Four Friends of the Study
- Jan 17, 2021
- 2 min read
KFHSS planned to host an event at the regional library to allow people to try traditional ink calligraphy. Unfortunately, our plans were canceled due to the global pandemic, but we still wanted to share our research of the Four Friends of the Study.
The Four Friends of the Study, also sometimes known as the Four Treasures of the Study, refers to the brush, ink stick, paper, and ink stone used in East Asian calligraphic traditions. These are the four elements used in traditional calligraphy and art.
The ink sticks are mainly made from soot and animal glue (Wikipedia). Incense and medicinal scents are sometimes added to the stick to improve the physical look and scent of the inkstick. As decoration, the ink sticks have writing, small paintings, or bas relief on them (Wikipedia). When the ink stick is ground together with the ink stone, a small part of the ink scraps off, and water is added to create usable ink. Traditionally, these ink sticks carry black ink, but more recently, some ink sticks are made with color. Some artists and calligraphers may vary the concentration of the ink to fit their preference.
The brush’s handle is made from bamboo and the fibers are made from animal hair (Wikipedia). Each Asian country varies the brush hairs, but different types of animal hairs hold different amounts of ink in them. Typically, the stiffness can be altered by changing the length and volume of the hair. By changing the stiffness and type of brush hairs, the brushes are created with different purposes in mind for art and calligraphy.
The ink stone is a stone plate used to grind up the ink stick and mix it with water to produce the ink itself. When the ink stick is ground up, particles of soot are left on the stone as a powder to be formulated into ink. This stone is sometimes carved with traditional East Asian art elements as decoration.
Initially, Bamboo sticks, slips, and silks were used in place of paper, but later the invention of paper quickly replaced these Bamboo materials. The particular type of paper that was created traditionally was smooth and moth resistant for longevity. The processing method determines the quality of the paper because processed paper could easily resist absorption for clearer lines while unprocessed paper is more absorbent and malleable (Wikipedia).
These four members make up the Four Treasures of the Study in traditional East Asian calligraphy and art. If you are interested in what techniques are used in Korean traditions, you can check out these videos:
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