IAMA Art Museum in San Francisco About Chinese Calligraphy Throughout history, no art form is able to reflect a person’s moral character and knowledge except for Chinese calligraphy. The aura created by a person’s achievements in a field of study or his creations of art can often cover up his deficiencies in knowledge and character. But that is not the case in Chinese calligraphy, which is like a three-dimensional projecting mirror. The depth of one’s knowledge, the level of one’s moral character, and the strength of one’s mind are revealed through the brushstrokes and they cannot be concealed. How one writes ordinarily in Chinese characters tells how well educated one is. It is all the more true in terms of calligraphy using the traditional brush pen and cotton paper. Looking at Chinese history, we see without exception that all the famous calligraphers were great masters of literature who had profound knowledge. Examples include Wang Xizhi, Huai Su, He Shaoji, Yue Fei, Yu Youren...
