Visit the shodo art gallery

Contemporary Buddhist Calligraphy

At the shodo art gallery woman artist
Nadja Van Ghelue showcases
inspiring shodo, beautiful pieces of
Japanese calligraphy and Chinese
calligraphy.

Shodo is essentially an art of
movement. It is the art of giving
life to the brushstroke and endowing
the characters with movement. In
genuine shodo the mind is vividly
present. The saying, 'when the mind
is correct, the brush is correct',
expresses in few words the essence
of shodo. To endow the characters
with life the calligrapher not only
has to train to master the brush
techniques but also even more
important is the training of the mind.
A brush without the right mental
attitude creates superficial characters
that lack strength.

As the Japanese art critic Kitaura says, 'Nature is the very principle
of calligraphic activity, calligraphy is the art of grasping Nature effortlessly'. Shodo is an ongoing process that aims at writing 'naturally'. This is what is called the writing from the heart, when the calligrapher creates from the very depth of her/his being. Nadja Van Ghelue's shodo reflects this continuous search for spontaneous writing.

Timeless art

Her shodo artwork and paintings are deeply rooted in Buddhism and Zen and convey vivid abstract beauty born from a burning enthusiasm for the timeless spiritual power of the brush.

In the course of the years Buddhist teachings became the central theme of her calligraphic work. Especially the Heart Sutra has been one of her preferred shodo sacred texts. She has written the Heart Sutra over and over wherever she was and in different styles. Through this repeated 'molding' the characters acquired an autonomous life and this inner movement is what is captured in her works of art.

Make art the best gift

We hope you enjoy discovering the shodo art gallery. It is our aim to give you a true aesthetic pleasure when looking at this expressive artwork. If you would like to buy a work or commission your very personal calligraphy please click here to contact the artist.

Enjoy! Click on the image or on the link below the image for enlarged view, more information and price of each work.


Avalokiteshvara	Buddha


Form Is Emptiness	Mantra Gate Gate


Heart Sutra	Buddha Nature

Prajna Meditation on Kwanzeon

take a deep breath
and reach out for the one line.
from emptiness bring it
down to the paper
without hesitation.
concentrate your whole being
on writing.
draw the line
and let it go back
to the empty space.
on the white paper
the one line conceals
emptiness.
the way this happens
cannot be put in words.
it can only be seen
with the heart.

Prajnaparamita