Seal cutting, as one of the quintessence of China culture, basically appeared at the same time as Chinese characters. It has gone through a long development process, has a long historical tradition, and has formed its own special art category. A small seal, full of vitality, has always been loved by literati in past dynasties, or carved for their own use, or given to literary friends, engraved, watched and played, and its aesthetic pleasure and artistic enjoyment are not enough for outsiders.
To tell the truth, seal cutting is basically unpopular in our daily life, and few people can operate it. Unlike flute and harmonica, this skill can always be found among dozens of people. When I was studying more than twenty years ago, more than half of the boys in my class could play the flute and harmonica. Now entering the society, sometimes going out to play with a flute at the company's annual meeting can actually attract people's applause. It's really speechless to say that I can still do this. Shouldn't playing the flute be a standard in every boy's childhood? It is conceivable that there are very few people who can seal cutting now, which is really rare.
Seal cutting seals are different from common seals. The commonly used seal font is usually regular script or official script, and the font of seal cutting seal must be seal script. I remember when I was a child, my father was a village cadre and needed to collect some agricultural taxes. I often see him using his seal, but he won't touch it for us, saying that the seal can't be stamped indiscriminately. In order to satisfy myself, I found a piece of wood to carve my own chapter. The first time I was not skilled, I only carved one word, my family name. At that time, the village chief saw it and praised my handwriting for being more correct than that written by adults. Later, I thought it was fun, so I copied the seals on the paintings and calligraphy works in the art textbook and carved them with military chess and mahjong. From the age of ten to sixteen, I probably carved more than a dozen seals. At that time, the adults saw my lettering and joked that I could set up a stall in the street in the future. Unexpectedly, what I am doing now is plate making in the printing industry. To put it bluntly, it is equivalent to lettering. It is really destiny takes a hand to reward me with this bowl of rice.
The peak of my self-taught seal cutting was when I was sixteen. I graduated from junior high school that year and did nothing in the summer vacation. I imitated several seals that I was satisfied with, namely, the famous seal "Zheng Banqiao", the leisure seal "Born" and the collection seal "Treasure of Qianlong Imperial Exhibition". When I was in high school, I put these seals on my textbooks, and several teachers saw them and praised them. Be modest. When I was among my classmates, I ranked the top three in articles and the second in painting skills. Seal cutting is an undisputed leader, because others have never touched it.
After joining the work, those so-called hobbies are put aside for the time being. Occasionally, I saw the seal cutting stone practicing seal cutting in the stationery store, and I also bought some for fun. Now I look at many simple friends who are versatile and learn the art of calligraphy and painting while writing, which is admirable. However, some simple friends don't know much about the inscriptions and seals of calligraphy and painting works, which leads to some wrong usages. As I happen to know a little about this field, I will take time today to discuss the printing of calligraphy and painting works.
The seal on calligraphy works is an indispensable part of calligraphy art, printed in black and white, with strong contrast and excellent visual effect. Without a seal, it is not a complete calligraphy work.
Seal originated very early, and it was originally a token, which played the role of verification. For example, there was an official seal in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and it flourished in the Qin and Han Dynasties. After the Song and Yuan Dynasties, painters and calligraphers attached importance to the inscription and inscription of calligraphy and painting, and intended to carry it forward in calligraphy and painting works, and gradually realized the artistic and practical functions of seals, thus forming the art of combining poetry, calligraphy, painting and printing. Hangzhou Xiling Printing Society is a folk art group that has studied "Lithography" for the longest time and achieved the highest success. Wandering between square inches, fascinated by the beautiful scenery of Bai Zhu. A small seal, bearing the world of mind and thought, is quiet and indifferent. Having your own seal cutting is the beginning of elegance and leisure.
Proper stamping of the seal can not only add color to the painting and calligraphy works, enliven the atmosphere, and play the role of "icing on the cake", but also adjust the center of gravity, remedy the lack of layout, and play a stable and balanced role in the works.
Stamping calligraphy and painting works to show solemnity can prevent forgery; Covered with elegant and meaningful leisure chapters, you can also pin your ambitions and interests in the book. Therefore, calligraphers have always attached great importance to the use of seals, even their own seal cutting, which organically combines the contents of seals with the artistic conception of works, thus producing more beautiful artistic appeal.
