Page 90 - 臺中市第二十七屆大墩美展專輯

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Seal Engraving

Category
Juror's Statement CHENG Tai-Le

In various types of art exhibitions, seal engraving usually receives the fewest submissions. That is why, in some exhibitions, this category has been
cancelled or combined with calligraphy. Only Da Dun Fine Arts Exhibition has kept this category since the first edition, and winners in a number
of years have been awarded the Da Dun Prize and continued to thrive in seal engraving. Therefore, Da Dun Fine Arts Exhibition has arguably
facilitated the continuation and development of seal engraving in Taiwan. Nonetheless, the incubation of a seal engraver is not easy; in addition to
carving and composition, they must also excel in epigraphy, philology, and calligraphy. Also, for every competition, they have to submit a dozen or
so seals and inscriptions, which requires lots of time and hard work; thus, without investing lots of time, it is impossible for one to join seal engraving
competitions.
The First Prize winner is San Gene Zhuanke by LIU Chun-Nan, who finds inspirations in movies, poetry, and songs to complete a series of notes
on daily life. His works demonstrate disciplined carving techniques, tight compositions, and balance, achieving high degrees of completion. The
author is also an excellent calligrapher, but has fewer works in seal script; once he adds more expressions of seal script, his works will be even more
exciting to see.
The Second Prize winner is Shangyouzhai Seal Carving by Yuki Kawauchi, featuring oracle, bronze inscriptions, and bamboo script. The
compositions are well-balanced, and full of variations; his brushstrokes are bold and swift, creating powerful visual tensions. Kawauchi demonstrates
a distinct Japanese style; however, the inscriptions are a bit too conventional compared to the seals.
The Third Prize winner, Articles are Meant to Illustrate the Truth by LI Chin-Tsai, features primarily the layout and composition of ancient seals,
complemented by Qin seals. The structures present a natural style, and his carving techniques are fluid and smooth; the carvings and brushstrokes
combine to present a temporal proactivity. However, there is a slight lack of variation in carving, and he will excel even farther if he spent more time
exploring the quality of lines and brushstrokes.
Mo-Lang Studio Seal Carving by YU Yu-En is a winner of Award of Merit. His composition and layout resemble the meticulous style of Chen
Jiu-lai; but in terms of carving techniques, he utilizes charging, cutting, and slicing to create more variations. The style is neat and elegant, but lacks
innovation. On this basis, he can seek breakthroughs by learning from others or venture beyond the scope of seal engraving.
Award of Merit winner, Dark Light by CHANG Tien-Chien, features a wide range of styles from ancient seals to official or private stamps in Tang
and Song dynasties. His carvings are firm and steady, and compositions are balanced, and simple and innocent. His personal style has taken shape,
and his future works are worth looking forward to. He could have done better at this year’s competition, but perhaps it was because he lacked the
visual effects of larger seals.
Overall, works in this year’s seal engraving competition had even qualities, and were comparable to previous years. The styles were also quite
diverse. What lacked were bolder, more experimental works. The development of seal engraving and temporal awareness still need all loves of seal
engraving to work hard together.