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Activity

Calligraphic Creations

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2 Photos

Click through the gallery to see the Bernice Bing artworks that inspired the “Calligraphic Creations” activity.

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Lotus Goddess, 1986–1988, by Bernice Bing (American, 1936–1998). Watercolor and mixed media on paper. Asian Art Museum, Gift of the Estate of Bernice Bing, F2020.25.5. Photograph © Asian Art Museum.
Lotus/Lotus Sutra, 1986, by Bernice Bing (American, 1936– 1998) Mixed media on rag paper. Asian Art Museum, Gift of the Estate of Bernice Bing, F2020.25.4. Photograph © Asian Art Museum
Lotus Goddess, 1986–1988, by Bernice Bing (American, 1936–1998). Watercolor and mixed media on paper. Asian Art Museum, Gift of the Estate of Bernice Bing, F2020.25.5. Photograph © Asian Art Museum.
Lotus/Lotus Sutra, 1986, by Bernice Bing (American, 1936– 1998) Mixed media on rag paper. Asian Art Museum, Gift of the Estate of Bernice Bing, F2020.25.4. Photograph © Asian Art Museum

Bernice Bing blurred the boundary between word and image in her art. In 1984, she spent three months in China studying calligraphy and traditional ink landscape painting. Her work following that formative trip evolved toward a synthesis of calligraphy and abstraction. In an artist statement from 1990, Bing mused, “[S]ince my return from a trip to China, I have made a path to my heart with Chinese calligraphy.”

Download activity packet in the sidebar for instructions.

Materials:

  1. Pen or Pencil
  2. Markers or Colored Pencils
  3. Paper

Instructions:

  1. Observe the provided images of Bernice Bing’s Art.
  2. Start by writing words/calligraphy and characters.
  3. Think of the images you see in the characters; how might you turn them into figures or gestures? How might you use them to show feeling or movement?
  4. Paint your own calligraphic creation!

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