Comment définir ce que l’on appelle communément la «calligraphie» telle que celle-ci est pratiquée en Asie de l’est, et notamment au Japon ? Voilà la question première qui a motivé notre travail. L’éducation « calligraphique » fait partie des programmes de l’école japonaise depuis la fondation du système scolaire moderne. Dans la mesure où plus de quatre-vingt-dix pourcent des enfants poursuivent désormais leur scolarité jusqu’au lycée, on peut penser que le type d’enseignement reçu à travers ces années d’études contribue à former l’idée que la population se fait de la « calligraphie ». Aussi avons-nous décidé d’aborder notre sujet de réflexion en observant comment l’État définissait l’éducation « calligraphique » à travers les programmes scolaires. Dans le prolongement de travaux précédents, nous avons d’abord examiné la période déterminante de l’occupation américaine, envisageant les rapports de force des divers acteurs engagés dans l’élaboration des curricula. Nous avons ensuite analysé en détail les versions successives des directives éducatives nationales. Nous nous sommes plus particulièrement intéressé aux choix effectués par les concepteurs des programmes entre « calligraphie » utilitaire et artistique. / How can we define what is commonly called “calligraphy” in the Asian context, and in particular, in Japan? That is the basic question from which our research started. “Calligraphy” education has been included in school curricula since the foundation of the modern school system in Japan. Today, more than ninety percent of Japanese children go through senior high-school. Therefore, we can assume that the education received during these school years influence the way the people apprehends calligraphy. For that reason, we chose to study the definition of calligraphy as elaborated by the Japanese State through the school programs. Continuing the work we had already done in that field on the pre-war era, we first took a close look at the period of the American Occupation, examining the struggle between the different parties involved in the design of the curriculum. We then proceeded with a thorough analysis of the successive versions of the National course of study, focusing particularly on the choices made by curricula designers, between utilitarian and artistic calligraphy.

published_or_final_version / Architecture / Master / Master of Architecture

Conceituação do objeto pesquisado: a definição de fontes digitais de simulação caligráfica, origem e evolução tecnológica. A identificação das categorias de compreensão da forma caligráfica: as características visuais associadas ao universo instrumental da caligrafia; ao processo de construção da escrita; à perícia ferramental e à caligrafia como ocorrência espaço-temporal. O processo de construção das fontes digitais de simulação caligráfica. As etapas de construção das fontes de simulação baseadas em referências concretas: análise do original, digitalização, vetorização, métrica e fechamento do arquivo. As estratégias de construção das fontes baseadas em referências conceituais. Articulação de características estruturais e expressivas associadas ao instrumental caligráfico. A sugestão do ductus caligráfico em fontes digitais de simulação: construção contínua e interrompida. As estratégias associadas à representação visual da habilidade ferramental: ornamentação, integração e imperícia. O conceito de variância aplicado à tipografia digital: variância manual, aleatória e planejada. Apresentação dos projetos Zapfino, Bickham e Champion Script. Comentários a respeito da relevância das fontes digitais de simulação caligráfica: conservação, interação, compartilhamento e valorização da prática caligráfica. / Conceptualization of the studys object: the definition of digital typefaces simulating calligraphy, their origin and technological evolution. Identification of categories for understading calligraphic shapes: visual characteristics associated with the instrumental universe of calligaphy; the process of writing; craft skills and calligraphy as a temporal-spatial event. The process of manufacturing digital typefaces simulating calligraphy.The steps of development of digital typefaces simulating calligraphy based on concrete references: source analysis, digitalization, translation to outlines, spacing and font generation. Strategies for designing typefaces simulating calligraphy based on conceptual references. Articulation of structural and expressive features associated with the calligraphic craft. Suggestion of calligraphic ductus in digital typefaces simulating calligraphy: continuous and interrupted construction. Strategies associated with the visual representation of instrumental skills: ornamentation, integration and lack of skills. The concept of variation applied to digital type: manual, random and planned variation. Presentation of the typefaces Zapfino, Bickham and Champion Script. Comments related to the relevance of digital typefaces simulating calligraphy: conservation, interaction, sharing and increasing appreciation for the calligraphic practice

