The Philosophy (Tao) of Pens

[lecorbusier]

Hi everyone,

 

I chanced upon this from a chinese (taiwanese?) pen forum written poetically by CWY and I thought I want to translate it with my mediocre understanding of the chinese language to a mostly 'english' audience here. I thought it was extremely well written and very concise for a rare 'philosophy' of the pen. Here goes (chinese first and corresponding english translation line by line to the best of my abilities):

 

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"The Joy of Pen Connoisseurship is good, but the enthusiasm is split three ways. One way is penmanship, two is collecting, three is repairing.

 

Penmanship: penmanship chiefly focuses on writing, the sole reverence rests on the nib. The nib then emphasizes on flex or rigid, and it is differentiated by broad or fine: the ultimate goal, which is also its ultimate anguish, is to pursue the beauty (aesthetic) of calligraphy.

 

Collecting: collecting chiefly focuses on collection, the sole reverence rests on the history of the pens. History then is predicated upon brands, and it clarifies the value of the pen: it is determined to understand the vicissitudes of a hundred years for this pen.

 

Repairing: repairing chiefly focuses on repairing, the sole reverence rests on the feed. The feed values skilfulness, and it judges the material: it is enthused upon the rebirth of a derelict pen.

 

These three ways are each different individually, but the Joy with one is not greater than the other. These ways are not perfectible ways, and we are unable to maximize our Joy with each.

 

And thus it is said,

The Calligrapher may not know the Pen,

The Collector may not repair the Pen,

The Repairer* may not possess penmanship,

Unless we make the Pen as our summa bonum we are not all three at once, even so, Rarely."

 

Chinese author: CWY (Let me get the link if people are interested).

*: I favor the interpretation of the Bricoleur instead. But Repairer is more consistent with the rest of the translation.

 

 

Nice thoughts for a New Year! Thanks CWY, whoever you are lurking here and on other websites! <_<

Edited January 3, 2007 by lecorbusier

[lecorbusier]

It failed to display chinese characters. Here is the JPEG image.

[FrankB]

I like the way this Tao is expressed. Thank you for the post.

 

I am left wondering where my love of paper(s) and ink(s) might fit in. Would that be part of part of penmanship? But the Tao says the focus of penmanship is the nib. So might there be a fourth category? It is something to ponder.

[jd50ae]

Man, I was just thinking the same thing.

[Nimrud]

The beautiful thing about this passage is the conciseness and symmetry in which the central idea is expressed. It is a classic piece, especially if you read it aloud in Chinese. Unfortunately, its very conciseness and symmetry are also its main weaknesses, in that it does not reflect the full complexity of human experience.

 

I'd say the love of ink and paper is part of the appreciation of writing, just not centred around the pen, which basically throws off the central theme of the Pen in this otherwise very nicely written piece.

[lecorbusier]

Nice thoughts on the limitations of this piece. Perhaps this is why it is philosophy!

 

If I may hazard a guess, penmanship translated as "Shou" (the chinese character for books; penmanship) does include paper and ink. And if I am not mistaken-I am not a chinese calligrapher-both ink and paper, physical posture and imaginative thinking are all embedded in the practice of penmanship. So one would sometimes find both a philosopher and a practitioner in a great master of calligraphy, without the conventional dichotomy one usually find in canons of the west.

[Nimrud]

Very perceptive comment on the meaning of "Shu". It is interesting that the word for calligraphy "Shu-fa" uses the character for "book" rather than the word for "pen" ("bi"). In a way, this can be seen as a criticism that the focus on the Pen is really a bias of a Collector/ Repairer, as opposed to a Calligrapher, for whom the pen is a mere means to an end.

[lecorbusier]

Hi Nimrud,

 

I notice the contrast between the objectification of the west and the more holistic perception in eastern cultures too. When I was studying painting, there were some talk on brushes as well. From my understanding, Shufa is also the cultivation of one's mind, so there is an inward focus than an outward focus on instruments. That said, without proper tools, one cannot attain one's end. Perhaps with greater enlightenment, control in expertise can overcome some limitations in the use of lesser tools.

[Dr.Grace]

Chinese brush painting reveres the instruments used, and calls them the "three treasures": ink, brush and paper. The quality of each of them is very important to the artist/calligrapher. So I wouldn't be surprised to learn of a similar cherishing of the trio of fountain pen, ink and paper.

