Chu Chen Nan: Breath and Brushstrokes: Calligraphy Art Exhibition
Chu Chen Nan is a Taiwanese calligrapher known for his skill in calligraphy and ink-wash paintings. His calligraphy works not only show his understanding of life from Eastern aesthetics but also incorporate innovative artistic concepts to create an expressive artistic style that has made him one of the figures in Taiwan鈥檚 contemporary art. The calligraphy of Chu is rooted in tradition. With the seal and clerical scripts as his base, and the cursive script as his melody, he seeks the essence of calligraphy artists through the ages to bring the spirit, form, and composition of Chinese writing to life on paper. He studied classical calligraphy and made new interpretations through repeated practice to develop his own style. To Chu, the brush techniques, strokes, and ideas of the ancients were more than just a treasure trove to be explored; they were also a responsibility and legacy that must be passed on.
Art holds a mirror up to life. It is also a distillation of life. Its methods of expression are the result of many internal factors including the creator鈥檚 personal experience, character, mood, state of mind, and creative circumstances. Chu believes wholeheartedly that calligraphy and painting share a common source. He emphasizes the texture, dynamism, forcefulness, and aesthetics of calligraphic lines. For him, writing is an act of meditation and the projection of a philosophical state of mind. The brush forms silent lines imbued with the harmonious melodies of musical stanzas to record a response to life. It also serves as a frank expression of inner and spatial consciousness. The theme of this exhibition has been the focus of Chu鈥檚 calligraphic explorations in recent years. It also serves as a tribute to his mother鈥檚 advice, 鈥淒o everything early in life, except for dying,鈥� which has been a continual source of motivation throughout his artistic career.
The Breath and Brushstrokes: Chu Chen Nan Calligraphy Art Exhibition features almost sixty calligraphy artworks by Chu. It is divided into five sections: 鈥淪ong of the Airport鈥�, 鈥淪cattered Glimpses of Beauty鈥�, 鈥淟ayered Rhythms of the Moment鈥�, 鈥淭he One Who Writes the Present鈥� and 鈥淭he One Who Captures Space in Writing鈥� The exhibition seeks how lines that are the essence of calligraphy can present the pioneering, nature, inventiveness, and contemporariness of the artist. This is because people are now reading calligraphy or comprehending calligraphic arts from a different perspective. The old emphasis on elegance of writing style and reproduction of classic poetry is no longer enough to satisfy the pursuit of novelty in derivative visual arts. Contemporary artistic thought also means that innovations in calligraphy must be based on a dynamic clash of sensibilities that not only venture beyond the norms of traditional calligraphy but also reinterpret the very nature of calligraphy itself.
At the same time, the transition of Eastern calligraphy from its traditional form into contemporary calligraphy arts can be explained through the concept of 鈥淐hange of Mood" proposed by art historian E. H. Gombrich (1909-2001). The 鈥渃ross-disciplinary鈥� artworks in this exhibition themselves embody this challenge and acceptance of norms, flashes of mood and contemplation, the capture and solidification of emotions, as well as the spatial loads and tensions between the bound layers. The in-depth exploration of culture demonstrated the mutual dependence between the traditional and contemporary. The artworks seem at first glance to be a rebellion against tradition but are in fact, infused with cultural concern and stability. The use of expansive spaces strives to meld the artwork with specific installations so that the audience and fully appreciate how this exhibition is imbued with Eastern ideas of 鈥淯nity of heaven and human鈥� and 鈥淔ollowing the path of Nature鈥�, as well as the message that 鈥淐alligraphy is a work of heart.鈥�
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Chu Chen Nan is a Taiwanese calligrapher known for his skill in calligraphy and ink-wash paintings. His calligraphy works not only show his understanding of life from Eastern aesthetics but also incorporate innovative artistic concepts to create an expressive artistic style that has made him one of the figures in Taiwan鈥檚 contemporary art. The calligraphy of Chu is rooted in tradition. With the seal and clerical scripts as his base, and the cursive script as his melody, he seeks the essence of calligraphy artists through the ages to bring the spirit, form, and composition of Chinese writing to life on paper. He studied classical calligraphy and made new interpretations through repeated practice to develop his own style. To Chu, the brush techniques, strokes, and ideas of the ancients were more than just a treasure trove to be explored; they were also a responsibility and legacy that must be passed on.
Art holds a mirror up to life. It is also a distillation of life. Its methods of expression are the result of many internal factors including the creator鈥檚 personal experience, character, mood, state of mind, and creative circumstances. Chu believes wholeheartedly that calligraphy and painting share a common source. He emphasizes the texture, dynamism, forcefulness, and aesthetics of calligraphic lines. For him, writing is an act of meditation and the projection of a philosophical state of mind. The brush forms silent lines imbued with the harmonious melodies of musical stanzas to record a response to life. It also serves as a frank expression of inner and spatial consciousness. The theme of this exhibition has been the focus of Chu鈥檚 calligraphic explorations in recent years. It also serves as a tribute to his mother鈥檚 advice, 鈥淒o everything early in life, except for dying,鈥� which has been a continual source of motivation throughout his artistic career.
The Breath and Brushstrokes: Chu Chen Nan Calligraphy Art Exhibition features almost sixty calligraphy artworks by Chu. It is divided into five sections: 鈥淪ong of the Airport鈥�, 鈥淪cattered Glimpses of Beauty鈥�, 鈥淟ayered Rhythms of the Moment鈥�, 鈥淭he One Who Writes the Present鈥� and 鈥淭he One Who Captures Space in Writing鈥� The exhibition seeks how lines that are the essence of calligraphy can present the pioneering, nature, inventiveness, and contemporariness of the artist. This is because people are now reading calligraphy or comprehending calligraphic arts from a different perspective. The old emphasis on elegance of writing style and reproduction of classic poetry is no longer enough to satisfy the pursuit of novelty in derivative visual arts. Contemporary artistic thought also means that innovations in calligraphy must be based on a dynamic clash of sensibilities that not only venture beyond the norms of traditional calligraphy but also reinterpret the very nature of calligraphy itself.
At the same time, the transition of Eastern calligraphy from its traditional form into contemporary calligraphy arts can be explained through the concept of 鈥淐hange of Mood" proposed by art historian E. H. Gombrich (1909-2001). The 鈥渃ross-disciplinary鈥� artworks in this exhibition themselves embody this challenge and acceptance of norms, flashes of mood and contemplation, the capture and solidification of emotions, as well as the spatial loads and tensions between the bound layers. The in-depth exploration of culture demonstrated the mutual dependence between the traditional and contemporary. The artworks seem at first glance to be a rebellion against tradition but are in fact, infused with cultural concern and stability. The use of expansive spaces strives to meld the artwork with specific installations so that the audience and fully appreciate how this exhibition is imbued with Eastern ideas of 鈥淯nity of heaven and human鈥� and 鈥淔ollowing the path of Nature鈥�, as well as the message that 鈥淐alligraphy is a work of heart.鈥�
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