The origin of calligraphy and painting art lies in humanity’s pursuit of spiritual fulfillment, enjoyment, or expression after relatively solving the problem of sustenance. This is unrelated to systems, societal forms, or races. Just as birds sing when joyful and cattle and sheep vocalize when compelled, early humans, besides using speech, singing, gestures, and body language, would also draw and write on mud or sand with branches or stones to express their inner feelings and emotions. This can be considered the earliest form of human emotional expression through art.
Thus, it is evident that the origin of calligraphy and painting art is the expression of true inner feelings, a natural outpouring of emotion, an expression from the heart that requires no pretense or grandstanding, no resorting to obscurity for attention, no feigned sentiments as in needless moaning, and no ulterior motives driven by personal gain.
This is probably the original meaning of calligraphy and painting art, namely the expression of personal emotions.
As humanity has progressed, fine calligraphy and paintings have become beloved and sought after, making them rare and precious, and many attempt to possess them. In reality, due to the scarcity, these items have become valuable and thus have gradually transformed into commodities. This shift from artworks to commodities was not the intention of the artists but is a result of market manipulation.
As time progressed, some calligraphers and painters, seeing the monetary value of their works, began creating with the primary goal of profit. They catered to market demands and preferences, leading to a surge of market-driven artworks. Many of these pieces no longer represent the true emotional expressions of the artists but have become commodities chasing trends and profits.
Throughout human history, there exists another category of calligraphy and paintings, which neither genuinely express emotions nor are created for profit. They are produced solely for the propagation of religious beliefs, to curry favor with the powerful, or due to political coercion. These works lack a living soul, mostly imitative and derivative, devoid of vitality, passion, or creativity, filled with dogmatism and stereotypes, and lacking in liveliness.
Whether it is calligraphy and painting created for the purpose of making money, or those that have become tools for the propagation of certain powers, these works lack genuine emotional expression from the artists, deviating from the true essence of art. Consequently, the artistic value and merit of these pieces are significantly diminished.
