- Key People:
- Kim Chŏng-hui
- An Chung-sik
- Hŏ Ryŏn
- Related Topics:
- calligraphy
- Korea
- ch’usa
Korean calligraphy
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What is Korean calligraphy?
Korean calligraphy is the Korean art of beautiful writing that was derived from Chinese calligraphy. Koreans have used Chinese characters since around the 2nd or 3rd century CE. Even after Hangul was invented in 1447, Chinese was the official script until the 19th century.
Ancient Koreans adopted Chinese culture and developed a calligraphy that reflected Chinese styles. During the Unified Silla dynasty (668–935), devotion to Tang culture in China led to the emergence of great Korean calligraphy masters like Kim Saing and Choi Ch’i-wŏn.
Calligraphy is an important element in transmitting cultural values in East Asia.
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What materials are used in Korean calligraphy?
Korean calligraphy, derived from Chinese calligraphy, involves specific materials. Traditionally, Koreans used Chinese characters since the 2nd or 3rd century CE, even after Hangul's invention in 1447.
Essential materials include an inkstone, a stone used for mixing dry ink with water.
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What writing systems are used in Korean calligraphy?
Korean calligraphy employs various writing systems, each with unique characteristics. Initially, Chinese characters were adopted, reflecting Chinese calligraphic styles. Even after the creation of Hangul in 1447, Chinese remained the official script until the 19th century.
Hangul, a featural writing system that groups syllables into blocks, represents the phonemes of the Korean language by using lines and signs that indicate the articulation involved in speech. Modern Korean calligraphy has been influenced by the governmental decision to replace Chinese characters with Hangul.
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How is Korean calligraphy different from Chinese or Japanese calligraphy?
Korean calligraphy is derived from Chinese calligraphy, with Koreans using Chinese characters from as early as the 2nd or 3rd century CE. Ancient Koreans adopted Chinese culture, mirroring Chinese styles in their calligraphy. During the Unified Silla dynasty (668–935), masters like Kim Saing and Choi Ch'i-wŏn emulated Chinese calligraphers such as Ouyang Xun and Yu Shinan.
Individual styles began to emerge in the 19th century because of Korea’s close cultural contacts with Qing China. Kim Ch'ŏng Hi, the greatest master of the Chosŏn period, established the unique ch'usa style derived from China’s lishu script.
Japanese calligraphy also has roots in Chinese writing. The Japanese began using Chinese words (kanji) around the 4th century CE. Eventually, kanji became the official writing system in Japan. Japanese thinkers then created hiragana, a native script often used in poetry.
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What are some common styles in Korean calligraphy?
Korean calligraphy evolved from Chinese calligraphy and has been used in Korea since around the 2nd or 3rd century CE. Even after the invention of Hangul in 1447, Chinese was the official script until the 19th century.
During the Unified Silla dynasty (668–935), Korean calligraphers mirrored Chinese styles, with masters like Kim Saing and Choi Ch'i-wŏn following the styles of Chinese calligraphers Ouyang Xun and Yu Shinan. The angular style of Ouyang Xun, Yu Shinan, and Yan Zhenqing continued into the Koryŏ period (918–1392), until the rounded style of Zhao Mengfu became popular around 1350 and has been a basic style in Korean calligraphy since.
In the Chosŏn dynasty (1392–1910), the zhao style was followed, but in the 16th century, a mannered style emerged. In the 19th century, individual styles began to appear because of close cultural ties with Qing China. Kim Chŏng Hi, the greatest master of the Chosŏn period, created the ch'usa style from the lishu script of China, characterized by pictorial composition, harmony within asymmetry, and forceful strokes.
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How has Korean calligraphy influenced Korean art and culture?
Korean calligraphy, derived from Chinese calligraphy, is the Korean art of beautiful writing. Ancient Koreans adopted Chinese culture, developing calligraphy reflecting Chinese styles. Even after Hangul was invented in 1447, Chinese was the official script until the 19th century.
Individual styles began to emerge in the 19th century because of Korea’s close cultural contacts with China. Kim Ch’ǒng Hi, the greatest master of the Chosǒn period, established the unique ch’usa style.
Since World War II, Korean calligraphy has been influenced by governmental decisions to replace Chinese characters with the native alphabet, which has led to new developments in modern Korean calligraphy. Calligraphy is one of many fine and decorative visual arts produced by the peoples of Korea.
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Korean calligraphy, the Korean art of beautiful writing as it was derived from Chinese calligraphy.
Koreans have used Chinese characters probably since the 2nd or 3rd century ce. Even after the invention of Hangul in 1447, Chinese was used as the official script until the 19th century.
A few inscribed stone monuments remain from the Three Kingdoms period (c. 57 bce–668 ce). Ancient Koreans, eager to adopt Chinese culture, developed a calligraphy reflecting Chinese styles. In the following Unified Silla dynasty (668–935), a devotion and adherence to the Tang culture of China gave birth to such great masters of calligraphy in Korea as Kim Saing and Choi Ch’i-wŏn, whose styles of writing basically followed those of the Chinese calligraphers Ouyang Xun and Yu Shinan.
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The angular, squarish style of Ouyang Xun, Yu Shinan, and Yan Zhenqing, inherited from the Silla dynasty, continued in the Koryŏ period (918–1392) until roughly 1350, when the rounded, fluent style of the Chinese calligrapher Zhao Mengfu, of the Yuan dynasty, was introduced and became the vogue. Since that time the zhao style has remained the basic undercurrent in Korean calligraphy.
At first the calligraphy of the Chosŏn dynasty (1392–1910) followed the zhao style, but early in the 16th century a mannered, vulgar style began to be evident. Individual styles as seen in Chinese calligraphy began to emerge in the 19th century as a result of Korea’s close cultural contacts with Qing China.
The greatest master of the Chosŏn period was Kim Chŏng Hi, who established the so-called ch’usa style. His calligraphy is derived from the lishu script of China, but his sense of pictorial composition, harmony within asymmetry, and animation by unmatched, forceful strokes made his style unique.
The influence of Japanese calligraphy began to be felt about 1920. Since World War II, calligraphy in both North and South Korea has been profoundly influenced by governmental decisions to replace all Chinese characters with words written in the native alphabet. As a consequence, modern Korean calligraphy has developed along new lines.
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