Self-Cultivation with Brushes: From the Perspective of Graphocentrism

Abstract

Calligraphy is, of all Chinese traditional arts, a most fascinating and delicate form that incorporates painting, writing, and seal carving. Through Chinese history, calligraphy symbolises beauty and authority. Emperors in ancient times and rulers of modern era manifest their superiority by writing calligraphy. For members of the literati class, calligraphy does not only represent the power of cultural tradition, but also the beauty of art. More importantly, the practice of calligraphy is taken as a unique way of self-cultivation in morality. The persisting exercise of writing is a way of ethical cultivation of heart and mind. Mastery of calligraphy is an essential part of education of the Confucian educated man, junzi. In what sense is the Chinese way of writing understood as more than a medium that communicates the writer’s thought and emotions? How does the process of writing work to raise a moral and virtuous junzi? What are the possibilities and problems of writing calligraphy as a particular way of cultivation and perfection of the self? This chapter examines the Chinese classical texts on writing calligraphy as a form of self-cultivation from the perspective of graphocentrism. “Graphocentrism” is understood by Ruyu Hung as the notion underpinning Chinese worldview that prioritises writing over speech. On the basis of graphocentrism, the written word is endowed with magical power and is able to affect the natural and the supernatural worlds. The author discusses the holistic view by explicating the traditional discourse on calligraphy. She reveals the problem of oversimplification for mistaking aesthetic evaluations for moral judgments. Moreover, the Confucian tradition may be insufficient in explicating the lacuna between aesthetics and morality. The insights gained from studying Daoism are introduced by the Ruyu Hung attempting to bridge the gap.