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Juror’s Statement, Seal Engraving Category LU Han-Ping

The Seal Engraving category has long been included in Da Dun Fine Arts Exhibition of Taichung City, which plays an influential role in promoting

seal engraving art at Taiwan's official art exhibitions. The award-winning pieces from this event have been closely watched and analyzed. Thus, over the
past 20 years, its impact on the development of seal engraving in Taiwan has been immense and profound.
The judging committee this year consisted of JUAN Chang-Yao, CHENG Tai-Le, CHEN Hung-Mien, LIU Yan-Chen and myself. A total of 35
artworks were submitted, a slight increase over last year. However, there is no denying that the number of participating artists in this category is much
lower than those in other categories. A variety of reasons is responsible for this situation. First, demands are high in regards to acquiring essential academic
knowledge and sophisticated skills, which are both strenuous and time-consuming. There is also the required number of submitted artworks in various
styles for any art exhibition. Another challenge is that when competing in a thriving art environment with an astonishing diversity of artistic media, a seal
engraving artist has to be immersed in a massive body of knowledge related to calligraphy, character composition and carving to make a name for himself/

herself. Thus, it is extremely difficult to continue in this practice when a young artist's interests are not supported by an extraordinary enthusiasm or deep
fondness.
Today, the ever-changing art environment is moving in the direction of integrating all art form disciplines. Facing this tremendous transformation,
seal engravers have to preserve the passive and modest qualities of this particular art to persistently reveal the unbounded charm of lines. This demands
great cultural knowledge and aesthetic training as well as the ability to swiftly integrate a traditional spirit with contemporary concepts, which is indeed a
taxing task. Besides the quality and quantity of artworks, artists also have to consider how to incorporate scripts presented in calligraphy into engraving,
consolidate seal styles and create original visual designs. These are all great tests for an artist.

Eight submitted artworks were chosen during the preliminary selection stage to enter the final selection in the middle of June. In total, the juror
committee conducted five rounds of voting and, during the second round, selected fi ve pieces to proceed. In the third round, First Prize and Second Prize

winners were decided while Third Prize and Award of Merit recipients were determined in the fourth and fifth rounds.

The First Prize went to TU Chi-Tung's“Longevity” In this series, 20 seals engraved in Han script, Bronze inscription, bird and insect script and
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tiny thin characters were presented with outstanding carving skills and an ingenious arrangement, strongly showcasing the diversity and essence of seal
engraving. In addition, the creative seal signatures accentuated the visual effects and highlighted the artist's all-around talent, recognized by all jurors.
The Second Prize was granted to LIU Chun-Nan's“Late Night Bronze and Stone Carving Collection”. Although he claims to abide by seal traditions, Mr.

Liu demonstrates innovative skills with sophistication by integrating various scripts and creatively including uncommon styles with clean cuts. The seal

signatures, presented in a glamorous running and cursive script, flow with absolute confidence.

KU Yuan-Chi's“Learning from History Collection”won Third Prize. Mr. Ku applies his studies of ancient works from all schools as a foundation

for his innovation. Each of his carvings can be associated with calligraphy strokes. His seal signatures were intentionally created in both“zhuwen”and

“baiwen”to leave an indelible impression.

LIN Ju won an Award of Merit with“Volunteering Life in Northern Thailand” It is unorthodox to carve one's thoughts rather than the usual
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quotations from popular poems. It is also refreshing to have the engraving created on ceramic. Such simplicity without pretense is inspiring. Another
Award of Merit winner is LO Ying-Liang for his work,“One Water, One Stone and Ten Joys”. His skills are mature and show a vigor and creativity within

the boundaries. His understanding of many schools is comprehensive and solid. The artists whose works were short-listed also show great potential and I

believe that with perseverance, they will claim further honors in this field.
Compared to other artistic media, the number of seal engraving artists is relatively small. From nourishing an interest to forming a style, it is a

difficult and lonely journey. It is clearly hard to create within a tiny square, as opposed to other grander-scale art pieces. Encountering the current trend
of close collaboration with 3C industries and art development, seal engraving artists face the challenge of advancing in this modern era on ground built
with tradition and history, a lesson that all artists should contemplate. Yet, a Su Shi poem encourages us to see the world in a grain of sand. Each petal of a
flower and every blade of grass possess something extraordinary that we should all value and appreciate. I'd like to take this opportunity to pay my respects

to the seal engraving artists who have dedicated themselves to this ancient art. I hope that together we can advance toward broader horizons.
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