Ink studies : everyday practices of calligraphy in contemporary China / Laura Vermeeren.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Vermeeren, Laura, 1983- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Calligraphy, Chinese--China.

Calligraphy, Chinese.

Physical Description:

xxi, 213 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Singapore : NUS Press, [2025]

Summary:

"Ink Studies explores contemporary practices of calligraphy in China, situating them in both a precarious and dynamic position. While people are increasingly writing less due to digitization, calligraphy is experiencing a revival partly fueled by governmental directives that promote "creativity" as a powerful discourse contributing to economic development. This book unravels intertwined imaginations of contemporary calligraphy in five different visual cultural fields in China today: calligraphy education, water calligraphy in public parks, modern calligraphic art, digital calligraphy and calligraphic font design. The various visual representations of the calligraphic sign within these fields are approached as active agents, demanding various physical and moral behaviors from practitioners. While calligraphy and creativity are often pitted against each other, as the nature of calligraphy is sustained through a culture of copying, the book challenges the perception of calligraphy as a static art, arguing instead for its creative potential in both formal and grassroots contexts."--Back cover.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 187-199) and index.

ISBN:

9789813252974

9813252979

OCLC:

1558501868

Publisher Number:

90103963049