Ancient words blossom into modern art

In China, the idea that one's character can be judged by the quality of his or her writing is more than an adage. Sloppy handwriting has felled many a hopeful candidate for the country's notoriously difficult official examinations.

A new exhibition at San Francisco's Asian Art Museum spotlights a form long associated with Chinese elites, who for thousands of years have valued both poetry and the ink strokes in which it's rendered.

Through Jan 13, Out of Character: Decoding Chinese Calligraphy is showcasing 40 calligraphic works borrowed from Yahoo Inc co-founder Jerry Yang and three pieces by US abstract-expressionist painters Brice Marden, Franz Kline and Mark Tobey, who all exhibit Asian influences in their work.