Slightly glitched calligraphy by Zhāng Xù (張旭) taken from a Ukrainian site: seks-ua.livejournal.com/53367.html
Zhang Xu, also known as Bogao at the court of Tang Dynasty. Became an official court calligrapher during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong. Born in Suzhou. One of the Eight Immortals of the Wine Cup.
There is common story of his creative process. He was heavy drinker and every time he'd became drunk, he would use his hair as a brush. After the process and after waking up - he was always confused with the quality of the his work made in a drunk state. Funny thing was that he was unable achieve such quality in a sober state.
According to Han Yutao there are three things that characterize Zhang Xu's calligraphy:
- It's wild. Made on the one breath, in a one moment. There is a flow, a current, parts of which are carved on on a flat-field.
- It's weird and vast. Very unpredictable and very disformed (not deformed). (Compare it to Abstract Expressionism.)
- They got this rock'n'roll snottiness. If look at the calligraphy of the others of the same period - you can find typical "tender beauty" in them. Xhang Xu's calligraphy is the calligraphy of the rolling stones in the fall from the great height. Reader can feel the danger of the sword near him. Reader can feel the threat. The great big thang of the images that actually moove, but inside the readers head.
