Wu Changshuo's Seal Theory Illustrated

Author: Liu Jiang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-10-01
Features: Wu Changshuo (1844–1927), a native of Anji County, Zhejiang Province, was a renowned master of calligraphy and seal carving in modern China and the first president of the world's most prestigious seal art society—the Xiling Seal Club. His original names were Jun and Junqing, and he was also known as Changshuo, Cangshi, and had other aliases such as Fulu, Kuitie, and Dalong. After the age of seventy, he used his courtesy name to sign his works. A native of Zhejiang Anji. In the fourth year of the Tongzhi era (1865), he became a shixue (a local scholar) and also served as the magistrate of Anting County, Jiangsu Province, but resigned after only one month, carving the seal "One Month as Magistrate of Anting" as a. Wu Changshuo successively studied under Yu Yue (1821–1906), Yang Xian (1819–1896), and engaged in the study of classical texts, poetry, calligraphy, and seal carving. He also had the opportunity to view ancient ritual vessels and calligraphy and painting works by famous masters in Suzhou, where he met Pan Zuyin, Wu Yun (1811–1883), and Wu Dachen (1835–1902). Although he claimed to have "started learning poetry at the age of thirty and painting at the age of fifty," his painting practice likely began in his thirties when he discussed art with Ren Boren. In 1913, the Xiling Seal Club was officially established in Hangzhou, and he was elected as its president, further enhancing his reputation in painting. The Japanese particularly revered him. He published several works, including Fulu Collection, Fulu Poetic Remains, Fulu Seal Remains, and various collections of calligraphy and painting.
Wu Changshuo excelled in poetry, calligraphy, painting, and seal carving. His calligraphy was long and elegant, resembling the Shigudao (Stone Drum Inscriptions), bold and unrestrained. His seal carving drew inspiration from ancient bronze vessels and the art of Qin and Han dynasties, employing a technique of using dull blades to carve hard surfaces, resulting in a lush, vigorous, and powerful style. His painting mastered flowers, vegetables, fruits, and landscapes, drawing from the styles of Xu Wei, Yuan Ji, and Li Zong, while also being influenced by Zhao Ziqian and Ren Boren. He particularly integrated the art of seal carving and calligraphy into his paintings, creating works like "Coiled Dragon in a Spiral." His paintings were characterized by expressive brushwork, rich colors, profound spirit, and a revitalization of the declining artistic trends of the late Qing Dynasty, opening up a new era for modern freehand painting.
His seal carving began with the Zhe School style before specializing in Han dynasty seals, also influenced by Deng Shiru, Wu Rangzhi, Qian Song, and Zhao Ziqian. After the age of thirty-one, he moved to Suzhou and traveled between Jiangsu and Zhejiang, broadening his horizons through extensive exposure to ancient inscriptions, seals, and calligraphy and painting works. Later, he settled in Shanghai, where he extensively collected and studied, advancing equally in poetry, calligraphy, painting, and seal carving. His style became prominent in his later years, establishing him as a master of the art. His achievements in seal carving held epoch-making significance for Chinese seal art, primarily because he integrated poetry, calligraphy, painting, and seal carving into a unified whole, opening up new dimensions in the art of seal carving.
His success stemmed from his artistic cultivation and philosophy, particularly in the fusion of poetry, painting, and seal carving. In poetry, he favored "hard and abrupt expressions," and in seal carving, he used the technique of "dull blades cutting hard surfaces." He once wrote a poem comparing the "North and South Peaks of West Lake" to seals, blending poetry and seal carving. His seal "Huzhou Anji County, the Gate Aligns with White Clouds" was inspired by the opening line of Tang poet Zhou Pu's poem on Anji Dongling Water, with the following line being "Where the power of Yu could not reach, the river's sound flows west." He deeply admired this line, believing that the "pen force and ink presence are strongest where there are no characters," and every time he used this seal, it evoked profound reflections. The seal's design focused on the opening line, emphasizing the idea of "no characters," making it highly suggestive and truly "poetry within the seal."
In painting, he favored dramatic contrasts, skillful use of negative space, diagonal compositions, and bold, blocky arrangements. His calligraphy in seals was highly distinctive, with characters full of brushwork, where the knife seemed to merge with the brush. Thus, his seals often exhibited bold yet delicate, rustic yet refined, and even ugly yet beautiful (primarily in their broken and worn aspects) characteristics. They were ancient yet modern, and transformed yet harmonious.
Many artists today study Wu Changshuo's seal carving. The Japanese seal artist Kawai Kenro, who began seeking guidance from Wu Changshuo in 1898, introduced his techniques to Japan, exerting a significant influence. Wu Changshuo published Fulu Collection and Fulu Seal Remains.