The seal in a calligraphy work is an indispensable and important content in a calligraphy work. In addition to being perfect in other aspects such as brushwork, structure, composition, title, etc., a successful calligraphy work also has a seal. It must also be elegant. Therefore, the seal in calligraphy has always been valued by calligraphers. There are even many calligraphers who personally make seals, organically combining calligraphy and sealing, and have some opinions on the functions of seals and the artistic appreciation of seals. 1. Types of Seals As an art of seal cutting, there are many types of seals. Seals in calligraphy can be classified as follows. According to the shape of the seal, it can be divided into square, round, flat, waist round, semicircle, oval, gourd shape, zodiac shape, natural shape, etc. According to its seal cutting method, it can be divided into two forms: Zhuwen (Yangwen) and Baiwen (Yinwen). Seals with red inscriptions are generally white with more red and less red, while seals with white inscriptions are generally more red with more red and less white. Therefore, in terms of feeling, the Zhuwen seal is lighter, while the Baiwen seal is heavier. According to the content of the seals, they can be divided into famous seals and idle seals. The art of calligraphy is mainly studied from the perspective of the engraved content. Name seal is also called name seal. The name stamp is used to sign the inscription. The name stamp can be one, including both the surname and the given name. It can also be two pieces, one for the surname and one for the given name, or one for the surname and one for the given name. It can also be an alias. The use of famous seals is very sophisticated. In particular, more attention should be paid to the relationship between the title and the seal. If the title is a name, the first name or last name should be used when sealing; if the title is a Chinese character, the first name should be used when sealing to facilitate identification of the author. Special attention should also be paid to the relationship between the use of seals and etiquette. When a junior writes to an elder, he or she should use a name seal, and if a senior person writes a letter to a senior, he or she should use a personal seal. The signature and seal on the calligraphy work show solemnity and seriousness. Therefore, name seals are more regular and often use square shapes. There are also some whose surname is Yuan and whose name is Fang, and some whose surname is Yuan and whose name is Fang. The calligrapher and painter Zhang Daqian said this about famous seals: "Square is the best, round is okay. If the waist is round, the natural shape and so on are not suitable." There must be changes in the name seal seal. If two famous seals are used in a work, it is best to use one red and one white. The leisure chapter is also called the layout chapter. Including the first chapter (also called the first chapter, the first chapter), the edge seal, the corner seal and the waist seal. The content of Xianzhang is very wide. Some encourage people to learn, such as "Art is boundless", "Wuji", "A career is better than hard work"; some express friendship, such as "Mountains and flowing water", "There are close friends in the sea", etc.; some express the interest of pen and ink, such as "The fragrance of ink" ", "Ink Dance", "Ink Fun", etc.; those with aspirations, such as "Laoji Fufang", "Ruziniu", "Jade Clean Bingqing", "Those who have a will, things will come true", "Joy in the Suffering", etc.; those with records of years , such as "Renwu", "Yimao", "Xinsi", etc.; there are also fast names, such as "Xuexitang", "Jianjianshi", "Songfeng Pavilion", "Yu Shangxuan", etc. The number of words in a leisure chapter can be more or less. It can be two words, a sentence, a poem, or even a whole poem. The leisure seal is not as solemn as the famous seal and does not have to be either square or round. Instead, be casual and lively. Therefore, its shape is relatively casual and can be varied. It can be square, flat, long, round, natural shape, gourd shape, or zodiac shape. 2. The function of seals Seals were originally tokens of trust. The author is responsible for his own calligraphy and painting works. At the end of the work, put your own seal on it to confirm it. After the Song and Yuan Dynasties, due to the emphasis on calligraphy, painting, inscriptions and signatures, calligraphers gradually realized the role of seals, which led to the formation of the art form of calligraphy, seals and walls. Specifically, the seal has the following functions. One is to add color and add the finishing touch. Calligraphy is different from painting. There are no colorful colors, it is just "black words on white paper". Its artistic formation is black flowing lines with a single color. In black. A little vermilion here and there enlivens the atmosphere, adds color to the calligraphy, and adds the finishing touch. The second is to adjust the focus. When calligraphers create calligraphy works, due to the influence of factors such as environment, mood, calligraphy content, pen and ink, paper, etc., it is impossible for every work to be reasonably laid out, stable and balanced. However, there are indeed superb points in other aspects, which require some reasonable remedies such as improvement, righting, and downward movement to achieve balance and stability. The third is to block the border and gather energy. For example, the border seal is a seal placed on the side of a calligraphy work, which plays the role of blocking the edge and gathering energy. The corner seal is stamped on the corner of the calligraphy work. The one on the upper right corner is called the first chapter, and the two lower corner seals are called the corner seal. The corner stamps can be used on both sides and close to the corners, playing the role of "blocking the edges and sealing corners", "filling the void" and adjusting and stabilizing the picture. For long calligraphy works, such as banners, only a leading cover is stamped on the upper right corner, and the middle seems empty, and a waist seal can be added. Most of its content is borrowed from the author, and it can also be printed with the zodiac sign.
