient way to practice calligraphy – especially for novices like us! Many of the characters on the Chinese language have a long history dating back to the invention of paper in 105 B.C. For example the character for horse, sun, and moon began as pictograms, which were modified over time into elegant strokes of the brush. The SHS students practiced the art of calligraphy with patience and poise. Each two hour session left us all a bit drained and filled with awe at the power and concentration necessary to produce this elegant language art.
1 Comment
Yvette Nau
4/30/2017 11:31:04 am
Ms. Balcher- when are you going to be coming back to the US? I forgot the date.... :)
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AuthorFortunate veteran teacher in Sharon, Massachusetts, who is traveling with the Chinese Exchange students from Sharon High to Xi'an, China. Archives
May 2017
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