China's calligraphy and seal cutting have always had a very close relationship, and they are two inseparable sister arts in the traditional culture of China. In the Qing Dynasty, Deng Shiru once put forward the creative concept of "printing from books", that is, seal cutting should draw essence and nutrition from calligraphy (especially seal script), and without calligraphy, seal cutting will become a tree without roots. If we trace back to Oracle Bone Inscriptions, the oldest writing form in China (at present, archaeology proves that Oracle Bone Inscriptions is the oldest writing form in China), it is difficult for us to say clearly whether it is printed from books or books. Just like the classic question of "chicken" or "egg" first, it is as intriguing and difficult to determine. As we all know, Oracle Bone Inscriptions is written on tortoise shells and animal bones. In ancient times, before the writing brush was born, our ancestors used stones as the main tools to record history on tortoise shells, animal bones and stone walls. Although this recording method is not seal cutting, it is closely related to the seal that appeared later.
The calligraphy and seal cutting we are talking about today, which originally appeared for practical purposes, do not have the artistic characteristics and mission endowed by people today. Through the study and research of China's calligraphy and seal cutting, it is not difficult to find that calligraphy and seal cutting inherit and carry forward the profound China culture through their respective carrier forms in their respective development processes, and play a similar role in embodying artistic beauty; On the other hand, they show their own artistic characteristics because of their different connotations and extensions. As two different art forms rooted in China's traditional culture, calligraphy and seal cutting are bound to have a certain * * *, which is more and more prominent because Chinese characters are the same carrier.
1. Calligraphy and seal cutting are both art forms with Chinese characters as the main carrier
The development of China calligraphy art is closely related to the development of Chinese characters, which is an art form of recreating Chinese characters with Chinese characters as the carrier according to the external beauty of form and the internal beauty of meaning. With the evolution of seal script, official script, letter script, line script and cursive script, and the phased change of Chinese characters, the artistic style of China's calligraphy tends to be diversified. China's seal cutting is based on the form of seal script in the ancient Chinese characters stage. Seal script is the oldest writing form in China, with high pictographic meaning and strong plasticity, which provides a strong guarantee for seal cutting to show the myriad weather between squares. There are two kinds of seal script: big seal script and small seal script. Big seal script refers to all the writing forms before Qin Shihuang unified the six eastern countries, such as Oracle Bone Inscriptions, bronze inscriptions, Warring States scripts, Shi Guwen, etc. Xiao Zhuan refers to the characters developed on the basis of pre-Qin characters after Qin Shihuang unified the six eastern countries.
Ceng Yun, an ancient sage, said, "Seal seal must first learn seal seal, so as to obtain the brushwork of seal seal style, and the brushwork rules will be followed by the brushwork.". "Those who manage printing must know the seal script first, otherwise the scale has not been stable, and the situation is between square inches, and it is difficult for those who want to be appropriate." It can be seen that seal script is extremely important for seal cutting. The development of calligraphy and seal cutting are closely related to the development of Chinese characters, and the development of calligraphy art is relatively synchronous with the development of characters. However, the development of seal cutting stayed in seal script for a long time, and the printed characters did not change significantly with the change of Chinese characters. Although the form of seal script was slightly adjusted and changed, it did not change substantially. In the official seal stage of Sui, Tang, Song and Yuan Dynasties and after entering the seal cutting of literati, although there were many new attempts, such as using official script, regular script, cursive script and even fine calligraphy, but because of the weakening of the pictographic and physical plasticity of these characters, the printed characters and borders could not be better sealed, and this printing style was not recognized and accepted by too many people. However, in terms of inheritance and innovation of contemporary seal cutting, this kind of printing style leaves more exploration space for future generations because of its imperfection.
Calligraphy and seal cutting are mutually inclusive and influential in the historical development process. From the symbols and characters carved on tortoise shells, animal bones and pottery, to the auspicious characters carved on bronzes, and the pre-Qin Shi Guwen carved on stones, the evolution of these characters is closely related to the main "writing" tool, knife (or hard objects), which shows the quaint beauty of carved characters. With the evolution of Chinese characters, writing brush, paper, ink and other stationery for study have appeared one after another, and calligraphy has become popular in the world with colorful faces. Li Xueqin, a famous historian, further confirmed in The Origin of China Seal that the three-party bronze seal now in the National Palace Museum in Taipei is "the ancient seal of Shang Dynasty". In China's Confucian classic "Shangshu", it is recorded that Shang Tang gave Yi Yin a seal; There is a related record in Zhou Li, Local Officials and Officials that "all bribes are paid in and out by the seal festival", which shows that the seal has a long history. China's practical seal reached its first historical height in the Qin and Han Dynasties. The reason why the seal style of Qin and Han Dynasties appeared was closely related to the evolution of political culture and writing form at that time.
Second, calligraphy and seal cutting are both artistic forms that gradually transition from practicality to artistry.
