LONDON, ENGLAND.- The British Museum presents "Brushes with Surprise: The Art of Calligraphy in Modern China", on view through May 19, 2002. Picasso once said that had he been born Chinese, he would have been a calligrapher, not a painter. The attractions of the art that so fascinated him are clearly visible in this exhibition which contains nearly fifty highlights from the collection of modern Chinese calligraphy that the Museum has assembled over the past decade. A collection that is unmatched by any museum in the world. The exhibition offers a colorful and unexpected insight into the art and people of modern China. Calligraphy has changed more in the past 50 years than in the past 1,500, recent extraordinary upheavals and reforms have encouraged a new vitality in this art form. In addition, changes in both Western and Chinese aesthetics and especially developments in abstract art and the increasing influence that Western art has had on many Chinese calligraphers, has made calligraphy more approachable for a modern audience. The styles range from classical through modern to neo-classical and the avant garde. The techniques used are eye-catching, with results ranging from the elegant to the dramatic. The content, too, has become easier to understand and modern Chinese calligraphy has developed as a dynamic and effective vehicle for personal expression, with feelings often being conveyed far more directly than in recent centuries. Calligraphy has become a vehicle for satire and social commentary Pu Lieping's work The Future is Bright, But... skilfully uses subtle symbols to express optimism about economic developments but also voices environmental concerns. Li Luogong's The Indomitable Soul ( using a poem written by Emperor Cao Cao in the 2nd century AD ), tested Mao Zedong's patience but the artist felt it reflected his own determination to continue in his work, in spite of the wrongs he had suffered. The exhibition also contains humorous pieces such as Huang Miaozi's The Gentleman Scholar, as well as some beautiful poetry. All the leading Chinese calligraphers of the past half century are represented, including both Mao Zedong, the leader of the Chinese Communist revolution who was also a highly talented calligrapher, and Gu Gan, the first Chinese artist to be invited to follow in the footsteps of Picasso and Matisse and provide a label for the grand cru wine of Chateau Mouton Rothschild.