Calligraphy
The Sydney Conservatorium of Music, together with the Confucius Institute, The University of Sydney is pleased to present a solo exhibition of calligraphy works by Liang Xiao Ping, Founding President of the Australian Oriental Calligraphy Society.
Register for the caligraphy workshop
Lineal Rhythm
A Solo Exhibition of Chinese Calligraphy
by
LIANG Xiao Ping
悉尼音樂學院
悉尼大學孔子學院
聯合舉辦
線條旋律
梁小萍書法藝術大觀
1. Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra
The five giant works of the Heart Sutra have become important representations of LIANG Xiao Ping’s art, each measuring 500cm by 180cm with the silk scroll embodying a distinct script: regular (Kai Shu), running (Xing Shu), cursive (Cao Shu), seal (Zhuan Shu) and official (Li Shu). This series of artworks has been regarded as masterpieces of rare calligraphic beauty in all the developed scripts in enormous scales in the history of Chinese calligraphy.
They formed the soul of Liang Xiao Ping’s solo exhibition at the National Art Gallery of China in Beijing, held by the China Calligraphers’ Association in 1998, leaving an unforgettable impression and emitting an aura of shared reflection between religion and art.
Prajna in Buddhism refers to wisdom in the nature of a person, and the Heart Sutra is the essence of the “Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra”, a venerated sacred Buddhist classic. Works of the Heart Sutra in one or two scripts favoured by great calligraphers of the past still exist today. Liang Xiao Ping had long wished to create these five huge scale works of Heart Sutra, and felt this to be her mission, not only because of it being a rare feat. Thus she had exhausted her body and soul in its endeavour.
In these five works, the artist’s handling of different styles of the same text and the variations in the same character appears idiosyncratic. The characters shi 是, bu 不, and wu 無 (which occurs as many as twenty-one times) appear differently each time with considerable distinction. In whichever script or style, Liang’s calligraphy is at times regular but not rigid, powerful and graceful, sophisticated and elegant, easy and free. All these are achieved with subtlety and finesse. These works form an interlinked virtual unity that elicits immediate approval and demonstrates the caliber of this artist’s cultural heritage.
2. Paean to the Beijing Olympiad
The mammoth series of artwork, Paean to the Beijing Olympiad, with their expression in Chinese calligraphy and poetry by LIANG Xiao Ping, was the gift the Australian Olympic Committee officially presented to the Chinese Olympic Committee on behalf of the Australian people in the Headquarter of the Chinese Olympic Committee in 2008, and is now collected by the China National Museum of Sports.
The gift consists of two palindromic matching couplets: a short one of 14 characters, and a long one of 384 characters. The short one was written in contemporary style, while the long one was written in traditional Chinese cursive script. They were then etched digitally on 32 rectangular sheets of stainless steel fixed onto the faces of a set of 16 trapezoidal prisms. Each prism measures 200 cm × 68 cm × 45 cm.
The Olympic exhibits in this exhibition are the originals of the gift. They consist of four sets of screens, and each set is made up of eight screens, with a total of thirty-two screens. Each screen measures 2.2m high by 1.0m wide.
Paean to the Beijing Olympiad (I)
The 14-characte palindromic Olympic matching couplet
LIANG Xiao Ping
The 14-character palindromic Olympic matching couplet-
A series of contemporary artwork of Chinese calligraphy
LIANG Xiao Ping
First set Together let us joyfully write our glory on the pages of history; The Sun and the Moon chant as they travel across the Firmament.
Second set As they transit the heavens, the zodiac animals salute the Moon and the Sun; Together, as we make history, we also rejoice in the progress of the seasons.
Explanation and Translation of the Poem
"Paean to the Beijing Olympiad (II)"
This long poem of tribute and praise to the Olympic Games of 2008, has been written strictly according to a complex and restrictive poetic form, which has a long history in Chinese literature.
This particular form has no equivalent in Western literature. In fact, it would be impossible to create a similar poem in any European or, indeed, any languages other than Chinese.
In the first place it is in the form of a matching couplet. This is a form where there are two lines of an equal number of characters. The corresponding characters in each line (first with first, second with second, and so on) must be of a similar nature: noun with noun, adjective with adjective, colour with colour, number with number, verb with verb, etc. Additionally, the poet must follow a complex and rigid system of rhymes and tones. In the vast majority of examples, the lines in these couplets are limited to a relatively small number of characters, seldom more than twenty or thirty.
This poem, which celebrates the fact that China is hosting the Olympic Games in 2008, follows the concept of a matching couplet - except that each 'line' is 192 characters long, and its complement is in fact itself, but with the order of the characters reversed. The two 'lines' of the poem contain a total of 384 characters, which coincides with the total number of lines in the sixty-four hexagrams in the ancient Chinese classic Yijing, the Book of Changes.
This is a massive task. Nevertheless, this poem not only contains many allusions to Olympic History, and its roots in Ancient Greece, but also is filled with words, phrases and expressions which, to the majority of people who have had a Chinese education, will immediately bring to mind specific ideas contained in classical Chinese literature.
We are not aware if any long palindromic poems or couplets have ever been written before; therefore, we can say that LIANG Xiao Ping's Olympic couplets are an innovation in Chinese literature.
Paean to the Beijing Olympiad (II)
The 384-characte palindromic Olympic matching couplet
LIANG Xiao Ping
Massive columns of people and horses are marching to this ancient Oriental country, where gods and men once lived together, as they did in ancient Greece. Their spirit is high, and their blood is rising. Their fiery breath turns the sky red.