Art originates from life and is higher than life. Any art form is the crystallization of wisdom formed by human beings in their long-term life practice. The original calligraphy and seal cutting are completely different from the calligraphy art and seal cutting we understand today. Characters are tools to record history, and Chinese characters are symbols to record the history of the Chinese nation. The word "calligraphy" first appeared in Zuo Zhuan Xuan Gong Er Nian written by Zuo Qiuming, a historian of Lu State at the end of the Spring and Autumn Period: "Dong Hu has a good history and calligraphy is not hidden". At that time, the meaning of the word "calligraphy" refers to the principle and style of compiling history by ancient historians, not the calligraphy art we are talking about today.
what is calligraphy? No one has been able to make it clear for thousands of years, and there is no standard answer so far. But different people can tell what calligraphy is in their hearts. As the saying goes, different people have different opinions, and there are 1 Hamlets for every 1 readers. This may be the charm of China's calligraphy. There are countless people who love and love calligraphy. If calligraphy is the law and method of writing, then there is no doubt that it comes from people's daily life and has unparalleled practicability. If calligraphy is an art, it is gradually endowed with artistic characteristics with the continuous development of civilization in the historical evolution of China, and its artistry is mainly manifested in many aspects, such as proper brushwork, tangible structure, appropriate white cloth, clear spirit, expressive feelings and so on. The beauty of calligraphy is manifested in two aspects: the external beauty of form and the internal beauty of meaning. The external beauty of form and quality is manifested in the black and white space created by pen, ink and paper, with rhythmic lines, changeable modeling structure and various forms of composition and white cloth. The inner beauty of implication is the calligrapher's ideological interest, the meaning of words and the emotional singing and sublimation reflected by the external lines, structures and rules, which makes people gain spiritual aesthetic pleasure and emotional fluctuation by appreciating calligraphy. The beauty of calligraphy is not like painting, drama, movies and other art forms to shape concrete and vivid beauty. It is based on Chinese characters, which are highly abstract products from life, so calligraphy is abstract lines and plastic arts. The beauty embodied in the art of calligraphy is the beauty of contrast, which is harmoniously organized by countless seemingly contradictory factors, such as size, Fiona Fang, length, shade, wet and dry, reality, opposition, pitch and so on. Without contrast, there is no beauty. How to organize these factors of contrast organically and harmoniously is the key, which requires artists to have superb aesthetic ability and artistic treatment means, which is the * * * nature of all arts.
Compared with the calligraphy art, although seal cutting is also an art form with Chinese characters (seal script) as the main carrier, his tools have changed because he uses a knife instead of a pen, so he should have both brushwork meaning and knife interest. The seal-printed characters are an abstract art expressed by lines and structural modeling, which fully embodies the pictographic and plasticity of seal script characters. The ancients had the habit of wearing seals, which was a symbol of status and power. Seal cutting originated from seals, and the appearance of seals is still due to the needs of life. In ancient times, seals were divided into official seals and private seals. Due to the influence of politics, economy and culture at that time and the restriction of writing form, the styles of seals were different in different historical periods. Although the official seal and private seal in Qin and Han Dynasties were made by craftsmen, their artistic level was quite high, which ushered in the first peak in the history of China seal-Qin and Han seal stage. From the appearance of Shang seal to the end of Yuan Dynasty, most of the seals in the world were cast, chiseled and carved by Indian officials and craftsmen. According to legend, Zhao Mengfu was the first person to design the Yin Gao himself in Yuan Dynasty, and Wang Mian was the first person to use the flower-milk stone as the printing material. By the appearance of Wen Peng and He Zhen in Ming Dynasty, he began to enter the era of literati seal cutting. Seal cutting has gradually changed from pure practicality to artistic development. After that, more and more scholars began to like and study seal cutting deeply, and since then, seal cutting in China has entered the second peak-the printing stage of Ming and Qing schools. Scholars began to put seals on their calligraphy and painting works and letters, and were able to design and engrave corresponding seals according to their different styles of calligraphy and painting, which brought out many famous calligraphers and seal engravers such as Wen Peng, He Zhen, Deng Shiru, Wu Rangzhi, Zhao Zhiqian, Huang Shiling and Wu Changshuo, who pushed seal cutting in China to a new height of combining practicality and artistry. With the rapid development of science and technology, the use and promotion of publishing, printing, photography, Internet and other propaganda media, and the increasing prosperity of archaeological research results, seal cutting in China has reached the third peak-the contemporary seal cutting stage. During this period, the practicality of seal gradually weakened and gradually developed to pure artistry. In addition to being applied to the spreading and printing of calligraphy and painting works, stone tablets and utensils, there is also a part of pure collection appreciation, which has gradually evolved into an art form like spring snow. However, the practical value of the seal has not completely disappeared, and it still plays an important role in signing contracts, documents and other important links. Most of these seals are printed in the form of regular script, official script and other relatively stable and dignified characters, and most of them are mechanical engraving seals.
Third, calligraphy and seal cutting have strong cultural characteristics.