The following kinds of seals are usually used in calligraphy and painting works:
I. Name Seal
The famous seal is the signature seal of the title, and the famous seal or other famous seal in painting and calligraphy is equivalent to the signature, which proves that the work is authentic. Some names are linked together, while others are separated. Inscription printing, one word is positive, one surname is possible. The name of the printed paragraph; It has a name printed on it. If a paragraph has a surname, it can be stamped with a name. If there is no surname or no signature, it should be stamped with a name to help identify the author.
The ancients used seals and paid attention to etiquette; Anyone who is humble and young should be honored by books and should use a name seal; Print in words between peers; The elders give it to the humble and the young. You can print it under another name. On the contrary, it is ridiculous and generous. Modern painter Zhang Daqian believes that the shape of the famous seal is "the square is the top, the circle is acceptable, and the waist is naturally not."
When a calligraphy work is stamped with two seals, it is best to have one for Zhu and one for white, and the two seals are appropriate in size. When multiple copies are printed at the end of a paragraph, the order is the name, then the words and numbers. Calligraphy and painting seals can be divided into Zhu and Bai (also known as Yang and Yin). If only one name seal is stamped, it is generally white, and the size of the seal is similar to that of the signature font. If three seals are affixed, every other seal will be affixed with a special seal for Zhu Wen under the famous seal of Bai Wen. Two seals are the same size, one white and one Zhu, which is called seal-to-seal. Yin and Yang are in harmony and cannot be careless. In addition, in other blanks of the picture, such as the diagonal position of the introduction or the name seal, both the Zhu seal and the white seal can use a rectangular blank seal (partly used with the form seal), and the three seals echo each other and set each other off.
Second, idle text printing.
Leisure seal, also known as format seal, includes introduction seal, border seal, corner seal and middle seal.
? The first chapter is a chapter that is printed in the upper right corner of calligraphy works, also known as "conformal chapter", which is a seal carved in the shape of stone. Generally speaking, it should not be square, but translucent, rectangular, round, semi-circular, conformal gourd-shaped, natural and shaw-shaped. Whether to quote the first chapter of calligraphy works depends on the need. If the first paragraph is too neat, it needs to be deformed; The seal at the end of payment is too heavy and needs to be upgraded; The distribution of seals on the works is monotonous and needs to be adjusted. At this time, we should consider the first chapter.
1, chapter 1. Prefaces in calligraphy works can be divided into the following four categories according to their contents:
(1). Zhai Haozhang was handed down from generation to generation. Zhai Haozhang began with the imperial seal of Li Biduan's bedroom in Tang Dynasty. After the Song and Yuan Dynasties, this trend became more and more popular, and almost everyone in calligraphers had the seal of fasting. Wen Zhiming, a calligrapher in the Ming Dynasty, said, "Many of my bookstores are printed." Zhai Hao is usually called Zhai, Tang, Shi, Lou, Ge, Guan, Xuan, An and so on. , such as Liaozhai, Sanxi Hall, Ice Room, Tan Yalou, Song Feng Pavilion, Xiaoxiang Pavilion, Zhu Yuxuan, Guadian, etc.
(2) Elegant essays are auspicious words and phrases in ancient times, which are rich in meaning and full of elegance, or compile philosophical and thought-provoking idioms and aphorisms, or record one's hobbies and ambitions. There are many interesting articles that encourage people to learn, such as "cutting", "bookish", "thinking", "endless art", "learning to be an official", "rewarding diligence by heaven", "reading for pleasure" and "learning to be an official" and so on. Those who express their feelings, such as leisure, leisure, elegance, pleasure in suffering, ambition in the road, seeing the sage Si Qi, purity and clarity, listening to the depths of the bird's nest, lofty aspirations, tolerance and greatness, integrity and so on. Those that show the interest of pen and ink, such as splashing ink, brushwork, inkstone field, stone edge, calligraphy in the Spring and Autumn Period, Italy and ancient society, Taoism and nature, etc. Some people wish good luck, such as "good luck", "lucky strike", "a beautiful day", "a long life", "as good as water", "a full moon" and "happiness when you are comfortable".
