Calligraphic Art and Seal Art of Chinese Character

The Art of Chinese Characters

Chinese Characters are an art form in their own right. However, the actual artistry of their designs is best expressed through calligraphy, in their use in fine-art and their use in the creation of seals. They have a particular charm that is unique among all of the written characters used around the world.

Chinese Characters originated from drawings. Their square forms provide a beautiful abstract representation of all the natural things around us, such as the sky, the earth, mountains, and rivers. They also offer valuable insight into the thinking and creativity of the Chinese people.

The Calligraphic Art of Chinese Characters

The calligraphic art of Chinese Characters is a unique type of line art that is capable of expressing profound emotions and of manifesting profound artistic ideas. It is an art form that brings Chinese Characters “to life” and which fully reveals the beauty and fascination of their designs.

1) A Line Art that Expresses Emotions

Put simply, Chinese calligraphy is the art of writing Chinese Characters using writing brushes. It is a way of expressing emotions through the creation of Chinese Characters.

The fact that the linear structure of Chinese Characters is derived from drawings lays a solid foundation for the calligraphy of Chinese Characters. In ancient times, there was a saying that “calligraphy and paintings have the same origin.” Today, people still believe that calligraphy and paintings are interlinked, as they both use lines to reflect the natural world. Calligraphy is seen as a way of “drawing” characters and, conversely, drawing is considered as a way of “writing” paintings. The beauty of the calligraphy of Chinese Characters lies in the beauty of the lines that are used. Chinese Characters are composed of strokes that are represented by lines. Their form and meaning depend on the interplay of these lines with each other and the space around them. However, a skilled calligraphic artist can also make the lines of Chinese Characters express a wide variety of emotions. Generally speaking, thick and heavy lines are powerful, thin and light lines are graceful; rounded and smooth lines make people feel happy, and sere or pausal lines make people feel worried or distressed. The expression of emotions using abstract lines is a striking feature of Chinese calligraphy that differentiates it from other forms of character writing. It is therefore not surprising that Picasso, a Spanish drawing master, said, “if I were born in China, I would certainly become a calligrapher instead of an oil painter.”

2) Chinese Calligraphic Art has a long History

The first works of Chinese calligraphic art were made some 3,000 years ago when the people of the Shang Dynasty cut Jiaguwen characters onto tortoise shells and animal bones with the point of a knife. Later, each Chinese dynasty achieved different degrees of calligraphic excellence and produced countless beautiful calligraphic works. These included Jinwen on bronze ware, the Xiaozhuan carved on stones during the Qin Dynasty, the Lishu wrote on bamboo and wooden slips during the Han Dynasty, and the Kaishu, Xingshu, and Caoshu engraved on stone tablets or written on paper in subsequent eras. Generally speaking, Kaishu and Xingshu are the most important forms of Chinese calligraphy.

As Chinese calligraphy developed, so many outstanding calligraphers emerged. They included artists such as Li Si who was good at Xiaozhuan, the “calligraphy master” Wang Xizhi, the “four Kaishu masters” Yan Zhenqing, Liu Gongquan, Ouyang Xun and Zhao Mengfu and the “Caoshu master” Zhang Xu.

People have long celebrated the work of Wang Xizhi of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420) and Yan Zhenqing of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). The characters drawn by him were pretty and fluent while the characters of Yan Zhenqing were vigorous and majestic. Based on the work of these two artists, two leading schools of Chinese calligraphy came into being. Although these two schools have different styles, their practitioners all express thoughts and emotions through the art of calligraphy, so demonstrating that a calligraphy is an art form that can convey joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness.

3) Wonderful Artistic Visions

As we know, the pictographic elements of Chinese Characters originated from drawings. These elements have meaning and beauty that has fired the imaginations of countless artists and calligraphers over the ages and which has, therefore, inspired the creation of many incredible works of art of the highest quality. Phonetic words do not have this power to inspire in such a direct way.

