Hope L. Wallace, new Executive Director of the Wassenberg Art Center, at work in her office.
Words to guide us
By Hope L. Wallace
Hi Van Wert!
It’s very exciting to be here! I am humbled and grateful for the open, warm welcome from all of you. Thank you! It will equally be a pleasure to meet new faces and to continue expanding the creative journey of The Wassenberg Art Center.
In the many conversations I’ve had over the past weeks, I’m struck by two recurring words – foundation and trust – in reference to the Wassenberg’s path. Though these words were intended with a different meaning, trust and foundation are completely true descriptions of The Wassenberg in entirely another sense.
First, The Wassenberg Art Center was built on a strong foundation and love of the creative spirit in many of its manifestations. The strength of this foundation is evident in the long history and support of the arts in the Van Wert area and beyond. The Wassenberg is a household word among the residents of this area and is equally respected and recognized in the art community far beyond. Becoming a household word can only happen when a foundation based in strength and trust is present.
Trust has already established the faith that the Wassenberg will continue its contribution to the community through art and its creative forms. With trust and foundation – in the words of Charles Wassenberg – the mission to “encourage the study of art, sculpture and architecture and to interest pupils in such professions” will evolve, grow, explore and encourage the creative spirit in all.” Creativity is basic human nature and is inherent and necessary. Whether a person is a painter, sculptor, photographer, digital artist or a bricklayer, creativity is present in us all. Be watching for – and join in – the coming adventures of The Wassenberg Art Center!
(The Wassenberg Art Center is located at 643 S. Washington St. in Van Wert. Contact us at 419.238.6837 or wassenberg@embarqmail.com. Visit our website at www.vanwert.com/wassenberg for a current calendar of events.
“The Art of Fiber,” sponsored by 1st Federal Savings & Loan and Stephanie Dawn, is on display through February 25. Exhibit hours are 1-5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, closed Mondays. Admission is free.)
What’s in a name? In Chinese painting, everything.
By Kay Sluterbeck
"Tiger” by Wen Ning. The artist’s seal along with calligraphy describing the painting is at the upper left. Notice how the calligraphy and seal are an integral part of the painting, serving to balance the composition.
If you’ve looked at Chinese paintings, you might have noticed that the artist’s signature is part of the total design of the picture. This is partially because Chinese names have very special significance to their owners, much more so than our western names.
Chinese given names aren’t like our ready-made names such as “Mike” or “Jane.” Instead, they’re made of either one or a combination of two characters (ideograms) in the Chinese language. This provides infinite possibilities for names. The odds of two people having the same full name are very low. In Chinese, the surname comes first, followed by the given name. (“Mary Jones” would be “Jones Mary”.) In modern times some Chinese have chosen to Anglicize their names, reversing the order to make the name more in line with common western practice. This can cause confusion as to which name is the person’s surname.
Because the Chinese language isn’t written with an alphabet, it’s not easy to write Chinese words in the symbols of another language. Generally a phonetic system is used to write words representing the sounds implied by the ideograms.
In 1958 the Pinyin (a Chinese word meaning “transcription”) system was established in China to help in studying ideograms and to assist in using the standard spoken language of Mandarin. Pinyin is also used as a standard system to represent Chinese names and words as they would sound in Western languages.
There are inconsistencies in the system. Under the Pinyin system, many names were changed to a different western spelling. This caused more confusion and not a little chagrin on the part of many Chinese-American people who suddenly learned the former English spelling of their name had changed. Fortunately, the name as written in Chinese does not change.
Chinese names have complex special meanings. People may change their names to reflect changes in their lives. For example, when the writer Ch’en Chi-ju retired, he befriended the potter Chiang Po-fu. They became good friends and Ch’en changed the last character of Chaing’s name to indicate that the potter had been accepted into the writer’s literary circle as an equal.
Artists sometimes become known by pseudonyms or nicknames. These can be funny or fanciful. The artist Yu Tseng-Tseng, whose given name (Tseng-Tseng) means the sound of gold coins, wealth and riches, also uses a pseudonym, “Banchi,” meaning “Half Mad.” Because Yu means “I”, it follows that “Yu Banchi” means “I am Half Mad”!
Baiwen name seal, reading “Ye Hao Min Yin,” literally “Seal of Ye Haomin.”
The distinctive red imprints of the seals appearing on most Chinese paintings are very noticeable. The seal usually represents a personal name and may be used by itself or accompanying the artist’s signature. In addition to the artist’s name, some seals include part of a poem, a bit of philosophy, or a motto of some sort. Very old paintings may have many seals on them, because it is common practice for owners to add their own seals to the paintings. This allows us to track the history of very old Chinese artworks.
Ivory is the most popular material for the seal, but seals are also made of wood, horn, metal and stone. Sometimes the seals have ornamental details. Seal carving itself has become an independent art form, dating back to ca. 1027-256 B.C. A good seal carver has not only great technical skill but also talent in graphic design.
The red material used for stamping the seal is traditionally made of cinnabar and mineral oil mixed into a pad of raw silk. The ink first was developed in 450 A.D. Before that, seals were pressed into clay without the use of ink.
In a painting, the position of the signature and/or seal is important because these elements become part of the total picture and are often the finishing touch that balances off the work.
The signature on a Chinese painting is part of the symbolism and mystique of this kind of art. Understanding a little about what the signature represents can add much to our enjoyment of a painting.
