Chapter 4 Section 3 Famous Seal Carvers in Ming and Qing Dynasties

Wen Peng (AD 1498-1573), courtesy name Shoucheng and nickname Sanqiao, was born in Suzhou, Jiangsu.He was an influential painter and calligrapher in the famous Wu School of Painting in the Ming Dynasty, and also the earliest recorded seal carver.Wenpeng's seal seals were mainly based on tooth stamps at first, and later he discovered a kind of Qingtian stone called light steatite with a lower hardness.He had heard that Wang Mian used Qingtian flower milk stone in Zhejiang as a seal material, so he wanted to use light steatite instead of copper and jade, which are difficult to carve, as seal materials. It is more flexible and smooth, and the effect is very good. Since then, seal cutting and seal treatment have become one of his creative activities.Before that, engraving seals was considered to be the manual labor of humble craftsmen. Wen Peng defied social prejudice and made it an elegant artistic creation, and led a group of people with high social status and cultural accomplishment to participate, and opened the A precedent for genre art stamps.

Wen Peng has done in-depth research on philology, advocating that seal cutting should be based on the six scripts as the seal standard, and advocates learning from the seal tradition of Peng Wenpeng, who passed on the writing of Han seal, to correct the inconsistencies in the seal style in the Song and Yuan Dynasties with elegant and solemn methods. The atmosphere of being a jerk.Wen Peng's seal cutting style is recognized as elegant and elegant. The white seals are based on the Han seals, and the Zhu seals are based on the Song and Yuan seals and refer to the small seal structure.He also invented the method of engraving the margin on the side of the seal, engraving the margin of running script with two knives, and signed the creation time and author.This practice was continued by later seal carvers and became a fixed format for seal cutting works.

He Zhen (1515-1604 A.D.) was styled Zhuchen and Changqing, also known as Xueyu.Xin'an people.At first he was famous for painting bamboo.After engaging in seal cutting creation, they have cooperated with Wen Peng for a long time, and together they advocated the six scripts as the criterion for seal cutting. The common theoretical proposition and creative interest made them form the first art school in the history of seal cutting, known as "Wen He" in history. He Zhen is also the founder of the "Wan School", advocating learning from Han seals, and extensively absorbing the artistic features of various seal scripts in the pre-Qin period. Recognized as the "master" of seal cutting.The seals and seals he made are simple and simple, and the rules are fair and natural, especially in the knife technique, he can freely grasp the properties of the knife and stone, and swing the knife straight in, whether it is punching or cutting, it is extremely sharp.The knife marks on the engraved white text are exposed without modification, adding to the vigorous and simple momentum.He made borders, carved running script with a single knife, paid attention to the state of mind of the pen, and strived to create the charm of handwriting.He Zhen's seal cutting works are respected by the contemporary world for their lively and vigorous artistic personality, and have many followers.

Su Xuan (date of birth and death unknown) was named Erxuan and named Surabaya.A native of She[sheshe] County, Anhui Province, he is the backbone of the "Wan School" seal cutting art created by He Zhen.Su Xuan has studied ancient philology for a long time, and his printing methods are widely used in Qin and Han seals and inscriptions on steles.The seal method is natural and vivid, the chapter method absorbs the casting of Chinese seals and the technique of brushing and rushing to the chapter, which is ingenious and clumsy.It is also the first to express the flying and unrestrained brushwork with single-blade cursive script.Su Xuan's works are fast-paced and majestic, forming a bold and vigorous style.

Zhu Jian (date of birth and death unknown) was styled Xiuneng and named Shichen.A native of Xiuning, Anhui.Zhu Jian once devoted himself to the study of ancient seal seals, and has a lot of original ideas on the textual research on ancient seal seals.His seal cutting works also have the charm of ancient sampan seals, forming a style that is different from the world.The characteristic of his seal treatment is to use cursive seals to enter the seal, and use a cutting knife to express the effect of writing pen.He also pioneered the knife-handling method of short knives and chopping knives, which made the printed lines have changes in thickness, weight, and smoothness.Zhu Jian's various attempts on knife techniques have attracted many seal carvers to pay attention to the study of knife techniques, and promoted the formation and completion of seal cutting knife techniques.