(3) The year stamp is used to record the year of calligraphy works, such as Jia Zi, Yi Chou, Bing Yin or 1989, 1990, 1980, 1990.
(4) Month stamp is used to record the month sequence of calligraphy works, such as last spring, such as the moon and silkworm moon.
2. Edge sealing
Edge-blocking seal refers to a seal covering one side of a calligraphy work, which plays the role of edge-blocking and gas gathering.
3. Corner sealing
A seal on the corner of a calligraphy work is called a corner seal. Take the one in the upper right corner as the "response" and the two corners as the "betting angle". Stop the side chapter and take only one side; Corner sealing can control both sides, and it plays the role of "blocking edges and sealing corners", "supplementing emptiness" and adjusting and stabilizing the picture near the corners.
4, the middle chapter
Long calligraphy works, such as banners, can only be stamped with an introductory stamp on the upper right, so that there is a gap in the middle. They can be stamped with a waist stamp, and the content is mostly the calligrapher's native place, or they can be printed in a Xiao shape by the calligrapher's zodiac. The middle chapter is smaller than the first chapter and the famous chapter at the end of the paragraph, and the three chapters cannot be covered by a straight line.
The leisure chapter mentioned above is actually not "idle". If printed properly, the clock can not only play the role of pen and ink, but also play a role that pen and ink can not play. As Pan Tianshou, a modern painter, said, "Opening a chapter, pressing a corner chapter and a famous chapter can play the role of making the color changes on the screen echo, breaking the flat plate and stabilizing the balance." Scattered prints are mostly idioms, aphorisms or aphorisms, which usually cover the empty space of the works, and echo with the famous seals and posthumous title seals, playing the role of balancing the pictures, which can be described as "four or two". The content and style of the leisure chapter are flexibly used according to the content of calligraphy and painting. Generally, painters and calligraphers always have various types of idle printing, and even carve a work specially, so Qi Baishi has the nickname of "Three Hundred Lithographic Printing Rich Man".
Third, collection and sealing.
Collection identification stamp is a kind of stamp for appreciation collectors. According to records, the seal collection also began in the Tang Dynasty and prevailed after the Song Dynasty. Tang Taizong wrote the word "Zhenguan" with Lian Zhuyin, and Tang Xuanzong wrote the word "Kaiyuan" with Lian Zhuyin, both of which were royal Tibetan calligraphy and painting. Later collections have many names, such as collection, keeping secrets, examination and approval, appreciation and reading. The seal for collection should be based on the size of the calligraphy and painting to avoid damaging the calligraphy and painting. For the sake of their immortality, some collectors often destroy the map when they stamp it, so be careful. The identification of Tibetan seal is to prove that the collector once owned this work. Famous paintings of past dynasties pay attention to inheritance and order, and later appraisers usually rely on the identification of Tibetan seals on the screen to distinguish the authenticity of works. Emperor Qianlong prided himself on being elegant and liked to stamp his calligraphy and painting works. Moreover, his seals are large and numerous, such as "Treasure of Qianlong Imperial View", "Fine Seal of Sanxi Hall", "Treasure of Shiqu", "Appreciation of Qianlong" and "Later generations". Because of his careless position, he destroyed the overall sense of many famous calligraphy and painting, and now it has been handed down.
Knocking on the blackboard, the key point now is: what should I pay attention to when stamping calligraphy works?
The seal on calligraphy works is not stamped at will, but has certain rules. Improper stamping will not only add icing on the cake, but will be self-defeating and destroy the artistic effect of the whole work. Therefore, how to seal it needs to be taken seriously and carefully considered. Usually you can grasp the following points:
1, the right size
The size of the seal should match the size of the work and be equal to the inscription. It can be smaller, but not larger than the inscription. If the words are small and the paper is tight, you can use small joint beads to show consideration. When using two seals of different sizes in a work, in order to stabilize and avoid the shortcomings of top-heaviness, the seal at the top should be small and the seal at the bottom should be large. If several people cooperate, their seals should be the same size.
