Tong Danian is about forty years later than Zhao, twenty-five to thirty years later than Wu Changshuo and ten years later than Qi Baishi. He, Zhao, Zhao Shuru, Zhao Yunhe are contemporary Indians. Seal cutting in this period is a period of mature creation and talented people. Generally speaking, their works have the following characteristics: first, few people are fully committed to the genre, and most Indians can absorb the strengths of many families and achieve mastery; Second, every Indian can express his personality in his creation. Of course, there are also very distinctive styles, but the general trend is to free themselves from the portal of Ming and Qing schools. Third, although there are many styles and schools in creation, the typical aesthetic tendency of China and India in this period is still the mainstream; Fourthly, the elegance advocated by literati is still the aesthetic pursuit of this period, and the expression of the spirit of Stone in the works is regarded as a high style. These characteristics are obvious in Tong Danian's creation, which can also be said to be the regulations of this era.
Mr. Ma Guoquan described Tong Danian's printing experience in his Biography of Modern Indians: "I learned to carve from a general perspective. At an early age, I touched more than 100 buttons of ancient seals of the Han Dynasty, and finished the work in one minute. Printing art is based on this. " After learning from Shi Ru, he embarked on the road of Zhejiang School and used his own attitude. He once fell in love with Zhao Zhongmu's wonderful Gu Zhuo, and was quite interested in proposing marriage. Mr. Pan Zhulan, a senior, tried to cut and paste two prints of Kingdee Hall, all of which were inscriptions, and persuaded him. Today, in its own engraving, there is also an "endless" side. Is the postscript valid? Uncle's profound Buddhism. After middle age, I decided to buy antiques, including Ding Yiquan mirror and pottery tiles, and wanted to shape my face in the ancient Chinese characters of Qin and Han Dynasties. I have worked hard on the pottery seal in the pre-Qin period and the tile seal in the Qin and Han dynasties, so its seal is rich and simple, and the stone is full of charm. It is especially useful in ancient seal cutting and Han seal cutting. As can be seen from the above description, Tong Danian's seal cutting comes from several aspects: First, directly take French ancient seal cutting and seal cutting in Chinese; Second, influenced by the Ming and Qing schools, but not specialized in one school, they wandered between Zhejiang School and Deng Wan School; Thirdly, Zhao has the greatest and most direct influence on his seal cutting; Fourthly, influenced by Deng Shuyin and Zhao Wai's creative ideas of seeking printing, ancient inscriptions were widely absorbed, making their creation not limited to ancient printing forms, but rich and colorful.
Tong Danian is a seal engraver who is good at absorbing and mastering. Its seal cutting technique is skillful, and its posture is rich. There are antique copper prints, and there are thin and round Zhu Wen; There is the carving method of Zhejiang school's broken knife, but more is Deng's punching knife, whose lines can be combined with Zhao Sheng's and Wu Changshuo's Magnolia officinalis, and the knife work is exquisite without going out of shape. Appropriate restrictions are well grasped. More importantly, his seal cutting shows strong calligraphy, highlighting the beauty of structure and brushwork, so his seal is readable and charming. Thirdly, because Tong Danian is also a painter, his printing has a "commercial position" in painting and has a strong sense of composition. The printing arrangement focuses on the big picture and pays attention to the big contrast of density, so his composition is eye-catching.
Tong Danian's seal cutting works are exquisite and diverse, and his various forms of works can reach a high level. He is indeed a master among modern Indians. But as far as personal artistic style is concerned, it is far less outstanding than Wu Changshuo, Huang Shiling and Qi Baishi. Mr. Sun Xun said in Seal Carving in the Republic of China: "Although seal carving for children involves many schools, it failed to shape the face of a family. Although it has a high reputation, it has not been passed down to future generations. The advantages and disadvantages of Tong Danian's seal cutting are enough for future generations to ponder.