Wang Guan (year of birth and death unknown) was originally named Dongyang, with the style name Uncle Gao.Because he got a Han bronze seal with the word "Wang Guan" on one side, he changed his name to Guan and the word Yinzi.A native of She County, Anhui.Wang Guan had in-depth research on Qin and Han seals, and strongly advocated seal cutting to absorb the essence of Qin and Han seals. There were many responders among seal carvers in Ming and Qing dynasties, which played a good role in the healthy development of seal cutting art.Wang Guanzhi's seal method is rigorous, he is good at punching knives, and his knives are stable. His knives have exquisite and neat production aesthetics.Wang Guan's small seal in Baiwen is good at putting together strokes, which is eye-catching for its ingenuity.Because he lived in Loudong, he was called "Loudong School".

Cheng Sui (1605-1691 A.D.) was styled Mu Qian and nicknamed Gou Daoren.A native of She County, Anhui.He was a well-known painter in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties. He was good at landscapes with dry brush and scorched ink.He also has deep knowledge of gold, stone and calligraphy.The era in which Cheng Sui lived was just after the peak of Wen He's seal cutting. Many people engaged in seal cutting learned from the conservative Wen He's style. Cheng Sui worked hard to change the atmosphere of conformity and imitation.His Zhu Wenyin is printed in the ancient Zhongding script, and his knife technique is also very creative. In addition to the commonly used cutting and punching knives, he also uses astringent knives. He absorbs the style of the Warring States bowl seal in the printing edge treatment, and is unique in artistic form. feature.Bai Wenyin draws on the clarity and stability of Hanyin and seeks to express his own artistic personality.The creations of Cheng Sui and his followers promoted the formation of the seal cutting style in the Kangyong period of the early Qing Dynasty.Its characteristic is that the structure of seal script is neat and compact, and the standardization shows a kind of grace and elegance.He was promoted as the founder of "Hui Pai".

Ding Jing (1695-1765 A.D.) was named Jingshen, named Yanlin and Dunding.People from Qiantang, Zhejiang.He lived in the Qianlong era when the printing style was pretentious and beautiful. In order to reverse the popular aesthetic customs, he advocated starting from two aspects: seal script and knife technique.It is believed that the style of the printed script is different from that of the seal script, because it is suitable for printing, and the style of the script should be processed according to the content and layout of the printed text.Therefore, it is necessary to broadly absorb the creations of past generations of seals, and not to "stick to the laws of the Han family". On the basis of intensive research on the seals of past dynasties, he added the brushwork of official script to create a fresh, simple and unpretentious style of printing.In terms of knife technique, Zhu Jian used pure cutting knife to express the charm of writing brush, so as to use knife instead of pen to express the frustrating and flowing gesture of writing brush, so that the printed lines are simple and strong, with the charm of "iron pen".The work is very bookish, with a simple and vigorous style.Ding Jing's achievements in the art of seal cutting had a great influence on the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas where he was active, centered on Hangzhou and Yangzhou.His followers formed a strong lineup of seal characters, which is called "Zhe School" according to their native place.Jiang Ren, Huang Yi, Xi Gang, Chen Yuzhong, Chen Hongshou, Zhao Cixian, Qian Song and other seal engravers who followed were called the "Eight Masters of Xiling".Zhejiang school seal carvers have different artistic personalities and styles of works, but they influence each other and learn from each other in creation. They have extensive research in philology, pay attention to learning traditions, and are full of creative spirit. form common characteristics.Since the formation of the Zhejiang School in the Qianlong and Jiaqing periods of the Qing Dynasty, it has been passed down from generation to generation and has been active for nearly 200 years.Up to now, there is still "Xiling Yinshe" in Hangzhou, which develops the seal cutting art of Zhejiang School.

