Black Marks and Re-Formed Characters

Calligraphy scrolls can be read as text provide the viewer knows the language—but can also be seen as graphic art. The great variety of styles of writing characters used in both Chinese and Japanese is sometimes difficult for even native speakers to decipher. Yet the visual interest of the calligraphy still arrests the eye.

Deciphering calligraphy for its meaning is hugely satisfying. At the same time, the surface pattern of the brushstrokes, the thing an innocent eye relates to, has interest and beauty on its own.

Post-WWII avant-garde Japanese artists sought to emphasize this in abstract calligraphic works where the powerful visual impact of the brushwork was in fact the point.

How can non-readers approach and appreciate such scrolls?