A liquid crystal apparatus includes a liquid crystal device having a group of scanning lines and a group of signal lines intersecting each other to form a matrix of picture elements, and a chiral smectic liquid crystal disposed so as to form the picture elements. The device is driven by: (a) applying a scanning selection signal and a scanning non-selection signal to the scanning lines, the scanning selection signal comprising a voltage of one polarity and a voltage of the other polarity, respectively with reference to a voltage level of the scanning non-selection signal, (b) applying a data signal having a voltage determined according to an environmental temperature for causing one orientation state of the chiral smectic liquid crystal selectively to the signal lines in a period of applying the voltage of one polarity to a scanning line and applying a data signal having a voltage determined according to an environmental temperature for causing another orientation state of the chiral smectic liquid crystal selectively to the signal lines in a period of applying the voltage of the other polarity to the scanning line, and (c) periodically applying the scanning selection signal to the scanning lines.