One example of how Chinese Characters have inspired artists is the character “山 shan (mountain).” It has a simple form with only three strokes. But under the pen of Mi Fu (1051-1107), a great calligrapher during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), it was made to look like an ink painting of high mountains. In his rendition of the character, its three vertical strokes are very powerful and strong, and they look like three mountain peaks rising tall and straight. You need to look at the character to appreciate its beauty and the artistic vision behind it. Mi Fu was also a great painter. He often painted mountains and had a deep feeling for them. One can, therefore, certainly say that he drew the character “山” to represent the vision of the grand and majestic mountain that he held in his mind. From the artistry of his work, we can also deduce that Mi Fu used his brush pen to reveal his love of mountains. Overall, it is not difficult to see why, when we look at Mi Fu’s calligraphy, we feel as though we are admiring a Chinese landscape painting. The pictographic elements of Chinese Characters provide calligraphers with plenty of inspiration. Take the rendition of the Caoshu character “缚 fu (bind)” created by Mao Zedong (1893-1976), a modem calligrapher and poet. This character “缚” was written in one fluid action. It is vigorous and lively, and its continuous strokes look like a big woven net. Using the power of his artistic imagination, the calligrapher made full use of the form and meaning of the character “缚” and wrote it with a bold and generous spirit and a beautiful calligraphic style. We can thoroughly appreciate the feeling of force and beauty that he meant to portray.

4) Special Calligraphy Tools 

Chinese calligraphy is a unique art that uses a brush-pen. Whether practicing or learning this art, it is vital to have the correct tools for the job. These are brush-pens, ink, an inkstone, and paper. These are affectionately known as the “four treasures in the study.” These calligraphy tools have a significant effect on the form, features, and impact of a piece of calligraphy. There would be no Chinese calligraphy if it were not for these tools. Equally, there would be no fine calligraphic art if artists did not take the time to gain expertise in their use.

Famous Calligraphic Treasures

Chinese calligraphic art features all of the different forms of Chinese Characters, including Jiaguwen, Jinwen, Xiaozhuan, Lishu, Kaishu, Xingshu and Caoshu. Therefore a study of the calligraphy of Chinese Characters is an excellent way to learn about the artistic features of each of these character types, alongside the general development of calligraphy itself. In short, the beauty and charm of Chinese Characters can be discovered through an appreciation of the calligraphic treasures that feature them.

1) "For Capturing Deer,” a Treasure of Jiaguwen Calligraphy

Jiaguwen marked the beginning of Chinese calligraphic art, although it was not done as an art form as such, but as a way of recording information.

One example of the artistry of Jiaguwen calligraphy can be found on a precious piece of cattle bone engraved during the reign of the Emperor of the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC). The words on the bone are divination made before the Emperor went on a hunt. The divination message was: “殼,贞: 今日我其狩？狩获擒鹿五十又六,” which means: Qiao, zhen ren (name of an official position in the Shang Dynasty), divined and asked, “Will I (the Emperor of the Shang Dynasty) hunt smoothly today?” During the subsequent hunting trip, 56 deer were captured. This large number of deer indicates the massive scale of hunting undertaken by the Emperor. It also shows that the ecology of the lower reach of the Yellow River must have been in good health 3,000 years ago.

The Jiaguwen characters in the divination message were carved on the cattle bone with the point of a knife. Thus their strokes are thin, rigid, straight and protuberant and the characters themselves are outstanding. Calligraphers have described the way in which they were written as being ''powerful enough to penetrate the medium”. Regarding structure, the characters are mostly square, symmetrical and harmonious despite being of different sizes. Regarding layout, the characters are arranged in straight lines in a vertical direction but irregularly in a horizontal direction. Such “scatter and mixture” design has real beauty. The most wonderful element carved on the cattle bone is the pictographic character ‘‘(鹿),” which is used to represent the beautiful antlers of the deer that were being hunted.

2) The Sanshi Plate Inscription, a Treasure of Jinwen Calligraphy

The Jinwen inscribed on bronze ware during the Shang (1600-1046 BC), and Zhou (1046-256 BC) Dynasties has a pure calligraphic beauty. (Jinwen appeared in the Shang Dynasty and reached its peak in the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046 -771 BC).

