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Article: Calligraphy's Poetry in Motion
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- July 8, 1994
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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IT'S OKAY to move your lips while reading Chinese calligraphy,
and it's even better to move your hands. Visitors to a pair of
Smithsonian calligraphy shows are enthusiastically doing both.
"Most of these texts are poems, or at least poetical," explained
tourist Wen Fen, "so hearing the words helps to see the music." Wen,
a Hong Kong shipping agent, had spent half of his two-day visit to
Washington absorbed in the ancient and modern calligraphy shows at
the Freer and International galleries. The Freer show includes some
of the oldest and finest known examples of Chinese calligraphy; the
International Gallery show includes work by some of the best living
Chinese calligraphers.
The dapper ...