 

Don

[Nimrud]

There was an artist, Zhang Da Qian (1899-1983), who used to paint without the brush. He developed a technique known as pu-mo, which means "pour-ink", where he applied layers of ink directly onto paper. The results are quite spectacular. It is said that when Picasso visited Zhang Da Qian at his studio, he was using the pu-mo technique, and Picasso remarked, "Now that's the real artist."

 

Here is an example of Zhang's work:

 

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/images/hb/hb_1986.267.361.jpg

 

Splashed-color Landscape, dated 1965

Zhang Daqian (Chinese, 1899–1983)

Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper; 23 3/4 x 37 3/4 in. (60.3 x 95.9 cm)

Edited January 5, 2007 by Nimrud

[lecorbusier]

Hi,

 

I have heard of him but his name and reputation is all I know. It is really fascinating to see creativity in mankind emerging from all places and constraints. I see some fine lines in the painting: if I apply ink without instruments, would a pin for etching a line be considered as a 'brush' then?

 

On the three treasures, in chinese I recall it is termed as, "Wen Fang San Bao", literally meaning the three treasures of a literate man's or woman's room. When I was briefly studying in Japan, we had a required calligraphy class where we have to bring our own ink, paper, and brush. I hated the ink most. There was this horrible smell to it. The cleaning of the brush later was another frustrating experience for me. But now that I am raking up old experiences, my elementary school days in Hong Kong required the same class as well. I did not do well for either class, so you can see how patient I am!

[Nimrud]

Hi lecorbusier,

 

Fascinating topic. I'm glad you started it.

 

I also remember my calligraphy practice as a child, and the tedium of washing brushes! Not anywhere as boring as flushing fountain pens though. I remember the ink also, but with fondness. It was fun to rub the ink sticks into the flat ink wells to produce ink. The elaborate carvings on some of the ink wells and ink sticks (we never used those, only the plain ones) were incredible.

 

Zhang Daqian did use the brush in his paintings. In fact his earlier works included gong-bi, which required very fine and detailed brush work. However, the reason I brought up Zhang's pu-mo technique is to give another point of view, where the artist seeks to transcend the limitations of his tools.

 

This is in contrast to the sentiment expressed in the passage that says that in writing (the art), the nib (a tool) takes first place. Perhaps, if we qualify the concept by adding (as I think is already implied) in the realm of the Pen, the nib ranks first in importance for the writer.

 

But then my rejoinder would be that in the realm of writing, the pen is but an instrument, as is paper and ink. A stick in the sand can also be fit instruments for a calligrapher. I remember vividly a scene in the movie Hero, where a calligraphy master was practising calligraphy with a stick writing on sand in a sandbox, while the Qin army was raining arrows into the city, piercing even the roof and walls of the calligraphy school.

[lecorbusier]

Hi Nimrud,

 

I remembered my ink in liquid form slushing in a rough, translucent plastic bottle that I was always afraid to spill. So much for childhood memories! My Japanese host father used the ink sticks where he has more control. He is a writer as well as the principal of a chain of very successful Japanese colleges too.

 

Your point on the Hero movie is right on. I was following the chinese discussion on this topic and it was brought up there as well. It is said that in the novels of Louis Cha, the invincible swordsman at his highest attainment sees rocks, grass blades and sticks as sword: he is indeed liberated from the physicality in the form of a sword. It sounds like fantasy but when I was in architecture school, I have seen some old crusty professors getting very consistent lines by rotating just an ordinary pencil and steadying their posture. I had a Rotring tri-pencil with 0.3 to 0.7 giving me three different line weights and they did it with just a wood B.

[Nimrud]

Hi lecorbusier,

 

My sister is an architect too. I'm trying to get her interested in FPs and gave her a Waterman Man 100 for her birthday. These days though, architects use computers to draw, more often than not.

[Nimrud]

Chinese brush painting reveres the instruments used, and calls them the "three treasures": ink, brush and paper. The quality of each of them is very important to the artist/calligrapher. So I wouldn't be surprised to learn of a similar cherishing of the trio of fountain pen, ink and paper.

Sorry to nitpick, but it is the Four Treasures of the Study. Easy enough a mistake to make - as the fourth treasure is the ink-stone/ink-well, as ink is traditionally not stored in liquid form, but in the form of sticks which you grind against the inkstone with a small amount water to produce ink. You can control the degree of saturation of the ink by varying the amount of water and how much of the ink stick you grind.

