Calligraphy manifests the basic characteristics of all Chinese arts. In Western fine arts, architecture and sculpture are the basis of the other formative, or visual, arts. In China, however, calligraphy and painting are leaders of the other art forms. When calligraphy and painting are mentioned together, calligraphy always comes before painting, although calligraphy is closely associated with traditional Chinese painting. The theories about handling brush and ink are similar in calligraphy writing and traditional Chinese picture drawing. Ancient Chinese sculpture was also influenced by calligraphy in that its defining characteristic lay in the composition of lines, and its decorative function is derived from the Zhuan (seal characters) and li(official characters) scripts in Chinese calligraphy. Chinese architecture adheres to the calligraphic rules of symmetry and balance, and the design of Chinese gardens, pavilions and temples all reflect the structural rules and rhythms of calligraphy. The development of Chinese handicrafts and folk arts, too, have been influenced by calligraphy to some extent. Thus we can see that calligraphy is the soul of Chinese fine arts.
Formative arts are composed of visible factors. The smallest visible units are dots, and moving dots form lines. Calligraphy is an organic composition of dots and lines. The moving lines form a surface; the organic composition of dots, lines and surfaces form the painting. The moving surfaces form the body, the basic composition of sculpture, architecture and some other art forms.
