Kakemono Calligraphy: Pine and Bamboo

Two boldly rendered characters for pine and bamboo define this hanging scroll, accompanied by a short explanatory text that calls for direct observation of nature. The characters are written with a thick, saturated brushstroke, in which the characteristic thickenings and swift downstrokes create a powerful, almost woodblock-print-like effect.

The underlying thought, that one should learn about the pine from the pine itself and about the bamboo from the bamboo itself, points to a central idea of East Asian aesthetics: that true understanding does not arise from books, but from the direct observation of nature.

Pine and bamboo are counted among the "Three Friends of Winter" and stand for constancy and adaptability - themes that this calligraphy hanging scroll, Calligraphy: Pine and Bamboo, captures in a striking way.