[lecorbusier]

No, thanks for the correction. I was wondering myself too. But when you stop using the language on an everyday basis, reckless mistakes like that occur! Wen Fang Si Bao, there you go.

 

Even among architects, they are not known for really using fountain pens (perhaps excluding Frank Lloyd Wright who had a fine taste for everything). However, I belong to the generation that felt the first incursion of computers in school. So I was both trained to draw with ink on mylar as well as drawing on that horrendous 'model space' known as autocad. The ink on mylar was fun for the first few hours but quickly became laborious. I remember many episodes during early morning hours when nibs broke, ink spilled, erased line (we were using motorised erasers) becoming holes. That wasn't fun when the bookstore was closed and your professor would be requiring you to pin up in 6 hours' time!

 

If architects prefer the expediency of a ballpoint, it might be due to the finess, fuss and frustration with those Rotring pens. But those trained in penmanship sure could letter very well, even with ballpoint pens. Those lines on mylar sure last forever, flood and fire excluded.

 

I do see many pens designed by architects though. The new Lamy trapezoid pen is one such example. I think the Persona was designed by another one too.

[FrankB]

Though I covet refinement, I am obviously a barbarian. I appreciate this thread very much.

[Nimrud]

I remember my sister staying overnight in school rushing projects years ago. I think she hardly slept the whole time she was studying architecture. She got really good at the autocad though, which is the only thing they use these days for architectural drawings. An FP is still good for sketching though.

 

More on the theme of writing, it is interesting that these days we are through computers achieving almost complete dematerialisation of the act of writing. We can reach half way around the world and communicate with words with hardly any effort. In a way, we have transcended the limitation of the physical medium, being able to realise and communicate our thoughts almost instantly in a virtual space.

 

Yet, I miss that connection with the physical that gives form and nuance to the act of writing, as if the touch of the hand evidenced by the trail of ink on paper communicates more the essence of my message than the virtual volumes that I write (and edit and re-edit) each week on the computer. And so, perhaps the tool does make a difference to the writing after all. Strange isn't it?

Edited January 5, 2007 by Nimrud

[Dr.Grace]

Chinese brush painting reveres the instruments used, and calls them the "three treasures": ink, brush and paper. The quality of each of them is very important to the artist/calligrapher. So I wouldn't be surprised to learn of a similar cherishing of the trio of fountain pen, ink and paper.

Sorry to nitpick, but it is the Four Treasures of the Study. Easy enough a mistake to make - as the fourth treasure is the ink-stone/ink-well, as ink is traditionally not stored in liquid form, but in the form of sticks which you grind against the inkstone with a small amount water to produce ink. You can control the degree of saturation of the ink by varying the amount of water and how much of the ink stick you grind.

Yes, I had a nagging feeling that I'd gotten that wrong! Four treasures, and four "gentlemen" (traditional subjects for painting).

[lecorbusier]

Dear Frank, Nimrud and Dr. Grace,

 

Isaiah Berlin once said that barbarians are those who are not curious of where they come from and where they are heading. I guess we were all barbarians at one time or another but I dare to say that we have come a long way from that origin in many of these discussions online! I appreciate the responses to this thread too.

 

I always had a problem with the scholastic work habits of architecture students-and some professional ones as well. Skipping meals and sleep to ensure the quality of one's design sound pretty self-defeating to me. Perhaps this is one reason why attrition rates are so high when one has to position one's own ambitions ahead of one's health.

 

Nimrud, you have some very reflective thoughts on tools and writing. Yes, it is a strange paradox in a day and age where the volume of writing has exponentially increased relative to previous ages yet nice thoughts and good books are still hard to come by.

 

If a good tool has a lure, a catch, then it is its ability to improve writing. How so? I believe good writing comes from rewriting, reediting, rewriting,...n. Would I like to do this on my Powerbook? Marginally so. Would I like to do this with a pad of nice paper and my fountain pen? Yes!!! Perhaps this is only my own writer's fetish but I believe that the pleasure of writing: of enjoying the tactile senses that we all talk about, of improving the diginity of each characters we put on paper with a fine nib, and in doing so, the overall meaning of that piece--only a pen can do that! (And you will never get the 'you have mail' message on a pad of paper: just you and your thoughts!)