Considered one of the masters of modern Chinese calligraphy, Wei Ligang paints ink renderings of Chinese characters that often morph into abstraction. Displaying the influences of both Western abstraction and the Chinese calligraphic tradition, Wei uses the impulsive gestures of expressionism—in ink that ranges in density from solid black to pale gray—but his characters remain rooted in the square structures that form the basis of calligraphy. Wei trained as a mathematician, and many of his works are based on “Wei Squares,” a formula drawn from the square framework printed on the practice paper used by students of calligraphy.