Writing is an important symbol for human beings to move from savagery to civilization. Chinese characters are the crystallization of thousands of years' history and culture in China. As an art form with Chinese characters as its expression carrier, China's calligraphy and seal cutting will certainly carry specific cultural connotations. These two art forms show their unique cultural characteristics everywhere in writing tools, expression methods, expression contents and creators' personal qualities.
(1) Tools for Writing and Engraving
Calligraphy is an art that uses Four Treasures of the Study as the main tool to express emotions. The particularity of tools makes the art of calligraphy unique. Pen, ink, paper and inkstone fully reflect the performance of tools and are important components of calligraphy techniques. Without Four Treasures of the Study, the art of calligraphy would be impossible. Pen, ink, paper and inkstone are China's great creations and inventions, each of which shows its unique cultural significance. The reason why China's calligraphy art has such great charm is inseparable from the writing tools. Cai Yong in the Eastern Han Dynasty said in "Nine Potential": "When the potential comes to Fukashi, the potential will be unstoppable, but the pen is soft and strange" [2]. This means that calligraphy uses a pen to hide the front, closes the pen to return to the front, and concentrates its strength on stippling. The use of the front shows sufficient strength, and the font will show beautiful brilliance. When the situation comes, you should write freely, and you should not hesitate to stop; When the situation goes to the end, it should also go with the flow to avoid urgent repression. Only a soft brush can write this mysterious calligraphy. The unique brushstroke structure and varied brushstrokes have created colorful calligraphy art. China ink stick's invention and use have played a unique role in promoting the development of calligraphy. The ink is pure, shiny and never fades. The change of dark and dry ink color enhances the artistic expression of China's calligraphy. With the invention of papermaking and the continuous improvement of papermaking technology, the invention and use of Xuan paper, Mo Yun's brushwork has been better displayed and displayed on Xuan paper, which makes the art of calligraphy have the best presentation form. The discovery, excavation and use of different stone species have promoted the development of stone carving art, and formed a stone culture in China, which is "there is no stone in the house" and "the stone is the most pleasing". Except for pen, ink, paper and stone, China's calligraphy and seal cutting used various other materials with unique manufacturing techniques and techniques, which showed a certain cultural meaning and showed the infinite charm of China's traditional culture.
(2) methods of expression
China's calligraphy is a line writing and plastic arts with brushwork, ink painting and composition as the methods of expression. Different styles of writing have different pen skills; There are contrast changes of dry, wet, thick and light ink methods; There are various forms of composition and white cloth, and there are endless changes in counting white as black. Seal cutting shows thousands of changes between square inches through seal cutting, composition and knife cutting. The so-called seal method means that the words used should conform to the "six books" without typos, and the printed words should be coordinated and harmonious; The layout of the rules and regulations should be properly dense and interspersed to seal the printed words; On the surface, the knife method refers to the method of using a knife, but it also includes the method of using a pen. Looking at the pen tip through the blade, the knife and pen should be integrated, which has both the charm of pen and ink and the interest of knife and stone.
(3) Presentation
Calligraphy can be written not only on paper, but also on wood, stone, bamboo slips, tablets and other materials, and it can also be engraved after the book, which is convenient for circulation and preservation. Calligraphy has a powerful expressive space, and at the same time, it also expands the richness of its expressive content. Booksellers can freely write their favorite content according to their hobbies and literary accomplishment. Poetry and songs, scripture quips, famous sayings and aphorisms, and prose essays can all be created as writing contents. Seal cutting, on the other hand, is different. seal cutting is an art that shows a myriad of weather between square inches. Compared with calligraphy, the space of seals is limited, which greatly limits the content that seal cutting can express. In the use of "relying on the letter", whether it is official seal or private seal, the contents engraved on the seal are generally nothing more than the name of the person, the year number and so on. With the invention and expansion of seal cutting tools and materials, seals are widely used in calligraphy, painting and other artistic works. Compared with the previous simple names and Zhai numbers, the engraved contents have richer performance contents, and noun phrases and auspicious words can be printed. However, the narrow seal surface is still extremely difficult to handle multi-character printing, especially the freehand brushwork style of the ancient seal, which is difficult to integrate in composition and it is difficult to create a masterpiece of multi-character printing. China's calligraphy and seal cutting have a * * * character in their content, and most of the contents used for artistic creation are good nouns and sentences with high style, all of which show superb cultural connotation.
(4) Creator's moral character and cultural accomplishment
Throughout the history of calligraphy and seal cutting of China (except the practical seal stage), all those calligraphers and seal carvers who are immortalized in the history books have noble personality charm and profound cultural accomplishment. Wang Xizhi's Preface to Lanting Collection is called "the best running script in the world", not only because of its good handwriting, but also because of its beautiful words and hearty feelings, which also has high literary value; Yan Zhenqing can be learned and admired by later generations, which is inseparable from his upright and upright personality charm besides his artistic accomplishment. Mr. Qi Baishi, a famous contemporary artist, has made remarkable achievements in poetry, calligraphy and printing.