ARTS j The Michigan Daily Tuesday, November 5, 1991 Page 5 'Frozen ballet' dazzles by Carrie Walco "Sometimes I like to think of real, fine calligraphy asfrozen ballet." -Catherine Burnett, University Curatorial Assistant of Asian Art At first glance, the calligraphy exhibit at the University Museum of Art appears drab, lacking the color and artistic intensity which often draws admirers. But in order to be appreciated for its worth, calligraphy needs to be understood and looked upon with an educated eye. Calligraphy's integration of writing and painting makes it a significant part of the art world. Chinese calligraphy first came about in 2000 B.C., when Oracle Bone script was inscribed into ritual bones. The scribes used symbols similar to those used by Native Americans: moon, rain, woman, home, eye, horse. Seal script (named for its use of sealing documents) came about during the 13th and 11th centuries B.C. It was displaced by the Clerical or Official script from the Han Dynasty, which utilized a multilayered, pointed tip Chinese brush and emphasized horizontal strokes and severe lines. By the time of the Showa Dynasty, calligraphers "started to use Western tools, brushes... almost alienating (the artists) from traditional tools," says Marshall Wu, University Curator of Asian Art. The artist chooses the tools and script which will best express his or her individuality and meaning. Some of most dominant and personal styles on display are the Cursive and Running script. Cursive script could be described as being slightly more readable than our modern doctor's scribble. Running script is more legible, similar to the Cursive forms in its informality and gracefulness. Both of these forms are most frequently used for their flexibility and aesthetic value. One of the most valued artists whose work is on display at the Museum is Obaku Mokuan, a monk nicknamed "One of the Three Brushes." His strong strokes and format, in both the Cursive and Running scripts, is fol- lowed by many calligraphers today. "(Calligraphy) is the most dominant, most characteristic Asian format, either vertical and hanging, or horizontal for fans and scrolls. The Chinese, in particular, are great record keepers," says Burnett. These keepers use colophons, which are seals that prove ownership and origin, while establishing their work for posterity. Red colophons are placed at the beginning or end of the artist's waka, a traditional Japanese poem. Most colophons are written in the traditional Oracle Bone and Seal script. These seals often go unnoticed due to their small size and their dif- ficult translation for the contemporary reader. Fans typically have script on one side and painting on the other. The artist and calligrapher may work together to produce a fan. Scrolls are of- ten a common work displayed in homes. Two vertical scrolls are tradition- ally hung on either side of a painting. The first scroll of a couplet signifies the beginning of the poem, while the second marks the end. This type of logic is found throughout the scrolls from the Museum's collection. Tomioka Tessai's scroll couplet reads, "A home which lacks bamboo in the garden is inhabitable." A The mounting process is "almost always an irrelevant part of the work," says Burnett. The mountings exhibited, consisting of Asian paper or fine silk, are rather dull and unlike the colorful silks typically used in clothing. However, this lack of color serves its purpose by leading the eye to the poetry, which is full of romantic nature references. And if you're curious, the scroll at left (as translated by Professor Robert Bower) reads, "A fine example of success to emulate: a lowly egg- plant ripens and brings forth fruit accomplishing its goal in life." ART WORDS FROM TLHE BRUSH will be on display at the University's Museum of Art through November 10th. Admission is free. Call 764-0395 for more info. After playing the one-eyed, superhumanly strong Nadine on Twin Peaks, Wendy Robie (right) has apparently decided to take on more challenging roles. Here, as a woman (apparently, Craven couldn't be bothered with naming one of his main characters), she terrorizes Alice (A.J. Langer) with a knife. Why don' tyou check the 1s? The People Under the Stairs dir. Wes Craven by Gabriel Feldberg Fans of director Wes Craven (the first Nightmare on Elm Street, The Serpent and the Rainbow) will probably be disappointed to find that he has written a story no more scary or inspired than Arachnopho- bia. The beginning of The People Under the Stairs is merely adequate, and things only get worse from there; Craven has about 45 minutes worth of ideas shoved into the body of a feature-length film. The hero at the movie's center is a 13 year-old boy nicknamed Fool, who breaks into his landlords' man- sion to steal rare coins that will pay A A 5TH AVE AT LIBERTY 761-0700 $ DAILY SHOWS BEFORE 68PM . ALL DAY TUESDAY - *exoeptions STUDENT WI. D. $3.50 CITY OF HOPE (R) MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO R for his mother's much needed opera- tion. Once inside, Fool can't get out, because the house's owners have made their home escape-proof. Their prison-style security system. is de- signed to keep in several children the demented owners have kid- See STAIRS, Page 7 p pST V~ 1 Scroll s;*" 't., ~ib Combo Coupon! Present this coupon when purchasing a large popcorn and r "ceive one T H E p atvemty Club is UNIVERISTY fcynalum. &M 1 VLRJ~their Ecctpmwiod gueau - CLUBmabembasmay CLUpurchue alcohol.- for more information dial 763-1107 with your host Brett Di Resta with student comedians Nathan White Joe Mancuso g i IGVGi G Y Trip Shakespeare Lulit A& M 1II music be the food of love, play on. Just don't play Lulu, a most tedious new release by Trip Shake- speare. The promising Minneapolis band, which played a terrific show at the Blind Pig last March, has little to say on its second major- label offering. The charm of their first album, Across the Universe, has disappeared. An appealing collection of guitar-based songs about everything from snow to suicide, Universe suggested a band with the potential to achieve great things. Trip Shakespeare seemed to want to combine R.E.M.-style '80s alter- native with Elton John-style '70s mainstream, an effort that resulted in some successful songs. But it's not happening here. Lulu, critic jargon aside, flat-out sucks. Guitarist Matt Wilson can sing, but bassist John Munson, who cannot, has lead vocals on several songs. Both attempt to sing in keys well out of their vocal range ("Down My Block" is a particularly grating example). Neither man is the singer this band desperately needs. And producer Justin Niebank should have told the band they were wasting their time with easy dis- sonance and silly instrumentals. Melody and craftsmanship will soon return to songwriting, but not through Trip Shakespeare, though they try mightily, and though they be excellently well-named. - Peter Meyerhoff Fe pre Drink U WasHNnSon WASHINGTON-"UNIVERSITY- IN-"ST- LOUIS Innovative P.h. D. programs in the Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences Developmental Biology Evolutionary & Population Biology Immunology Molecular Biophysics Molecular Cell Biology & Biochemistry Molecular Genetics Molecular Microbiology & Microbial Pathogenesis Neurosciences Plant Biology Advantages of predoctoral study at Washington University in St. Louis: * Individualized study in interdisciplinary, interdepartmental environments in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Medicine. * Opportunity to work with any of over 275 research scientists on a broad range of exciting problems in modern biology. * A guaranteed stipend, tuition remission, and health insurance provided through well-established, stable University funding. The men and women of the Peace Corps. Dedicated Volunteers who put their valuable skills to work, helping people in developing countries live better lives. Tt's ttnioh_ And it taklr~e mo~re than For 30 years, being a Peace Corps Volunteer has been a chance to stop dreaming about a better world and start doing something about it. , /! _ l. /