The Essence of Chinese Painting (IV)
Chinese seal carving has long been one of my great passions. A seal may occupy only a small corner of a painting, yet that little red impression can change how the whole work is seen. It draws the eye, introduces a different rhythm and brings writing into the image.
Painting, calligraphy and seal carving belong in close conversation. Many Chinese painters have collected seals, studied their inscriptions or carved them themselves. Looking at one of these arts in isolation can mean overlooking what the others contribute.
A Small Surface, a Complete Composition
A seal can be approached in more than one way. There is the object itself, with its colour, shape and carved handle. There is the inscription on its side. And there is the impression: a compact composition in which a slight change of line or spacing can alter the balance.
The examples below show these different aspects together. I find it useful to move between the stone and its impression, rather than treating either as the whole work. What looks like a decorative object becomes something quite different when it leaves its mark on paper.
History and a Few Useful Terms
Seals have served as signs of identity and authority, while seal engraving also developed as an art in its own right. The design is cut in reverse so that its impression reads correctly. UNESCO inscribed the art of Chinese seal engraving on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009. [1]
Two terms help us look more closely at the printed result. In zhuwen (朱文), the characters appear in red: the lines that carry the paste remain raised. In baiwen (白文), the characters are cut into the surface and appear white within the red impression. [2]
This reversal is part of the fascination. The engraver works on stone, but has to think about the image that will appear elsewhere. The shape of a line matters, and so does the space beside it. In a very small area, there is little room for an indifferent decision.
Years ago, I put together an essay titled A Brief History of Development of Chinese Seals, dealing with the history and terminology of the art. The photographs here offer a more immediate starting point: an invitation to look before trying to name everything.
Perhaps that is also why seals continue to hold my attention. They ask for a slower kind of looking. A small impression that first seems to be no more than a signature can open into a world of its own.
Footnotes
[1] UNESCO: Art of Chinese seal engraving — its role, working process and inscription in 2009.
[2] Fudan University: Seal engraving: An art that’s getting popular on Fudan campus — an introduction explaining zhuwen and baiwen.
Related articles: Delving into the Realm of Seals on Artwork · Between Calligraphy and Painting · A Second Painting After Huang Binhong
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