Deng Shiru (1743-1805 A.D.) was first named Yan [yanyan], and his characters were Shiru and Uncle.A native of Xiuning, Anhui.Deng Shiru lived in a poor intellectual family.Out of school when he was young, he learned calligraphy with his father in his spare time.When I was young, I got a chance to get close to ancient inscriptions and books on inscriptions on inscriptions on inscriptions and inscriptions, so I copied them assiduously for several years.Each type of inscription has been copied more than a hundred times, so that he has a solid foundation in philology and calligraphy.His achievements in Zhen, Cao, Zhuan and Li scripts were called the first in Qing Dynasty by critics at that time.In the creation of seal cutting, he advocates "seeking seal outside the seal". With solid seal script skills, he absorbs the seal method of Han steles and integrates the brushwork of official script to form his own unique seal style.Deng Shiru is good at using punching knives, and his knives are stable, and he pursues the expression of writing with knives instead of pens. The edge engravings, regardless of seal, official, cursive, and lines, can be combined with knives freely, and his heart and hand are in harmony.Calligraphy and knife techniques in his printed works complement each other, and have the beauty of smoothness. You can not only appreciate them as smart and imposing seals, but also appreciate the charm of calligraphy works.The layout is changing and colorful, with a new look.Wei Jiasun commented on Deng Shiru that "books come in from the seal, and prints come out from the book". This can be used as a comment on the inner meaning of Deng Shiru's calligraphy and seal cutting works, and it is also a summary of his exploration of the successful path in the art of calligraphy and seal cutting.The huge art group led by Deng Shiru and his two generations of disciples made the "Deng School" seal cutting art powerful and influential, making Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions the most developed area of ​​Chinese seal cutting art.

Wu Xizai (AD 1799-1870) styled Rangzhi, was born in Yizheng, Jiangsu.He is the descendant of "Deng School" seal cutting.His achievements in seal cutting enabled the "Deng School" art to continue to flourish more than half a century after Deng Shiru's death.Like Deng Shiru, Wu Xizai also has a profound attainment in four-body calligraphy, so he can practice Deng Shiru's creative idea of ​​"seeking seals outside the seal", combine his own seal script style with seal printing, and learn Deng Shiru's punching knife on the basis of learning. The cutting knife is sharpened, leaving knife marks on the printed surface, which is intentionally extended and enriches the expressive force of the "Deng School" technique.His works retain Deng Shiru's style of flowing and stretching, pay attention to the contrast of density and density in layout, and have many artistic and ingenious treatments, which make the writing more meaningful, graceful, simple and three-dimensional, and are highly praised by people.His artistic achievements gave birth to a generation of seal cutting masters such as Wu Changshuo and Huang Shiling in the late Qing Dynasty.