Conceituação do objeto pesquisado: a definição de fontes digitais de simulação caligráfica, origem e evolução tecnológica. A identificação das categorias de compreensão da forma caligráfica: as características visuais associadas ao universo instrumental da caligrafia; ao processo de construção da escrita; à perícia ferramental e à caligrafia como ocorrência espaço-temporal. O processo de construção das fontes digitais de simulação caligráfica. As etapas de construção das fontes de simulação baseadas em referências concretas: análise do original, digitalização, vetorização, métrica e fechamento do arquivo. As estratégias de construção das fontes baseadas em referências conceituais. Articulação de características estruturais e expressivas associadas ao instrumental caligráfico. A sugestão do ductus caligráfico em fontes digitais de simulação: construção contínua e interrompida. As estratégias associadas à representação visual da habilidade ferramental: ornamentação, integração e imperícia. O conceito de variância aplicado à tipografia digital: variância manual, aleatória e planejada. Apresentação dos projetos Zapfino, Bickham e Champion Script. Comentários a respeito da relevância das fontes digitais de simulação caligráfica: conservação, interação, compartilhamento e valorização da prática caligráfica. / Conceptualization of the studys object: the definition of digital typefaces simulating calligraphy, their origin and technological evolution. Identification of categories for understading calligraphic shapes: visual characteristics associated with the instrumental universe of calligaphy; the process of writing; craft skills and calligraphy as a temporal-spatial event. The process of manufacturing digital typefaces simulating calligraphy.The steps of development of digital typefaces simulating calligraphy based on concrete references: source analysis, digitalization, translation to outlines, spacing and font generation. Strategies for designing typefaces simulating calligraphy based on conceptual references. Articulation of structural and expressive features associated with the calligraphic craft. Suggestion of calligraphic ductus in digital typefaces simulating calligraphy: continuous and interrupted construction. Strategies associated with the visual representation of instrumental skills: ornamentation, integration and lack of skills. The concept of variation applied to digital type: manual, random and planned variation. Presentation of the typefaces Zapfino, Bickham and Champion Script. Comments related to the relevance of digital typefaces simulating calligraphy: conservation, interaction, sharing and increasing appreciation for the calligraphic practice

This dissertation is the first book-length study to analyse the production and patronage of Islamic illuminated manuscripts in late medieval RÅ«m in their fullest cultural contexts and in relation to the arts of the book of neighbouring regions. Although research concerning the artistic landscapes of late medieval Rūm has made significant progress in recent years, the development of the arts of the book and the nature of their patronage and production has yet to be fully addressed. The topic also remains relatively neglected in the wider field of Islamic art history. This thesis considers the arts of the book and the part they played in artistic life within contemporary scholarly frameworks that emphasise inclusivity, diversity and fluidity. Such frameworks acknowledge the period's ethnic and religious pluralism, the extent of cross-cultural exchange, the region's complex political situation after the breakdown in Seljuk rule, and the itinerancy of scholars, Sufis and craftsmen. Analyses are based on the codicological examination of sixteen illuminated Persian and Arabic manuscripts, none of which have been published in depth. In order to appropriately assess the material and to partially redress scholarly emphases on the constituent arts of the book (calligraphy, illumination, illustration and binding), the manuscripts are considered as whole objects. The manuscripts' ample inscriptions also help to form a clearer picture of contemporary artistic life. Evidence from further illuminated and non-illuminated manuscripts and other textual and material primary sources is also examined. Based on this evidence, this dissertation demonstrates that Rūm's towns had active cultural scenes despite the frequent outbreak of hostilities and the absence of an effective centralised government. The lavishness of some manuscripts from this period also challenges the often-assumed connection between dynastic patronage and sophisticated artistic production. Furthermore, the identities and affiliations of those involved in the production and patronage of illuminated manuscripts reinforces the impression of an ethnically and religiously diverse environment and highlights the role that local amīrs and Sufi dervishes in particular had in the creation of such material.

