Handwriting was thought to reflect one's personality in the East Asian tradition, but not in the sense of Western graphology or "handwriting analysis." Rather, through copying of revered models and through creative innovation, handwriting style conveyed one's literary education, cultural refinement, and carefully nurtured aesthetic sensibilities. Showcasing more than 80 masterworks of brush-inscribed Japanese characters-some serving as independent works of art and others enhanced by decorated papers or by paintings-the exhibition Brush Writing in the Arts of Japan takes a close look at the original gestural movement marked in each work, by analyzing the applied pressure, speed, and rhythm that are said to be the reflection of the artist's state of mind. The works on view, dating from the 11th century to the present, demonstrates that beauty was often the supreme motive in the rendering of Japanese religious or literary texts, even at the expense of legibility. These works are complemented by some 100 ceramics, textiles, lacquers, woodblock prints, and illustrated books that are closely related to the art of brush writing.
Videos