Calligraphy exhibition marks pioneers in education of formal writing

Road to Calligraphy Education reviews efforts throughout six decades to integrate calligraphy into the curriculum of higher education. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Sensing a highly-likely lack of practitioners of classic calligraphy, a department dedicated to calligraphy and seal art was established at prestigious China Academy of Art, in Hangzhou of Zhejiang province, in 1963. Initiated by prominent artists and educators including Pan Tianshou, Lu Weizhao and Sha Menghai, the department was then the first of its kind in the country to cultivate human resources of calligraphy and to pass on this tradition of writing as an embodiment of cultural accumulations and philosophical views.

Since then, more similar schools have been founded at universities, art academies and colleges. To mark this collective endeavor over 60 years, China Academy of Art has mounted an exhibition, Road to Calligraphy Education, held at the National Art Museum of China through to July 18.

Works of calligraphy, rubbing and seal engraving, as well as photos, documents and videos, are on show. It is to celebrate the role of calligraphy not only as a piece of art standing alone but also, a channel of higher education to integrate the studies of classic texts, Chinese history and philosophy into a whole.

A piece by Pan Tianshou, former dean of China Academy of Art. [Photo provided to China Daily]

A piece by Lu Weizhao, founding director of China Academy of Art's calligraphy department. [Photo provided to China Daily]

A photo of 1980 shows eminent artist Sha Menghai lecturing graduate students at China Academy of Art. [Photo provided to China Daily]

An undated photo shows Lu Weizhao practiced calligraphy for Japanese visitors. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Road to Calligraphy Education reviews efforts throughout six decades to integrate calligraphy into the curriculum of higher education. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Road to Calligraphy Education reviews efforts throughout six decades to integrate calligraphy into the curriculum of higher education. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Road to Calligraphy Education reviews efforts throughout six decades to integrate calligraphy into the curriculum of higher education. [Photo provided to China Daily]