The Sanshi Plate of the later period of the Western Zhou Dynasty is inscribed with 357 characters on its underside. It has the second-longest inscription of any piece of ancient bronze ware yet found. The inscription itself records a land dispute between two princely states under the control of the Emperor of the Zhou Dynasty. The characters in the inscription were inscribed in a grotesquely skewed and scattered way. They are made up of unconstrained, vigorous and straightforward strokes. They are grouped tightly together and arranged in straight lines in a vertical direction and irregularly in a horizontal direction. Jinwen was inscribed, and thus their strokes are generous and mellow (in total contrast to the thin, rigid and straight Jiaguwen that were carved with the point of a knife). The calligraphic style of Jinwen can be categorized as either “comely and mellow” or “simple and vigorous.” The calligraphy of the Sanshi Plate Inscription belongs to the latter category. This style of calligraphy is trendy, and many people learning calligraphy copy the Sanshi Plate Inscription (before moving on to learn Xiaozhuan calligraphy).

3) The Yishan Carved Stone, a Treasure of Xiaozhuan Calligraphy

Having united China, Emperor Qinshihuang led a caravan of carts and horses and set out to visit seven crucial places around his kingdom. At each one he set up a stone stele praising his merits. Li Si wrote the inscriptions on these styles in the Xiaozhuan style. The Yishan Carved Stone was one of them.

The original Yishan Carved Stone was destroyed before the Tang Dynasty. However, rubbings were made of the original stone inscription, which we can still see and appreciate today. The layout of the inscription is a rectilinear grid of straight vertical and horizontal lines. The form and structure of the characters are regular, symmetrical, balanced and harmonious. The upper part of each of the characters is close while their lower parts are loose. The strokes of the characters are rounded, fluent and consistently thick. They show the beauty of the character’s curves. Generally, calligraphy that features Xiaozhuan characters has these characteristics. Although Xiaozhuan was quickly replaced by Lishu, its forms and lines have become popular amongst calligraphy lovers in later generations, and, today, Xiaozhuan characters are still used in calligraphy works and seals.

4) The Stele of Sacrificial Vessels, a Treasure of Lishu Calligraphy

Lishu calligraphy reached its peak in the inscriptions that were made on steles in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25—220). These works are in a diverse range of styles. Some are simple and sturdy, some solemn but deeply attractive, some steady and elegant and some unrestrained.

The Stele of Sacrificial Vessels is a representative work of Lishu calligraphy. It records the decoration of the Confucius Temple in Qufu and the fabrication of sacrificial vessels and has a solemn but lovely style.

The forms of its characters are oblong, and they have a tight structure, their strokes have clear waves and extend outwards, which gives them a full grandeur. The horizontal strokes of the characters are thin, rigid and vigorous while the strokes that rise upward are thick and heavy, which gives the whole work a beautiful vigor and rhythm.

The Stele of Sacrificial Vessels had a huge impact on later works regarding its artistic features. Its direct influence can be seen in the Stele of Preface of Holy Doctrine at the foot of the Dayan Tower, which is a famous Kaishu work from the Tang Dynasty. Many calligraphers in the Qing Dynasty loved the Stele of Sacrificial Vessels and praised it as the “No.l Stele of the Han Dynasty.”

5) Yan’s Qinli Stele, a Treasure of Kaishu Calligraphy

Kaishu is the most typical type of Chinese calligraphy. Kaishu calligraphy reached a zenith in the Tang Dynasty when the work of Ouyang Xun, Yan Zhenqing, Liu Gongquan and other famous Kaishu calligraphers started to appear.

Yan Zhenqing created a magnificent style of calligraphy that had square characters and thick and heavy strokes. In later years this was called “Yan Style” calligraphy. “Yan Style” has a generous and elegant beauty and is relatively easy to leam as it uses features that ordinary people use to write Chinese Characters. This style of calligraphy has had an enormous influence on the art form in China.

Yan Qinli Stele is a famous work from Yan Zhenqing’s later years. It is a beautiful example of the majestic and solemn Kaishu style. Its characters are square and full and look majestic but not clumsy. Their horizontal strokes are thin, while their dots and their vertical, left-falling and right-falling strokes are thick, which provides a very obvious juxtaposition of stroke styles. The characters have rounded strokes in which straight lines are mixed with curves. Each has a compelling beauty and seems to “extend outwards.” Works like this from Yan Zhenqing’s later years are described as having a “generous beauty and majesty” that is filled with power, which is the typical style of the “Yan Style.” The Yan Qinli Stele is an outstanding Kaishu work and provides an excellent example from which to learn this type of calligraphy.

