My own involvement in this special art has a haunting and evasive, sometimes very simple, undertone. Haunting because it is part of my mental life that includes much that is beyond or not part of everyday rational habits. It is more than an exotic Asian mystery and philosophy felt as a special mystique by many Westerners, and it is more than skilled performance, more than a craft, and more than simple language in the service of its content. The complex and special Chinese characters, … [Read more...]
A Sunday Drive with Saburo Hasegawa, an Asian American Pioneer of Abstract Calligraphy
Beyond Calligraphy is a provocative name and a challenging concept. To Westerners first or casually encountering it, calligraphy seems impenetrable if not alienating. To get 'beyond it' seems pretentious if not impossible. Still, since I've been involved with it for nearly 60 years, I can offer a few thoughts and maybe some images by way of introducing myself. Narrowly, of course, calligraphy is 'beautiful' writing, and Asian calligraphy is brush writing on paper in ink. 'Beyond' would … [Read more...]