Zhao Zhiqian (1829-1884 A.D.) had a pseudonym [huihui] uncle, a name of mourning [an'an], and no boredom.People from Shaoxing, Zhejiang.He was a creative calligrapher and painter in the late Qing Dynasty, who created the freehand flower painting method.He also made groundbreaking contributions to the art of seal cutting.Zhao Zhiqian learned from Deng Shiru in seal cutting. He learned from his predecessors, not imitating the form, technique, and style, but working hard to develop creative experience.He was deeply inspired by Deng Shiru's "seeking seals outside India", and integrated his knowledge of inscription calligraphy and epigraphy into the ink painting activities of freehand flower and bird paintings.At that time, textual research on gold and stone was very popular. Zhao Zhiqian extensively collected Han mirrors, coins, imperial edicts, bronze inscriptions, and seal inscriptions on Han steles as materials for his method. Instead of shortening and rewriting the version, it takes its strength and charm and integrates it into its own artistic language.He regards the artistic techniques accumulated by predecessors as a reference for his creations, and strives to gather the strengths of all the methods, and he is not bound by the housekeeping techniques of a certain school when creating.In order to express the pen and ink charm of calligraphy and painting brushes when printing, he alternately used the knife techniques of various schools.Make the work style fresh and unique.There are also some new techniques in the engraving of side stamps, such as the integration of Han portraits, statues of the Six Dynasties, and the verve of Wei stele calligraphy into the stamp, which further enhances the ornamental value of the seal.Zhao Zhiqian's spirit of independent exploration and daring to create and his achievements in seal cutting art have improved the aesthetic taste of seal cutting art and had a profound impact on the development of seal cutting art. Wu Changshuo (1844-1927 A.D.) was originally named Jun and Junqing, with the characters Changshuo and Cangshi, and his nicknames were Foulu and Kutie.A native of Anji, Zhejiang, he is an outstanding artist in modern times.He has made remarkable achievements in painting, calligraphy and seal art, and is a master of a generation.Wu Changshuo started his painting creation activities after he became a calligrapher and seal cutter. His freehand flower painting method is based on his cultivation in calligraphy and seal cutting, and is considered to be rich in gold and stone charm.At the same time, his success in seal cutting art is also closely related to absorbing the artistic characteristics of painting.Wu Changshuo's seal cutting creations combine his knowledge in stone drum writing, sealing clay, tiles, steles, etc., with the majestic opening momentum of freehand flowers, giving the works a majestic and majestic style.The knife technique is also boldly created, using the characteristics of the self-made obtuse cutting knife, melting knife, and punching knife as the knife technique of cutting in the middle, and the knife is sharp and accurate, resulting in a unique artistic effect.He also paid attention to the treatment of the edge of the seal, absorbing the interest of sealing mud, and when examining the artistic effect of the seal surface, he knocked off the damage and hit the edge to enhance the closing or opening and closing effect in the composition.Wu Changshuo created the realm of bold and unrestrained beauty in seal cutting art, enriching and improving the expressive force of seal cutting art.He advocated that the art of seal cutting should "do not try hard for strength, do not show off appearance for flattery", pursue simplicity and nature, pay attention to the calligraphic connotation of seal cutting art, and created a simple and simple style of seal cutting. Huang Shiling (1849-1908 A.D.) was named Mufu, and his name was Yi (yiyi) Shanren.A native of Yi County, Anhui.A meticulous flower and bird painter in the late Qing Dynasty.His paintings have an elegant and tranquil artistic conception of pastoral style, and he has made decades of diligent exploration in the art of seal cutting.Wu Xizai, the first teacher, pursued the artistic conception of "seeking seals outside the seal". In addition to copying various seal scripts from ancient gold and stone inscriptions, he also absorbed artistic nutrients from ancient seals and famous seals.Sealing is done with inscriptions on bells and tripods, and the rules are smooth and natural. The punching knife is used to express the smoothness of the lines of the seal script, and the knife is clean and precise.Advocate careful creation with artistic conception and artistic skills, and strongly advocate not to use unexpected effects such as knocking on edges and corners as a means of modifying the printed surface, so as to prevent loss of madness.His seal cutting works are elegant and elegant in plainness and simplicity, with natural and implicit beauty.At that time, the strong and vigorous printing style prevailed in the printing circle, just like a warm spring breeze, which was refreshing.After Huang Shiling was 50 years old, he returned to his hometown with a closed environment. Therefore, his artistic reputation is far less than that of the contemporary seal carvers, but his contribution to the art of seal cutting is indelible. Qi Baishi (AD 1863-1957) was named Huang, and his nickname was Bensheng and Azhi.A native of Changsha, Hunan.Famous modern painters.Qi Baishi's achievements in painting have won him the honor of People's Artist and World Cultural Celebrity.In his self-assessment of artistic achievements, he once rated "poetry first, seal cutting second, calligraphy third, and painting fourth".He believes that his achievement in seal cutting art is above painting.As far as inventiveness is concerned, this assessment is quite insightful.Qi Baishi realized from Deng Shiru, Zhao Zhiqian, and Wu Changshuo's successful paths that they all sought breakthroughs in seal and knife techniques, thus forming a unique artistic style.Combining his own creative personality, he absorbed the essence of seal script from "Tianfa God's Prophecy Stele" and "Sangong Mountain Stele", forming a majestic, unrestrained and magnificent seal script style.In terms of knife skills, the characteristics of superior wrist strength are exerted, the blunt knife is punched, the knife is like a pen, the knife is sure, and it is done in one go.When engraving white text with a single knife, once the knife is engraved, the stone will collapse, showing the charm of using the pen to expand the ink.His seal cutting works have the potential to expand in a square inch, creating a majestic and beautiful style, and making a groundbreaking contribution to the development of seal cutting.