2. The quantity should be small
Number of seals, ancient singular. There is a seal "use one without two, use three without four, and cover an odd number, which means supporting yang and suppressing yin." The number of prints should not be too much, too much will be messy and even usurp the host's role. If a work has several printing methods, it is necessary to choose different printing methods to avoid similarities. On a finished painting and calligraphy work, a clever painter usually covers three seals, namely, a famous seal, a posthumous title seal and a leisure seal (painting and calligraphy seal pays attention to single seal instead of double seal, and if only one famous seal is covered, it is called poor money). If you see that there are more than three seals on calligraphy and painting works, they basically belong to the collection seals of past dynasties, not the painter himself. Like the preface to the Lanting Collection, the art is similar, but the three things are common sense. Dressing is the same, emphasizing that there should be no more than three colors on the body and no more than three accessories. Simplicity is the best, and less wins more.
3, the location is right
When printing, pay attention to the position. There is always truth, falsehood and density in a work. The secret place is not compact enough and can be filled with a seal; If the sparse place feels empty, it can be enriched by the seal, just like moving a small weight to make the picture layout balanced and ironed. The name at the end of the paragraph and the position of the font size stamp should be arranged accurately If there is a space under the title, put it under the department; If there is no blank, it should be left instead of right. The sealing at the end of the paragraph should be kept at an appropriate interval to avoid crowding and looseness. A work uses preface and corner seal at the same time, so avoid putting it aside. The corner pressing chapter should be placed in the lower left corner, diagonal to the leading chapter.
4. Weight balance
As far as printing color is concerned, ink is lighter and white is heavier. For works with elegant ink color, Zhu should be used to maintain the harmony between the two; The works with strong ink color should be printed in white, so that the red ink color and the black ink color form a strong contrast, which makes each other interesting. If a work is printed several times, the printing colors should be clearly defined, that is, less ink and more white, less ink and more white, which is both diverse and coordinated.
5. consistent style
The style of the seal should be consistent with the style and style of the work. For example, neat and beautiful lower case works should not be stamped with straightforward and urgent seals, and bold and vigorous calligraphy works should not be stamped with exquisite iron seals, otherwise it will be out of place and directly affect the artistic effect of calligraphy works. When using the leisure seal, we should not only pay attention to the integration of its content and the text of the work, but also keep the harmony between the content and style of the seal. For example, "Great Rivers and Mountains" should not be carved into pieces, and "Heroes" should not be carved into slender weakness.
Four, the use and maintenance of calligraphy and painting inkpad
A beautiful seal, if there is no fine, thick and smooth inkpad, can not fully show its charm, the effect will be greatly reduced. Generally speaking, most Chinese characters are printed in crimson ink. Most of the fine print is inked with cinnabar. Especially the black background of the copybook, be sure to use vermilion ink.
Since the Qing dynasty, the red color has been aggravated, and even ancient inkpad has been used to achieve quaint effect and make it profound and dignified. More exquisite, cover it once to avoid being too light, and cover it again to increase the thickness. Of course, we need to pay attention to each other, and this can only be done with the help of Yin Gui. When printing, the lower pad can be a mouse pad, but it should not be too soft and easy to imprint. When I stamp, I usually put a magazine under the painting and calligraphy works, and then stamp, because some hardcover books may have a thick cover, which is difficult to press down when stamping, so I choose a magazine with the right thickness, so the printing effect is the best.
The ink is made of cinnabar, grease and moxa. Cinnabar is heavy, but oil is light. If they are not reconciled for a long time, they will separate, cinnabar will sink, oil will float to the surface, and even stick and deteriorate, making it difficult to use. So every once in a while, you can mix the inkpad and bamboo chips together to make them even. Stir in the same direction, don't go back and forth.
Ink should always be kept clean. Before the seal is dipped in mud, it should be wiped clean; Especially for newly made lithographs, attention should be paid to removing the stone chips in the pen diameter to avoid polluting the inkpad. When dipping in the mud, do not use too much force, and do not press the center of the inkpad violently. You can push and pull along the lines of the inkpad several times to make the inkpad stick evenly on the printing surface. When hot stamping, press it straight, apply force evenly, don't shake it, and don't emphasize one side or one corner, so that the hot stamping effect will be ideal.