In traditional Chinese art, painting, calligraphy, and seal carving have all been seen as arising from the same source. In terms of painting and calligraphy, as Zhao Men-fu, an ancient master painter, put it, “The depiction of rock is like empty space, that of trees should resemble seal script, and that of bamboo follows the rule of calligraphy.” His the similarities between lines and brushstrokes in painting and calligraphy. Apart from lines, the structure of the space between brush strokes, characters and painted elements, and the method of inscription and seal application share similar laws and principles. Studying the painting, calligraphy, and seal together, an artist can make use of the internal laws of these art forms and elevate the quality of his own artistic creation.

 

Guan Da-Ching is an artist who follows the path summarized above. Born in Hsinchu in 1954, he began his artistic career with calligraphy. Later he followed two masters to establish a solid foundation in the techniques of painting. He also learned seal carving from Wu-ping, an important seal artist. With guidance from brilliant teachers and his own devotion in artistic creativity, Guan creates his personal style on the basis of the tradition he inherited. In his calligraphy he specializes in clerical, running, and regular scripts. In his painting he specializes in landscapes inspired by poetry. In recent years, Guan has studied nature and traveled around Taiwan and to Japan, Switzerland, and China, immersing himself in nature and transforming his findings into finely styled landscape paintings. For this exhibition, we have selected large-scale panoramas as well as delicate sketching of beautiful scenes. The different perspectives recreate the magic of the universe.

 

An industrious Artist, while very young, Guan won the Chinese Calligraphy Association’s highest prize in calligraphy. He has held solo exhibitions in both Taiwan and Japan on invitation. Apart from his personal creativity, he has also devoted himself to education in painting and calligraphy. With the aim of promoting the essence of Chinese culture and raising standards of appreciation of fine arts among the general public, the National Museum of History is delighted to present this exhibition, selecting 60 of the most recent works of Guan Da-Ching. We hope this exhibition will provide visitors with a most enjoyable artistic experience.