What is art? Mr. Chen Fang's definition is: a beauty that is unpredictable yet is still restricted by the laws of the aesthetics. In his lecture at UIC on Nov. 29, 2007, Mr. Chen, one the grandmasters of Chinese calligraphy and painting, demonstrated his definition of art to UIC students with his "magic brush".
Mr. Chen Fang (Left) and Prof. Kwok Siu Tong of UIC (Right)
The secret of a masterpiece of Chinese painting lies in the disposition of the tones of ink, said Mr. Chen. He painted an old pine and the rock to help students understand the idea, using only a brush, black ink and a cup of water. The integration of water and ink produced numerous varieties under Mr. Chen's brush. Just a few strokes, a simple and natural picture appeared on the paper.
A masterpiece is a compromise of contradictions - it has so many possibilities yet it never breaks the principles of beauty, said Mr. Chen, further exploring the essence of Chinese fine arts. He described Chinese calligraphy as the "visible music" - time and speed are presented by strokes. He also said that the charm of a good piece of calligraphy should not exhaust quickly, but lingers on and gives out slowly. To show what he meant, he sang a piece of Cantonese Opera. The natural cadence of his singing conveyed a contained flow of charm, which he said was similar to the charm of calligraphy.
As an artist and an expert of Qigong, Mr. Chen emphasized on the unity of vigor, Qi and spirit when working on Chinese calligraphy. With a special technique, Mr. Chen can easily produce powerful calligraphy works on a piece of floating paper.
How to become a grandmaster
Mr. Chen showed a talent in painting and calligraphy in his early childhood. He started to paint when he was about four years' old and won a special prize in a children's painting contest at the age of eight. Life became harder during the Cultural Revolution, but he didn't give up his pursuit in painting and calligraphy. It was difficult to find in the construction site he worked. He had to practice with cement sacks hanging on the wall - that was how he developed his special calligraphy technique.
"Stick it out and practice more, that's how grandmasters become who they are." Mr. Chen said.
Mr. Chen was teaching students Qigong.
Student Journalist： Zhang Yuan
Photo Journalist: Chen Mengxing
Editor: Cheryl Chen/ Christy Zhao
Media and Communication Center
