The once widely practised art form has been reduced to something that is only carried out by a niche group of people who appreciate its authenticity and traditional techniques.

In conjunction with the end of the Chinese New Year celebrations, the final day of which is today, FMT speaks to two experts in this discipline to garner their views on the role and impact of modern technology on an ancient practice.

Different strokes

Ng Swee Kheng believes art lovers will continue to prefer the beauty and authenticity of Chinese calligraphy over digitalised versions, and the traditional art form will not lose out to technological advances.

“We have many calligraphy competitions annually in Malaysia and overseas, and it is obvious most people appreciate the traditional art,” the president of the Calligraphy Society of Malaysia tells FMT.

Ng, who is also the founder of the Mei An Calligraphy & Painting Society, explains that calligraphy written with human hands is different as it depends on the brush, paper, ink, and stroke.

“The same cannot be said for a machine-made piece as each stroke will be exactly the same,” he says.

He nevertheless agrees that digitalisation eases the process of carrying out exhibitions and competitions, as art enthusiasts can easily participate or tune in from anywhere around the world.

“Especially with Covid-19 limiting people’s movement, they are just one click away from appreciating the artworks on websites and other online platforms,” he adds.

‘Risk being left behind’

Veteran calligrapher Ong Chia Koon, on the other hand, is resigned to the fact that digitalisation is the way forward, and the ways in which Chinese calligraphy is viewed and practised have to be updated if the form is to remain relevant.

The fine-arts graduate, who has 29 years of experience under his belt, says just because something is “traditional”, does not mean it cannot change.

“This centuries-old art form continues to evolve” in line with “the attitude of current and future generations”, he tells FMT.

And as younger generations are faced with wave after wave of technological advancements, visuals, content and techniques that don’t move with the times bear the risk of dying out altogether.

Adding to the challenge is the fact that Chinese calligraphy is not a mainstream art form, and most calligraphers in Malaysia only do it as a hobby, Ong adds.

“So, calligraphy has to take big steps to follow trends or risk being left behind and forgotten,” he concludes.