Calligraphy Class

I had my first day of Calligraphy class this week. Who knew that there was so much to learn about Calligraphy?! Calligraphy in China is a lot like Calligraphy in America, except obviously with characters instead of phonetic words. 
Our teacher was from China but he had the thickest british accent because he lived in England for fifteen years. He is a very awesome man, with extraordinary english speaking abilities. 
First of all, I am sure no one knows this, and I surely didn't, but did you know that Mao Ze Dong is a very accomplished calligrapher? His calligraphy is one of a kind and pretty amazing. He did a lot of calligraphy for Beijing University because he was teacher her during the cultural revolution. 

His Calligraphy is so awesome because it is so different and out of the ordinary than the usual calligraphy that people learn, which is very boxy. He also uses cursive which has lots of loops and is very beautiful, and gives the calligrapher a lot of creative license.

Our teacher was very helpful. I had no idea how hard it is to learn calligraphy. Using a paint brush is really satisfying though. The key is knowing how much pressure to put onto the paintbrush at what times and to know what speed to go. It is surely a complex art. 

People used to be required in China to take Calligraphy class in primary school, but are no longer required. It reminds me of the way that cursive is disappearing in the US. I know that I had to learn cursive when I was in elementary school, but I never use it. And I doubt the generation below me will even learn it at all.

Once I become a more accomplished calligrapher I will put some of my artwork up!