Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Ancient Chinese culture - the reason for grinding your own ink

Apart from the superior of the Hui ink, there is also a spiritual aspect to preparing your own ink which generations of Chinese artists and calligraphers have experienced and promoted. As you pour water onto the grinding surface of the inkstone, then sit upright and slowly and steadily begin to grind the inkstick in a circular motion against the smooth inkstone, you start to understand the meaning behind the words of one of the most of famous Song Dynasty artist Su Dongpo’s poem, ‘the sound from grinding is like string music to my ears’. You can learn more about Chinese ink during your affordable China tours.

Most artists and calligraphers find this meditative and preparatory procedure makes them concentrate all their attention on the rhythmic and circular motion required to extract the ink from the inkstick. The stick becomes an extension of your hand, and by the time the ink has reached the required consistency all thoughts distracting you from your work have drift away. It is exactly this peaceful and focused mental state, which is thought to have resulted in the high quality of the calligraphic brush strokes produced by artists who grind their own ink.

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