The Eye of Heaven shines on the Palace of Harmony in Beijing, adding radiance to the five coloured rings of the Olympic Flag. Now it is China's turn to continue this ancient tradition; now it is China's turn to present this symphony of civilization. Listen! The Olympic Anthem is loud and clear, lifting everyone's spirit.
In this Beijing summer, amid the subtle fragrance of lotus flowers, amid the fluttering butterflies and humming bees, a column of mighty warriors holding high bright red banners is marching to the rhythm of the song. How the morning bell, tolling from the Monastery of Enlightenment, makes us aware of the heavy responsibilities ahead. Fear not! Take this challenge in your stride.
The Great Wall meanders across the land in the clear, bright sky. Beijing, capital city of the State of Yan, situated in the Region of You; your corresponding constellation is Sagittarius. During the Warring States Period, King Zhao of Yan built a tower, placing a thousand catties of gold on top to attract talent. Then how many exceptional people galloped through your vast expanse?
Look! Talented athletes throng to show their best. Sweat soaks their clothes, radiating the vigour of youth. The brilliantly lit Forbidden City appears like a magic land. A bevy of swans is silhouetted against the setting sun; and dragons soar above the green land. The boundless plains and the majestic rivers rejoice in the fulfillment of a thousand-year old dream.
The mighty cry of the people fills the heavens. Fireworks emulate the most spectacular meteoric shower. What a magnificent life! The sun and the moon bear witness to the beauty and majesty of the world. Let's tour the highest heaven, with our mind tracing the Big Dipper constellation. The glorious spirit of the Olympics is everywhere, and a colourful rainbow traces a seemingly endless road to connect us with Athens.
Higher! Soar with the flying eagles and the wild geese. Swifter! Like a whirlwind on the tops of mountains, curling towards to the sky. Stronger! Our success is reflected in heaven, causing surges in the Milky Way.
On the top of a mountain in Olympia stands the temple of Zeus, whence shines the sacred light to brighten Athens, ancient city of the Mediterranean. It is here that virgin priestesses, with child-like innocence and love, light the Olympic torch with light from the sun. In the ancient athletic stadium of Olympia, one still feels its glorious past, and its dignity. The victors at the Games received only a crown of sacred laurel leaves. In the Greek countryside, fresh and colourful morning flowers are everywhere. On the sea, one hears the waves joyfully singing. In the heavens above, white clouds line the sky with pure friendship.
The Olympic tradition is so immense, as deep as the ocean, which it should let us enjoy a thousand years of peace and tranquility.
Translation by
CHAN Yue-yan & HARTY Mike
Contact: Committee of the Academy of Chinese Calligraphy
or www.xpcalligraphy.com
A brief introduction of LIANG Xiao Ping
Destiny delivered Liang Xiao Ping to the altar of art and offered her youth to Chinese calligraphy.
This near-religious fervour propelled her to enter the world of art and pour forth her life force in order to dignify this sacred mission.
She started her Chinese calligraphic training at the age of 5. Soon she won numerous prizes in China and was recognized as a prodigy in calligraphy. She started teaching calligraphy at a teachers college at a tender age of 15.
As a daughter of Han China, traditional Chinese philosophy is imprinted in the depth of Liang’s soul, influencing her art that glows with its wisdom, highlighting the contrast of Yin and Yang, the eternity of the universe, the miracles of nature and Man’s pursuit of peace and harmony.
Once a Lecturer of High Maths and Architectural Draftsmanship, she had solid training in science and logic. Later, years of writing as a journalist connected her to society and life as an artist. Thus her poetry, now epic, now lyrical, is filled with the vividness of the modern age, yet harks back to the beloved Chinese classic poetry. This love spawned the 384-character palindromic Olympic matching couplet, Paean to the Beijing Olympiad (II), and the 520-characte palindromic Olympic epic, Epic of the Olympiad]], creating a new chapter in the history of Chinese poetry.
Since Liang Xiao Ping migrated to Australia in1987, this sun burnt country has added new dimensions and new meaning to her artwork. Her name was entered in the [[IDictionary of Contemporary Chinese Calligraphers]] in 1988. She is the founding president of Australian Oriental Calligraphy Society and her work was collected by the State Art Gallery of New South Wales. In May 1998, China National Association of Calligraphers (中國書法家協會) held a solo exhibition of her work at the National Art Gallery of China (中國美術館), Beijing at the invitation of Gao Zhanxiang, the then Deputy Minister for Culture, and a calligrapher himself. She had held solo exhibitions, from time to time, at many galleries and universities, including the University of Stanford in USA. She was commissioned by the Parliament House of NSW in 2006 to create a huge piece of calligraphic artwork now on permanent display in its Function Room.
Her mammoth series of artwork, [[IPaean to the Beijing Olympiad, was the gift the Australian Olympic Committee officially presented to the Chinese Olympic Committee on behalf of the Australian people in the COC Headquarter in 2008, and is now collected by the China National Museum of Sports. This work consists of two palindromic matching couplets: a short one of 14 characters, and a long one of 384 characters. The short one was written in contemporary style, while the long one was written in traditional Chinese cursive script. They were then etched digitally on 32 rectangular sheets of stainless steel fixed onto the faces of a set of 16 trapezoidal prisms. Each prism measures 200 cm × 68 cm × 45 cm.
Being ranked amongst the very few masters of the five classical scripts is the result of four decades of immersion in the four millennia of Chinese calligraphy. Her unique contribution to the arts combines the ancient and contemporary styles, featuring East and West flavors; it is a distillation of the essence of philosophy, history, and literature that is generated in the smelter of her talent.
‘Preserving Tradition, Facing the Future in Asian Musical and Visual Cultures’ is supported by the Commonwealth through the Australia-China Council of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
