Selected 100 pieces of Small Seal Calligraphy Works

Author: Li Fuyu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-04-01
Features: In the history of Chinese calligraphy, the small seal script of the Qin and Qing dynasties are regarded as two unattainable peaks. They surpassed all previous generations in both practical appreciation and artistic consciousness. Li Fuyu has climbed these two peaks. This book is a posthumous collection of Li Fuyu's small seal script works, featuring 100 selected pieces. Most of the content revolves around themes of ambition and progress from various dynasties, while the forms include couplets, scrolls, and horizontal hanging scrolls. The layout is well-structured, the composition is rigorous, the characters are elegant, and the lines flow smoothly, making it an excellent model for calligraphy enthusiasts learning small seal script.
In this book, Li Fuyu fully appreciates the bold and varied structures of Shang and Zhou bronze inscriptions, the ancient and powerful lines, and the dynamic layouts. He also attempts to incorporate this style into his reinterpretation of the small seal script of his beloved masters—Li Si, Deng Shiru, Wu Rangzhi, and Zhao Ziqian. It is through this reinterpretation that Li Fuyu developed a unique small seal script style that stands out among the many styles and schools of contemporary small seal script. His small seal script is characterized by vigorous and fluid brushwork, with lines that possess both strength and elasticity. The structures are taller and more elegant than those of the Qin stone inscriptions, often tight at the top and loose at the bottom, with dense interiors and sparse exteriors, creating a "Li-style wind" effect.
The calligraphy master Sha Menghai and Lu Weizhao highly praised Li Fuyu's small seal script during their lifetimes, calling him the "contemporary master of small seal script." Sha Menghai often mentioned to others that Li Fuyu's small seal script works could serve as a model for those learning the script today.