6) Lan Ting Xu, a Treasure of Xingshu Calligraphy

Wang Xizhi was a great calligrapher from the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317- 420), who was honored as “the master of calligraphy” in ancient China. The Lan Ting Xu is the most famous of Wang Xizhi’s calligraphy works using Xingshu characters, and it has been honored as the “No.l running-hand work in all the world.”

In the spring of the ninth year of Yonghe, during the Eastern Jin Dynasty (353 AD), Wang Xizhi had a party with his friends in Lan Ting. At this party, everyone was drinking and writing poems, with the aim of collecting them into an anthology. During this party, Wang Xizhi wrote an extemporaneous preface for the poetry anthology—this was the Lan Ting Xu. There are 28 lines and 324 characters in the Lan Ting Xu. There is much to appreciate in this work. Its Xingshu characters are vigorous, graceful and fluent, and easily convey the happy romantic charm and the excited emotions of the writer. The whole piece has great artistic integrity, and the thin and thick strokes of its characters have a flowing beauty. Within the piece, each character is beautifully drawn. What’s more, each repeated character is drawn uniquely. For example, there are 20 “之 (zhi)” characters in the whole preface which all vary in form and style. It is said that Wang Xizhi himself liked the work very much, and wrote it another 100 times after the party. However, none of these copies could compare with the natural beauty of the original work.

The Lan Ting Xu was greatly prized during the Tang Dynasty and was transcribed by many calligraphers at the time. It is said that the original work was buried in the mausoleum of Li Shimin, the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty who is known to have loved Wang Xizhi’s calligraphy.

7) The Four Ancient Poems, a Treasure of Caoshu Calligraphy

Zhang Xu was a famous Caoshu calligrapher of the Tang Dynasty. The Four Ancient Poems is representative of his work and is the only extant, authentic Kuangcao work that has been recognized as a national treasure in China. People admire Zhang Xu’s cursive-hand work very much and call him “the master of the cursive hand.”

The Four Ancient Poems is an artistic feast. Its lively and vigorous characters show a great majesty and have strokes that are connected fluently and naturally. The changes that can be seen in the forms of the characters throughout the piece are also very intriguing. In some places, two characters seem to be one, while in the other one character appears to be two (this can make it difficult for people who are not familiar with Caoshu to understand the writing).

Kuangcao is an art form through which calligraphers can release their passions. It is said that Zhang Xu liked drinking very much and that each time he was drunk, he would write Caoshu while shouting. Sometimes he would use his hair to write rather than a writing brush, and sometimes he was so drunk that, when he sobered up, he would not know how he created his wonderfully unrestrained art.

Kuangcao is a pure calligraphic art that dispenses with the readability of Chinese Characters and concentrates on the beauty of lines and the expression of emotions. It can produce works of an extremely high artistic value and impact.

Commercial-art Chinese Characters

Chinese Characters used in commercial art are designed in such a way that their visual beauty and the decorative effect is maximized. Han pictographic characters paved the way for the creation of commercial-art Chinese Characters.

Commercial-art Chinese Characters are used to beautify many printed things in China. The upper- and lower-case printed characters in Chinese newspapers, magazines, and books are all examples of commercial-art Chinese Characters, as are the typeface characters used on Chinese advertisements, handbills, posters, and packaging.

The use of Chinese Characters in commercial art is different from the use of these characters in calligraphy. Calligraphers reflect their thoughts and feelings through the beauty of their pen and ink work, while the artists and designers who create commercial-art characters add decorative effects to bring out the beauty of the Chinese Characters with which they are working.

Commercial-art Chinese Characters are different from foreign commercial lettering. The latter is based on the Roman alphabet and does not have a pictographic element. In contrast, Chinese Characters do have such a pictographic element. They also have colorful strokes and forms that cannot be duplicated by any other writing system.

