Weekly Hornet

Issue date: 10/10/07 Section: Entertainment

Media Credit: LA County Museum of Art [Click to enlarge]

Most of us have been introduced to European art in school. We have heard about the Renaissance and Impressionism, and famous artists such as Picasso, da Vinci, Michelangelo, Monet, Van Gough-these are common, household names. But the majority of us know very little or nothing at all of the art from other countries.

At the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the new exhibit "Japanese Painting: Calligraphy and Image" gives us that chance to educate ourselves on art outside of European art.

Calligraphy is considered the highest form of art in China and Japan. Chinese written characters became a form of art at the end of the Han Dynasty (206 B.C. to 220 A.D.) and later developed in Korea and Japan.

The brushstrokes comprising each letter must follow a precise order to achieve the timeless, traditional beauty of calligraphy. The art in the exhibit is beautiful and delicate; the calligraphy is written on paper posted on a scroll.

The writing is balanced, calming, fluid and soft. The Zen Master Daruma is the subject of a series of scrolls at the exhibit. Daruma was an Indian monk who brought Zen (the Buddhist meditation practice), to China in the sixth century.

On a sky-blue scroll with printed flowers, the artist, Genpo Sohan paints a swirly muted outline of Daruma at the lower portion of the paper and uses calligraphy at the top. Even if you can't read the symbols, the art can still be appreciated for its rhythm, clarity and delicacy.

In a different scroll by Forei Enji, Daruma is represented by an oblong circle symbolizing an experience in the monk's life. A poem to the left says, "After facing the wall, some day, spring of flowers." The poems written in calligraphy give meaning to the designs or scenes on the scroll.

It's not just the calligraphy that is beautiful, but the entire scroll as well. The combination of the delicate fabric of complimentary soft light colors, with the black graceful strokes of each symbol and often, an explanatory picture, creates a fragile, but balanced piece of artwork.

The art looks delicate because of the colors and daintiness of the fabric of the scroll and the crisp paper featuring the calligraphy. The rotunda building featuring the Japanese exhibits allows just the right amount of light in to create a pleasing, soothing atmosphere for viewing the art.

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