陳其銓   Chen, Qi-Quan   1917~2003

Born in Fengshun county, Guangdong province, China, in 1917, Qi-Quan Chen styled himself as Qi-Chuan. He learned calligraphy at the age of ten by starting with the standard script of the Tang Dynasty, and continued to practice in the following decades. Before the age of 30, the artist had learned seal, clerical, running and cursive scripts as well as the tablet inscriptions of the Northern Wei Dynasty. After 40, he assiduously studied calligraphy theory and learned the oracle bone inscriptions and bronze script of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties. After 50, Chen imitated extensively the magnum opuses of renowned calligraphers who had flourished in different periods from the Three Kingdoms to the Tang Dynasties. The artist had a broad coverage of the classics, history, prose poetry and calligraphic copies, and also authored monographs on calligraphy art and promoted calligraphy education. Chen’s clerical script is robust and majestic, and his running script is untrammeled yet graceful. His cursive script is characterized by bold and joyful strokes, while those of the standard script are forceful and penetrating. In the case of oracle bone inscriptions and bronze script, he wielded his brush with a free hand. The artist was highly proficient in all kinds of Chinese scripts, and succeeded in drawing the essence of different schools to profit the development of his unique calligraphic style, which was why his works radiate aesthetic delight and constitute a composition as harmonious as nature. Chen devoted a lifetime to calligraphy education. He taught calligraphy at National Dong Hwa University, National Defense University and National Tsing Hua University. The artist advocated and founded the Calligraphy Study Society of the Staff of Taiwan Provincial Government in 1962, and also set up the Hong-Dao Calligraphy Society in 1980. Moreover, the artist undertook several calligraphy-related positions, such as a member of the delegation to the 1st Sino-Japanese Conference on Calligraphy, a member of the 3rd R.O.C. visiting delegation of calligraphers to Japan, the head of the R.O.C. delegation of calligraphers to South Korea, expert examiner for fine arts artefacts at the National Museum of History, a member and the convener of calligraphy jury for the National Fine Arts Exhibition, and a member of the calligraphy jury for the National Literary and Artistic Awards, which collectively manifested his dedication to the promotion of calligraphy education.