Foreign commercial-art lettering can be beautiful, but the Roman alphabet that is used to create it is limited to a small number of comparatively simple forms. But Chinese Characters, because they are pictographic and have colorful strokes and forms, lend themselves more readily to decorative effects.

1) Ancient Public-art

Ever since the birth of Chinese Characters, they have been incorporated into pieces of public art and used to make day-to-day items more beautiful. For example, they have decorated totems, clan badges, bronze ware, stone steles, eave-tiles, weapons, seals, and bronze coins. They have also been used for decorative painting and fine art.

1.1) The Earliest Public-art Characters

The bronze ware of the Shang (1600-1046 BC) and Zhou Dynasties (1046-221 BC) was decorated with clan badges and totem characters, which is the earliest example of the use of Chinese Characters in public art (in the period after which the Chinese written language reached maturity). These items were famous for more than 500 years. The decorative style and primitive simplicity of the characters that were used had a significant influence on the development of the written characters and decorative art of later generations.

1.2) The Strangest Public-art Characters from Ancient Times

In the Spring and Autumn Period (770-475 BC) and the Warring States Period (475-221 BC), a form of characters decorated with birds, insects, animals, and fish started to appear on the bronze ware of all the princely states. This type of decoration is now known as “Bird and Insect” calligraphy. The characters in it have extended forms and curved lines and are lively and vivid. They are somewhat strange but are utterly fascinating. The characters in bird and insect calligraphy were more developed than the totem characters found on the bronze ware of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties. The beautiful style of the calligraphy reflected the aesthetic interests and positive feelings of the people at that time. It also reflected people’s love of nature and was popular for more than 300 years. After the Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period, Bird and Insect calligraphy gradually disappeared. 

1.3) The Most Beautiful Fine-art Characters from Ancient Times

Out of all the various styles of Chinese Characters, Zhuanshu (i.e., Xiaozhuan characters of the Qin and Han Dynasties) have the most striking pictorial qualities. During the Qin (221-206 BC) and Han (206 BC-220 AD) Dynasties, these very decorative characters were often inscribed on stone steles, eave-tiles, weapons, seals, and bronze coins. Such Xiaozhuan characters have rounded and beautiful strokes, symmetrical forms and wonderfully decorative features. They can, quite rightly, be considered as a kind of fine-art character. In particular, Xiaozhuan characters from the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) had an impressive scale and used colorful strokes and forms. They are considered to represent the brilliant peak of Zhuanshu fine-art characters. Today Zhuanshu are still much admired, and many Chinese people are accustomed to cutting their name seals in Xiaozhuan. These beautiful characters are still used for calligraphic scrolls, traditional Chinese paintings, advertisements, newspapers and magazines, buildings, dresses, electric appliances, stamps, and the national currency.

The basic strokes of Xiaozhuan are vertical, curved and horizontal. They have a uniform thickness and are composed of rectangular forms that are beautifully symmetrical and balanced. In Xiaozhuan, both independent and combined characters can have symmetrical strokes, as can characters that are arranged horizontally or vertically.

1.4) The Most Important Fine-art Characters from Ancient Times

After the invention of engraving and wood printing in the Sui Dynasty (581-618) and Tang Dynasty (618-907), people began to use knives to engrave books. For rapid engraving, a set of square characters with flat and thin horizontal strokes and straight and thick vertical strokes became popular. These are known as songtizi characters (i.e., characters with the style of the Song Dynasty (960- 1279)) or songti fine-art characters.

Songtizi characters are an improvement on the strokes and structures of Kaishu. They became a fixed style that was convenient for engraving but which also had a decorative quality. They were perfected during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1616-1911) Dynasties.

Songtizi characters exerted a great influence over many generations of calligraphers and artists and remain widely used today. Modem printing presses use them, and they are the basis of many finely drawn modem characters.

The features of songtizi characters are as follows: Their horizontal strokes are flat and thin, and their vertical strokes are straight and thick. The endings of their horizontal strokes have a triangular flourish, and the turning of a stroke has a square decoration (these decorations are a natural result of engraving with reduced cuttings). All songtizi characters, no matter how many strokes they contain, must fill identically sized panes. The beauty of songtizi characters ultimately resides in their neatness.

