Great is the benefit of books

"Great is the benefit of books. They are the source of wisdom", addressed Russian tsar Vladimir the Monomakh his people. Could this great chronicler even suppose that one thousand years later we would still read his "Edifications"?

One of the aims of MVK International Exhibition Company is to keep and restore beautiful traditions of the past. MVK is initiating original and unconventional projects like Mobile Polar Museum, Still higher and higher and higher, and the project marking the 70th anniversary of Valery Chkalov′ s flight.

On February 15 MVK introduced one more unusual project: The International Calligraphic Exhibition. This exhibition will lay the foundation for further exhibitions, for calligraphy unites many art forms: painting, architecture, sculpture, dance, photography, cinema and design; it is also akin to oratory and the art of communication which become highly important for businesses today. To conduct business is impossible without communication, eloquence and reliable partners popular with the colleagues and employees. In China they say: "Show me your handwriting and I will tell you who you are". Handwriting is a kind of the human soul′ s cardiogram. It reflects character, intelligence and attitude to work. Literate people capable of neat and clear handwriting have always been respected. A long time ago people started to write historical chronicles. First records of the past appeared in China in the 1st century AD. Producing hieroglyphics were then considered to be fine art. A person capable of it was treated as an artist. In the Middle Ages calligraphic scripts covered architectural models, paintings and decorative art objects. A well educated man had to be well versed in calligraphy. Thus, apart from the elements of sciences children were taught poetry, music, painting and calligraphy.

As for Russia, the first Russian calligraphers were monks writing chronicles and important historical documents. Due to their efforts today we can read the Tale of Bygone Years, Lay of Igor′ s Warfare, Edifications by Vladimir the Monomakh and others. A handwritten script in Russia was the source of the arts. Books were written on parchment and every letter was detached from another. Conjoint writing appeared first in the 15th century alongside with the first printing presses. But the art of accurate and fine handwriting invented in China still existed. Every historical epoch is characterized by its own writing style and layout.

This MVK project is aimed at the promotion of literacy and the respect for Russian history. Calligraphy, the art of artful handwriting and text layout and the art of writing oratory is to connect various epochs and national cultures with the present day. I wish the theme of calligraphy were treated differently in the world of high technologies and advanced industries. I wish young Russians would learn to appreciate the beauty of calligraphy during their lessons.

"Appreciate all the good you can do and that, which you cannot do, study it", advised Vladimir the Monomakh to his contemporaries and also us, who are living now.

Source: Irina Gorskaya

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