Breaths in Ink: Japanese Calligraphy aims to showcase a broad aesthetic and conceptual spectrum highlighting the deep connection between the visual and the written. This exhibition presents for the first time a selection of calligraphic works from the Terry Welch Japanese Art Collection from Museo Kaluz. The exhibition includes pieces dating from the 18th to the 20th century, featuring works by prominent figures such as statesmen, Confucian scholars, poets, Buddhist monks, calligraphers, and painters.

Historically, calligraphy has been regarded as one of the highest forms of artistic expression in East Asian visual culture. Beyond its function as a written medium, there exists a profound aesthetic symbiosis between text and image. Through brushstrokes and visual composition, not only is a message conveyed, but expressive nuances and personal traits of the calligraphers are also revealed.

The exhibition offers insight into the dual nature of this discipline, where text and image merge in a single gesture. It introduces representative styles, their historical evolution, and their role as a medium for individual expression, as well as the connections between calligraphy and painting.

Japanese calligraphy is thought in motion. Each stroke contains intention, rhythm, and spirit. This exhibition invites the viewer to pause, observe, and be carried away by the energy contained in every gesture.

This exhibition offers different levels of interpretation. Here are some ways you can explore the galleries:

Is it more important to understand or to feel?
Let yourself be carried away by the brushstrokes and enjoy beyond the meaning. The artists explored the possibilities of calligraphic abstraction and the visual value of ink on paper. When aesthetically appreciating calligraphy, it's essential to consider aspects such as balance, proportion, movement, harmony, and the expressive character of each brushstroke.

Do you think each artist’s personal style influences their calligraphy?
The QR codes in the galleries provide additional information.

Look at these two pieces: What differences do you notice between them?

In the example on the left is executed in semi-cursive style, while the piece on the right features the cursive style. Each reflects a distinct personality, and variations in ink application contribute to different expressive intentions.

Notice how each artist imprints their own style through the strokes, use of ink, gesture, and abstraction.

Gallery Guide

Here we see the ideogram for “dragon” 龍 in the six different historical calligraphic styles

Side A

1. Oracle-bone script

2. Seal script (featured in the exhibition)

3. Clerical script

4. Cursive script (featured in the exhibition)

5. Semi-cursive script (featured in the exhibition)

6. Standard script
   
   

Historical Calligraphic Styles:

1. Oracle-bone Script 甲骨文:
   Pictographic inscriptions carved on bones and turtle shells used for divinatory purposes.

2. Seal Script 篆书:
   Characterized by its rounded and intricate forms, it was used in ancient inscriptions and official seals.

3. Clerical Script 隸書:
   Faster and simpler, with straighter, more formal lines; used in official documents.

4. Cursive Script 草書:
   The most informal and rapid style, featuring connected strokes and abbreviations; used in letters and personal notes.

5. Semi-Cursive Script 行書:
   A blend of regular and cursive scripts, with fluid strokes and a more personal style; often used in artistic calligraphy.

6. Standard Script 楷書:
   Widely used style known for its readability and clarity; the most common style for printing and formal writing.
   

Side B

Here we see different personal styles through the ideogram “nothing” 無

Calligraphy offers many forms of artistic expression. Although these images feature the same ideogram with an identical meaning, each author’s personal style can be appreciated through their use of ink, brushwork, gesture, and abstraction.