2) Modern Han Fine-art Characters

Modern commercial-art characters were developed from songtizi. These fine-art characters are either printed or hand-painted. The major types are songti and boldface, although there are various other styles in use.

2.1) Songti Fine-art Characters

Songtizi characters are the basis of various fine-art characters. They are neat, beautiful, lively and visually appealing. They can be square, oblong or rectangular. The main features of these characters are their flat and thin horizontal strokes and their thick vertical strokes (plus elaborations of these strokes).

They are widely used and can be commonly seen in books, newspapers, and magazines.

One type of Songti characters imitate songtizi characters. This group of characters is very visually attractive. In comparison to ordinary Songti characters, these “imitation songtizi” characters have longer forms. They have strokes with an even thickness, and their horizontal strokes incline upwards to the right. Imitation songtizi characters are charming and elegant. They are often used to write notations, explanatory notes, sub-titles, exhibition plates, and poems

2.2) Boldface Characters

Boldface fine-art characters were also developed from songtizi characters. The horizontal strokes of these characters are thickened, so that horizontal and vertical strokes have the same thickness, and they omit any decorative flourishes. Boldface characters have square and concise forms and broad strokes. They are visually striking and look simple, natural, weighty and powerful. Boldface characters are easy to write and are used widely. They are often used for headlines, slogans, book titles, and advertisements.

2.3) Variant Fine-Art Characters

Variant fine-art characters are vivid, lively and exciting. They are also full of artistic inspiration. They are widely used and are very popular.

Variant fine-art characters have a number of forms, and many are based directly on songtizi and boldface characters. Due to their symmetrical structure and concise form, many boldface characters have been converted to this style. For example, in the Youyuan fine-art style the two ends and turns of the strokes of boldface characters are altered into rounded forms, while the Changmei boldface fine-art style is a combination of songtizi and boldface characters. Some other fine-art styles are created in this way.

Among the variant fine-art characters, there is one kind that exhibits an unusually strongly pictorial quality. This kind of character is called a variant picture fine-art character. They make full use of the pictographic elements and shapes of Chinese Characters. Their designs are always vivid and interesting and emphasize the particular charm of pictographic characters. These are the most popular of all the different variant fine-art characters.

The Seal Art of Chinese Characters

Many international students studying in China are given Chinese names seals after they have mastered the language. It is not uncommon to see them showing these carved stones proudly to their friends and classmates. As they explain the meaning of the curving characters, they are often unable to hide the pride and joy they feel about possessing such a precious treasure.

1) Seal Art

Carved seals that feature Chinese Characters are also called “made seals.” In ancient times, such seals were widely used as warrants. As they are mostly adorned with Zhuan characters, they are also known as Zhuanke (seal cutting). They are made out of the jade, ivory, animal horn, wood, copper, gold or silver. The Chinese Characters that make up a seal’s inscription are carved into it using a knife. These inscriptions are done in a unique artistic style.

 1.1) Printed Characters on “Lute”

Back in the days of the Qin (221-206 BC) and Han (206 BC-220 AD) Dynasties, there was no paper, and all the documents and letters had to be written on strips of bamboo and wood. Before these strips were delivered, to prevent any unauthorized reading or tampering, an official would thoroughly bind the bamboo or wooden pages with thread. The knot of this thread would then be sealed with a piece of clay. This clay would then have an emblem, representing the imperial government or the individual author, pressed into it. After it dried out the clay would become very hard. The three-dimensional impression of the emblem on its surface was called a “lute.” If the lute was broken, it was obvious that some people had opened the document. These seals were, therefore, warrants that authorized the inspection of a document’s contents. Archaeologists have discovered that the seals used to make lutes were almost all “white-character” seals (see explanation below). The characters on the seals were concave, which meant that, after a seal had been pressed onto a clay lute, the resulting characters on the lute would be raised. Later, silk and paper came into use, so people no longer used a lute. Instead, they pressed inked seals directly onto their paper or silk documents. However, it is clear to see that the emergence of lutes advanced the development of seals.

