Dictionary Series: Water
Object Label
The Beijing-based artist Qiu Zhijie has deconstructed the traditional art form of calligraphy, assessing the shapes and impact of writing and the way that calligraphy informs Chinese cultural and political identity. In his Dictionary Series, he refers to a treatise from the second century C.E. that was one of the earliest attempts to explain the logic of the Chinese writing system. The dictionary introduced the idea of “radicals,” basic written forms that are building blocks for more complex characters and concepts. Here, the artist writes, rewrites, and combines the radical for “water,” using wet ink and a long, vertical format that suggests a waterfall so that the characters evoke and enact their meaning.
Caption
Qiu Zhijie (Chinese). Dictionary Series: Water, 2001. Ink on paper, image: 70 7/8 x 11 in. (180 x 27.9 cm) mounted on silk: 80 3/4 x 11 3/4 in. (205.1 x 29.8 cm), as it hangs (including rolls). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of David Solo, 2014.62.2. © Qiu Zhijie.
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Artist
Title
Dictionary Series: Water
Date
2001
Medium
Ink on paper
Classification
Dimensions
image: 70 7/8 x 11 in. (180 x 27.9 cm) mounted on silk: 80 3/4 x 11 3/4 in. (205.1 x 29.8 cm), as it hangs (including rolls)
Credit Line
Gift of David Solo
Accession Number
2014.62.2
Rights
© Qiu Zhijie
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