Ce projet propose la contextualisation, la traduction et l'annotation du « Shugai 書概 [Précis de calligraphie] » de Liu Xizai 劉熙載 (1813-1881), esthète, calligraphe, lettré-fonctionnaire et pédagogue de la fin du XIXe siècle. Nous nous pencherons sur la façon d’aborder l’histoire des genres calligraphiques et l’histoire des écoles liées aux grands maîtres ainsi que sur l’esthétique propre à cette pratique de tradition lettrée, perceptible à la façon de juger d’une œuvre et d’exprimer les relations étroites entre le calligraphe et son écriture. Cette réflexion débouchera sur une analyse détaillée des images et des termes pour dire la conception, la réalisation et la réception d'une œuvre. Parmi ces termes, nous analyserons l'emploi des termes d'origine corporelle utilisés dans un cadre critique. Notre corpus textuel est centré sur le « Précis de calligraphie » dont nous proposons une traduction inédite en français, tout en s'ouvrant sur l'ensemble du Précis des arts dont le « Précis de calligraphie » fait partie et sur les traités antérieurs sur lesquels il prend appui. Notre corpus est également visuel et comprend les stèles bei et les estampages de stèles ainsi que les livres de calligraphies modèles tie. Nous pourrons ainsi faire correspondre les descriptions et évaluations esthétiques à la réalité visuelle des œuvres et mieux comprendre comment la pratique et l’art de la calligraphie étaient conçus et présentés à la fin de la Chine impériale, avant la rencontre avec les pratiques et les concepts de l'art occidental. / This project proposes to contextualize, translate and annotate the "Shugai 書概[Synthesis of calligraphy]" written by Liu Xizai 劉熙載 (1813-1881), a thoughtful scholar and calligrapher of the late Qing Dynasty. This treatise is an overview of calligraphic art and terminology of traditional Chinese aesthetic. The “Synthesis of calligraphy” details practices and concepts. It presents the jointure between the key terms of aesthetics and Chinese calligraphy. We will analyse how the history of writing styles and schools are presented and the way a work of art is judged, in its relations to the writter and to the viewer. We will open a discussion on the choice of images and metaphors to speak about the practice of calligraphy and reception of a work of art and how it originates in the specific artistic and aesthetic experience of the scholars in traditional China. Among these key terms, we will seek to analyze those of bodily origin. The core focus is the “Synthesis calligraphy”, that we will thoroughly translate, while engaging the entire Yigai [Treatise on the Arts] from which the “Synthesis of calligraphy” is a part and previous treatises to which it refers. The project also includes visuals: steles (bei) and rubbings of headstones and model calligraphy books (tie). This will allow us to match the descriptions and appreciations of the art pieces with the reality of visual works and to better understand how calligraphic practice and art were conceived and expressed at the end of imperial China before its encounter with Western art.

This report discusses the design, development, and evaluation of a Chinese painting instructional project. The project discussed in this report introduces the novel idea of developing specific calligraphy skills in order to improve Chinese painting skills within a restricted time period (1-3 hours). The results show differences that are statistically significant between the pre and post test paintings created by 23 subjects from both the high school and the university level. The results of the evaluations can be found in the results section of this report. This report consists of a literature review, a project description, a description of the methodology used in the design project, evaluation results, and the full Chinese bamboo painting instructional material named Founding Chinese Bamboo Painting in Calligraphy: The Fourfold Approach (provided in Appendix A).

Luise Schröder founded a private business school in 1910 in Stettin, a city once part of Germany. With a focus on typewriting and stenography, she was a local educator of modern communication. Throughout four generations, her family was impacted by global technological developments and socio-political shifts.‘I Never Learned to Type with Ten Fingers’, edited by Schröder's great-great-grandson and graphic designer Laslo Strong, compiles stories from a family-run school. It delves into the past century of typography, through personal and corporate documents. Pictures, letterheads, graphic prints, signs, and newspaper articles provide insight into a particular corporate identity. In dialogue with this research, a series of typefaces was designed dedicated to the characters of the school. They give voice to anecdotes and speculative stories about family and typography.