1.2) Official and Private Seals

Ancient Chinese seals can, on the whole, be divided into official and private seals. Official seals were symbols of position and power and were cut by emperors or government officials. Private seals were the name seals of ordinary people. They were generally more colorful and had more forms than official seals. In ancient times, these private seals were called “印 yin,” “印信 yinxin,” “印章 yinzhang” and “图章 tuzhang.” The seals of emperors were called ‘‘玺 xi” or “宝 bao.”

1.3) Seals of the Literary Scholars

Jade, copper, gold, and silver are very hard and thus difficult to make into seals. At first, the seals of painters and calligraphers were specially made by professional seal cutters. During the Yuan (1206-1368) and Ming (1368-1644) Dynasties, some painters and calligraphers discovered various types of stone that were comparatively soft and easy to carve. They then started to cut their seals using knives personally. They regarded knives as just another type of pen and brought their full artistic abilities into play when they worked on their seal designs. After that, seals fully entered the realms of art. After completing a piece of calligraphy or painting, artists would press their seals onto the finished piece to indicate that it was their work. They also did this to express their thoughts, emotions and artistic interests. All works of ancient Chinese calligraphy and painting were signed in this way, and the seal often became an integral part of the artwork. In particular, traditional Chinese paintings became a combination of “poetry, calligraphy, painting, and seal.” It is still believed that a traditional Chinese painting without a seal is not complete and that the small red seal plays an essential role in beautifying and balancing a painting’s composition.

1.4) The Beauty of Seals

There are two main ways of cutting seals; white-character and red- character. White-character (commonly known as “intaglio character”) seals are cut directly into the stone. The characters that they produce after being pressed onto a red inkpad are white with a red background. Red-character (usually referred to as “relief character”) seals are cut so that the strokes of the characters are raised. When these seals are printed, the characters are red with a white background.

The beauty of a seal comes from the exquisite calligraphy of its characters. These, in turn, show the skill of the craftsman or artist who created them. Seals demonstrate the skill an artist has both at manipulating a knife and at artfully arranging characters in a small space. It is difficult to master this art form, as one error will ruin an entire work. In the art of seal- cutting, the maker’s skill with the knife is the thing that gives a seal its artistic “soul.” The quality of a seal as a piece of art is judged by the quality of its cutting. Those works that exhibit the most skilled cutting are the most prized. For example, the red-character seal “江南布衣 Jiangnan Buyi” by Qi Baishi (1864-1957), a great modem painter, is both simple and exquisite. The four Zhuanshu characters that make it up are inserted into each other and are dependent on each other. They compose a square form in a beautifully artistic way. The seal’s cut strokes are both thick and thin, continuous and separated. They are so beautifully worked that they give the impression that they were finished within the space of a single breath—they are an excellent example of the art of skillful cutting.

1.5) Image Seals

Among the various types of seals, there is one group known as “image seals.” These are cut with images of animals and people. Such drawing- seals were first used for the lute of bamboo and wooden strips. They were symbols or expressions of their maker’s interests. Later, they developed into exquisite artworks. Image seals appeared very early and became more widely prevalent during the Spring and Autumn Period (770-475 BC) and the Warring States Period (475-221 BC). People of the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) liked image seals very much. Many examples from this time exist. These have various contents, fascinating and straightforward forms, and a deep artistic spirit.

After the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) image seals fell out of favor. Nevertheless, they exhibit a beauty of design and continue to be highly appreciated. In modem times they have become popular again, and many excellent modem image seals have been produced. The badge of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, “Chinese Seal-Dancing Beijing,” used the form of an image seal.

2) The Appreciation of Exquisite Seal Art

For thousands of years, calligraphers, painters, and seal cutting enthusiasts have made seals in their particular styles. The following exquisite works have been chosen to present a taste of all of the examples of this art form that have been produced since the Ming (1368- 1644) and Qing (1616-1911) Dynasties.

Calligraphy, fine-art characters, and seals represent the high point of Chinese Character art. They are also a precious part of the cultural heritage of the Chinese people. Today, Chinese Character art is still developing and new and excellent works, which have a range of original styles and methods of representation, are continually appearing. It can safely be said that, in the future, Chinese Character art will continue to add brilliance and color to Chinese culture.