Page 205 - 第19屆大墩美展專輯電子書

Juror’s Statement, Seal Engraving Category TSENG Tzu-Yun
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The number of submitted artworks in the seal engraving category at any Taiwan art exhibition is usually small when compared to other
categories. It's conceivable that the significant amount of time and effort required to create one seal is quite demanding-selecting a favorite seal, Seal Engraving

printing the characters onto the seal, engraving, and carving one's own name seal plus the postscript on one side of a seal. Consequently, to produce
20 seals certainly takes a lot more time and effort, which explains the low turnout of participants. Several exhibition organizers thus combine seal
engraving and calligraphy into one category to avoid the embarrassment of scarce submissions. Yet, the Da Dun Fine Arts Exhibition-one of the very
few government-sponsored art exhibitions-insists on creating a seal engraving category to encourage engraving artists. As this event enters its 19 th 選 入 ▲
year, the organizer is gratified to see a growing number of participating artists.

There were 29 submitted pieces, including one from mainland China, in the seal engraving category this year. The preliminary review took

place on May 18 and five jurors examined the prints of the 29 seals and voted on seven to enter the final review on June 24. During this round, the
jurors scrutinized the physical seals and their prints. After five rounds of voting, the jurors decided on the top three prizes, two awards of merit and Short List

two short-listed works via ballot.

"Present Moment" was granted the First Prize for its decisive, confident and sweeping carving as well as the sophisticated employment and
presentation of each character. Its entire appearance is awe-inspiring. Second Prize went to "Liberating from all Forms". A script used during the
Warring States Period was greatly utilized in the seals. The artist demonstrated solid and meticulous carving skills while presenting the strength of the
calligraphy strokes onto the seals, absolutely establishing his own distinguishing style. "A Collection of Seals Created underneath the Light" won the
Third Prize. Based on a comprehensive understanding of calligraphy, the artist captures the essence of the seal script, which enables him to innovate
and give it new life without losing its origins. The engraving approach of the postscript was bold, yet attentive to detail. All of the above showcase
excellent skills.
Both "Rhythm of the Rain" and "Dwelling in Seal Engraving is Living in Paradise" won awards of merit. Both the carving and the stones are
beautiful in the former seal series. The smooth and unfaltering cut of each character is evidence of consummate adeptness and the content of the seals
and the postscripts subtly reveal the artists' profound depth. The artist of the latter seal series also adopted a thin red character style. The style of the
engraving is classic, reposeful and original without being pretentious.
After careful observation of the seals and prints submitted this time, it has come to my attention that the mounting and framing have become
more and more extravagant and elaborate. The stones selected for the engraving, on the contrary, seemed to take a back seat. What determines a great
seal lies in the skill of engraving and knowledge of brushes and scripts. The focus of seal engraving should be the seal itself instead of the exterior
decorations. Things tend to develop in the opposite direction when being overemphasized to the extreme. Ostentatious and redundant decorations
actually steal the show and prevent the quality of the seal work to be truly appreciated. This is my personal opinion from serving as a juror at the
event and I'd like to take this opportunity to share this perspective with all seal engraving artists.

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