中文書法經過了長久歷史的演變，已不單用來記錄事物，儼然成為了一種藝術。從古至今，有眾多書法大家和美學家撰寫書法專書，然而中文書法理論大多講述較抽象的技法，且在相關文獻鮮少之情況下難以具體將美感量化。本論文的目的為以電腦視覺角度解析中文書法筆畫與結構，找出影響書法美觀程度的視覺元素，並加以量化分析，透過機器學習機制，使電腦具有基本的書法鑑賞能力。有別於前人研究，我們提出6種描述整體楷書書法作品美感的特徵，包含排版工整度、字距掌握度、文字偏移程度、文字書寫大小穩定度、筆畫風格一致程度以及筆畫平滑程度。本研究蒐集書法比賽和素人作品共100張，每張皆經由一般母語為中文之受測者的評估，並且將得到的評分作為樣本的標籤，透過SVM辨識3個級別和5個級別的樣本，兩者皆有好的辨識效果。再者，我們將辨識結果轉換成美感分數，亦能真實呼應人工評分。透過我們的研究成果，期望能提供書法初學者在書法創作上的基礎參考標準。 / After a long history of evolution, Chinese calligraphy has transformed from a tool for writing to a unique form of art. Many publications regarding calligraphy writing techniques and appreciation have emerged along the way. Although the theory of Chinese calligraphy aesthetics is profound, it is difficult to define measures to quantify ‘beauty’ or ‘taste’. The objective of this research is to explore and extract relevant visual features for aesthetic evaluation of Chinese calligraphy using computer vision and machine learning techniques. Specifically, we propose six visual features to describe the quality of calligraphy work in Kai style, including layout, word separation, character offset, size regularity, style consistency and stroke uniformity. We then employ support vector machine (SVM) classifier to categorize the work into three or five levels of expertise. In both cases, good recognition results have been achieved. Furthermore, an aesthetic score can be obtained by converting the classification result with weighting factors. We hope that the evaluation result can assist beginners in identifying flaws in their writings and provide constructive suggestions to improve their skills in Chinese calligraphy.

Hongyi (1860-1942) est le maître de l’école bouddhiste appelée « Terre Pure » en Chine moderne. Dans l'histoire du bouddhisme chinois, il est le seul maître bouddhiste qui peut se classer parmi les plus grands calligraphes chinois. Dans l'histoire de la calligraphie chinoise, il est le premier moine-calligraphe qui allie sa foi bouddhiste avec son art calligraphique tout en appliquant des principes de la peinture occidentale à son travail de calligraphie. Son art serve bien sa croyance religieuse et n’est pas indépendent de celle-ci, ce qui est extraordinaire dans l’histoire calligraphique. Il utilise le concept bouddhiste de «une forme sans forme» pour interpréter la calligraphie chinoise, et propose une série de théories calligraphiques bouddhistes pour guider sa pratique. D’ailleurs, sa calligraphie ne sert qu'à retranscrire les textes bouddhistes classiques et contemporains. Ses œuvres illustrent donc l'influence du bouddhisme chinois sur la calligraphie chinoise. Traditionnellement, la dernière œuvre d'un calligraphe est souvent considérée comme son chef-d'œuvre en fonction de deux critères: sa technique et son contenu moral. En outre, quelques-unes des dernières œuvres de grands calligraphes ont survécu. La rareté les rend encore plus précieuses. Bei xin ji jiao («悲欣交集») est la dernière œuvre de Hongyi, qui a été achevée trois jours avant son nirvana. Ce mémoire sera d'étudier et d'analyser l'influence de sa pensée bouddhiste sur le contenu littéraire et la forme artistique de cette œuvre, et d’expliciter qu’elle guide pleinement vers l'état ultime de sa pratique bouddhiste au plus haut niveau de sa calligraphie. / Hongyi (1860-1942) is a Master of Pure Land Buddhism in modern China. In the history of Chinese Buddhism, he is the only Buddhist Master who can rank among the greatest Chinese calligraphers. In the history of Chinese calligraphy, he is the first monk calligrapher who combines his Buddhist faith with his calligraphic art, and applies Western painting principles in his work of calligraphy. His calligraphic art well serves his religious belief, not independent from the latter as it is in most cases in the history. He uses the Buddhist concept of “a form without form” to interpret Chinese calligraphy, and puts forward a series of Buddhist calligraphic theories to guide his practice. Moreover, his calligraphy serves only to transcribe classical and contemporary Buddhist texts. In this sense, his calligraphic work exemplifies the influence of Chinese Buddhism on Chinese calligraphy. Traditionally, the last work of a calligrapher is often considered as his masterpiece according to two standards: its technique and its moral content. Furthermore, few of the last works by great calligraphers have survived. Scarcity makes these works even more valuable. Bei xin jiao ji (“悲欣交集”) is Hongyi’s last calligraphic work, which was completed three days before his nirvana. This thesis will study and analyze the influence of Hongyi’s Buddhist thought on the literary content and artistic form of this work and expounds that his last work fully displays the ultimate state of his Buddhist practice and the highest level of his calligraphy.