Working out my Chinese calligraphy again. Pencil before brush, since I'm so white..:/
Years ago I decided I wanted to learn Chinese. I innocently stumbled into Borders and happened to meet a Chinese friend of mine. When I told him of my plans, he laughed out loud. He said, "Even the Chinese don't know Chinese!"
That has rung in my ears for about ten years now, and I never fail to chuckle when I think of it. From what I've learned, he is correct. However, I HAVE learned a lot of Chinese, learned the background and development of the beautiful characters, can take apart about 3% of the Chinese I see in daily life, and have gained a deep appreciation for this beautiful language. Simply having the basic understanding of the correct way to paint the calligraphy and understanding the beauty of simplicity and perfection in every stroke has made me a fuller person.
So - I have to admit, no, I don't know Chinese at all. But I have been greatly enriched by my studies, and I guess that's all that's really important.
By the way, I draw my characters with a brush. I used to use the bamboo pens, but had a pretty interesting accident with a dirty and very obstinate one, which got rammed up inside my shin resulting in a bad and prolonged walk with staph infection. After that, I shuddered each time I saw a bamboo pen, and finally gave all mine away. Good story, but one for another day.
Years ago I decided I wanted to learn Chinese. I innocently stumbled into Borders and happened to meet a Chinese friend of mine. When I told him of my plans, he laughed out loud. He said, "Even the Chinese don't know Chinese!"
That has rung in my ears for about ten years now, and I never fail to chuckle when I think of it. From what I've learned, he is correct. However, I HAVE learned a lot of Chinese, learned the background and development of the beautiful characters, can take apart about 3% of the Chinese I see in daily life, and have gained a deep appreciation for this beautiful language. Simply having the basic understanding of the correct way to paint the calligraphy and understanding the beauty of simplicity and perfection in every stroke has made me a fuller person.
So - I have to admit, no, I don't know Chinese at all. But I have been greatly enriched by my studies, and I guess that's all that's really important.
By the way, I draw my characters with a brush. I used to use the bamboo pens, but had a pretty interesting accident with a dirty and very obstinate one, which got rammed up inside my shin resulting in a bad and prolonged walk with staph infection. After that, I shuddered each time I saw a bamboo pen, and finally gave all mine away. Good story, but one for another day.
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