Author:

Size:Length:203 x Width:19.5 (cm)

Size description：203×19.5

Introduction：Huang Chin-ling (1940–) was born in Lukang Township, Changhua County. His courtesy name and sobriquet are Yao-kuang and Chu-shih, respectively; his literary name is I-teng. In 1960 he became a student of Tsao Chiu-pu for calligraphy. In 1980 he received the Chung Shan Literature and Arts Award. He has served as juror for the Nan-ying Awards, the Kuang-hsi Awards, the Ministry of Education Literary and Arts Creation Awards, the Ministry of Transportation Fine Arts Exhibition, and the Taiwan Provincial Fine Arts Exhibition, among others. In 1988 he was invited by the National Museum of History to hold a solo exhibition; in 2002 he held a solo exhibition at the National Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall; and in 1996 he participated in the first East-West Cultural Comparison invitational exhibition, "Script Art and Calligraphy," at the Austrian Arts Festival. His published works include "The Contemplation of Calligraphy and Chan," "The Sound of Brahma,", "Ink Affinities," "The Chan Heart of Calligraphy," "A Collection of Mountain Wind and Moon (calligraphy, painting, and poetry)," "Explorations in Scriptural Art," and "The Thousand-Character Classic in Seven Scripts." He is recognized as a leading contemporary calligrapher in Taiwan.

This work takes the form of a twelve-character couplet reading: "To follow the middle way, honor the classics, and revive the spirit of the age, first preserve the national essence; to nurture virtue and establish education, open the people's minds while attending to their hearts." The "middle way" referred to in the upper panel is a Buddhist concept—the path of the mean advocated by the Buddha Shakyamuni, removed from the extremes of existence and non-existence, suffering and pleasure, arising and ceasing. The couplet calls for revering classical texts in order to promote the national heritage, and for emphasizing education to enlighten and cultivate the hearts and minds of the people. Though the phrasing is concise, its meaning is profound, conveying the ideals of Confucianism and Buddhism and their power to guide human character.

Huang's calligraphy is deeply grounded in traditional learning, and consistently infused with creative inspiration. His extensive engagement with Chan thought often leads him to approach calligraphy through the lens of Chan principles, channeling his Chan practice into the act of creation and deepening the expressive subtlety of his brushwork. This work is a clerical script couplet in matched upper and lower panels; the brushwork is upright and meticulous, the character structures synthesizing the beauty of Han dynasty stele inscriptions, inheriting the tradition of the Cao Quan Stele while adding greater density and archaic weight, resulting in a solid and vigorous style that conveys the weighty sense of responsibility that universal education entails.

Work 2-1 is the upper panel of the couplet: "To follow the middle way, honor the classics, and revive the spirit of the age, first preserve the national essence."

Seals: Straightforwardness.

Accession Number:PT10300401

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