Calligraphy

Calligraphy in Japanese culture is called shodō, and is done as an art form. It is art of writing words or phrases in Japanese in a stylistic manner. Ma plays an integral role in this art form. As described by Tudorica in their paper "‘Emptiness’ and ‘Nothingness’ as Key Elements to Conveying and Understanding Meaning in Japanese Calligraphy", they explain that the "correct" way to write these characters, with the accompanying art holding a transcendent meaning (Tudorica, 2023). The visual component in this is the white space of the paper mixed with the black of the ink. The act of painting in this calligraphy extends to the paper, as artists must continue their strokes after they have taken their brush off of the paper, essentially extending the motion onto the whites of the paper. This is the negative space inhabited my Ma, it is both emptiness and wholeness in the art of calligraphy (Tudorica, 2023).