Calligraphy

1987

Length:153.3 x Width:83.7 x Height:0.05 (cm)

Chen Chi-Chuan (1917-2003, Fengshun, Guangdong) studied at Hanshan Normal College in Chaozhou. During World War II, he set aside his studies to join the military, later relocating to Taiwan with the government. He served as secretary and section chief at the Navy Headquarters, chief secretary of the Taiwan Provincial Information Office, and provincial government adviser. After retiring from public service, he taught calligraphy at Tunghai University and founded the Hongdao Calligraphy Society. He also served as president of the Chinese Calligraphy Society, authored several treatises on calligraphy, and, in his later years, synthesized various scripts to develop his own “composite script.” Together with Ting Yu-Hsi (1921-2001), he planned the Stele Forest at the Taiwan Provincial Art Museum (now the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts). He was a key figure in the education and promotion of calligraphy in Taiwan.
Reverence for the Dao is written in clerical script, presenting the two large characters “尊道” (“Revere the Dao”). Chen often chose moral and self-cultivating phrases as his calligraphy subjects, using them as expressions of scholarly cultivation and life philosophy. The phrase “尊道” comes from Chapter 51 of the Dao De Jing by Laozi: “Therefore, all things revere the Dao and honor virtue.” The brushwork here is firm and forceful, with horizontal strokes marked by wave-like movements and turning strokes executed with rounded strength. The ink is rich and saturated, and the character structure is square and rigorous, revealing Chen’s distinguished calligraphic style.
An inscription in running script reads, “Presented to the Taichung City Cultural Center,” followed by a colophon: “The Dao is the governing principle of Heaven and Earth, as well as the code of conduct in the human world. It is something that cannot be set aside for even a moment. Second month of the dingmao year (1987), Nanxi, Chen Chi-Chuan.”
Seals: “Created after seventy,” “Seal of Chen Chi-Chuan,” and “Chi-Chuan.”

Accession number:20170300088