“Black has generally been worn for a long time past that it is not always easy to distinguish between those who are in mourning and those who are not. It is an economical dress and imparts an air of refinement where it would otherwise be…

“Abstraction lies at the very heart of Chinese painting and calligraphy. Because the brush mark, in addition to performing a descriptive or semantic role, has always been recognized as a record of the artist’s hand, both painting and calligraphy have been valued for their abstract…