No rubbish
Traditional calligraphy can be divided into four styles of script: regular (kaishu), semi-cursive (xingshu), clerical (lishu), and cursive (caoshu). But Chen often employs different styles of brushwork. Sometimes he will use a giant stroke that almost obliterates the paper, creating the effect of a totally unrestrained line; sometimes he leaves aside the traditional black and employs different colors. Most importantly, his work is highly figurative, revealing directly what he feels about the words and the images they depict.
Since winning second prize at the Art Exhibition of Central Taiwan in 1992, Chen has held around 20 solo exhibitions, including overseas shows in Japan, Canada, France and Hungary. His book Works of Rigor, published in 2002, brings together more than 70 of his creative works from the past. Each work has its own story.
The two characters on the book’s cover—he (何) and qiu (求), which when read as a phrase imply that one should not demand too much—tell a story. The idea came from chats with his 100-year-old neighbor. The old man’s view of life—in which he remains unruffled by the world’s events—and the image of him supported by a walking stick inspired Chen’s creation. The two characters in the work create the image of a long arm, a walking stick, and an old man with a hunchback. The final stroke of the character he implies that the old man’s elongated arm is reaching for the stick. The four dots of qiu reveal the footsteps that the old man has created walking through the past century. The old man is walking forward slowly: his perspective on life is clear—he’s cool!
Art from life
Chen set up his Wangzhai Calligraphy Studio in Kaohsiung five years ago, and tends to spend a lot of his time developing teaching methods that will stimulate children’s interest.
“This is a new approach, starting from learning about the land. The concept is similar to that used in fine arts in which feelings for the environment are captured and converted into art. The characters you write also come from real life: if you live close to a hillside, then you employ the related vocabulary; if you are close to the beach, you might choose words that depict the lines of rocks along the seaside; always following the lines of the land.
Chinese calligraphy is a very ancient art. In the past, aesthetic values were determined by the elite, but today we needn’t get stuck in that same groove. We can and must open our minds to a new perspective on calligraphy—one that expresses real feelings; today’s feelings.
Chen believes that art is created from the relationship that exists between us, the creators of art, and nature. Sparrows jumping, eagles soaring, or even bamboo blown by the breeze—all demonstrate a different dynamic. Calligraphy cannot remain confined to and limited by the tradition. Calligraphic work should convey feeling—through brushstrokes and lines. It has the power to transform the cumulative emotions experienced in life, aesthetics, and art into stories portrayed in ink, with the hope that all different ages will be able to appreciate the beauty of this very ancient art.