The waist seal should be smaller than the initial seal and the last name seal. If a work really needs to be stamped with three stamps on one side, be careful not to stamp them on one line. The above-mentioned kinds of idle seals are not idle in fact. The key is to use them wisely. If the seal is properly sealed, it can not only play the role of the pen, but also play the role that the pen and ink cannot play. As the modern calligrapher and painter Pan Tianshou said: "First of all, The stamp, the corner stamp, like the famous stamp, can play the role of echoing the color changes on the picture, breaking up the flatness, and stabilizing the balance." 3. Art appreciation of seals Since seals are an inseparable part of calligraphy works and complement the art of calligraphy, how to judge and appreciate them is one of the issues facing calligraphers and calligraphy enthusiasts. According to some views of famous experts and some of my own experiences, I think it should be grasped from the following four aspects. First, famous seals should be stable and leisure seals should be unique. As mentioned before, the famous seal is the author's signature seal, which is the author's affirmation of his work. Therefore, it must be serious. In terms of shape, it is best to be square and square. It gives people a sense of solemnity, stability and generosity. The leisure chapter is used for the layout of the entire picture. Therefore, it must have a light and lively effect. The shape requires uniqueness. Too many rules will not only make people feel relaxed and happy, but will also give people a dull, lifeless and depressing feeling. Second, the content must be elegant, and the seal and book must be harmonious. The detailed content here mainly refers to the content engraved in the leisure chapter. Calligraphy is an art, and art is elegant. As an important part of calligraphy works, the content of "seal" also requires elegance. In addition to the fasting number chapter, year-recording chapter, and zodiac chapter, the leisure chapters should be interesting in content selection. For example, choose "elegant", "mountains and flowing water", "scent of ink", "quiet and far-reaching" and so on. In addition, when using the leisure chapter, its content should be harmonious and unified with the content of the calligraphy text. For example, the famous sentence "Knowing one in the sea is as close as the end of the world", stamped with the leisurely seal of "Mountains and Flowing Waters", not only complements the content, but also allows the appreciator to deepen their understanding of the text of the work. On the contrary, if "Happiness is as long as the flowing water of the East China Sea, longevity is as old as the evergreen pines in the Southern Mountains" and "Happiness in suffering" are added to it, it will appear nondescript. Third, the size should be appropriate and the quantity should be moderate. There is also a question of the unity of the seal and the entire work. The seal should match the format size. If it is a large work. A larger seal is required, and if it is a small work, only a small seal is required. On the contrary, it either makes people feel stingy and lacks a sense of balance, or it makes people feel crowded and disproportionate. Attention should also be paid to the relationship between the title and the famous seal. The title and the size of the seal should be consistent. Not every work needs to be stamped, and the more stamps the better. The key to painting a dragon is the finishing touches, which are wonderful and vivid. If there are too many idle chapters, not only will it not be vivid and spiritual, but it will also make people feel messy and superfluous. The number of seals is generally in odd numbers. Chen Rigeng's "Seal Engraving Needles" says, "Use one instead of two, use three instead of four, and use an odd number for the seal, which means to support yang and suppress yin." Fourth, the position must be appropriate and the lightness and importance should be balanced. The position of the seal should be carefully considered. A work always has its virtual reality, density and density. If the secret place is not compact enough, you can use chapters to make it up; if the sparse place feels empty, you can use chapters to enrich it. It's like moving a small weight to make the picture even and smooth. The position of the name and font size stamp at the end of the payment should be carefully arranged. If there is a blank space under the title, it should be stamped under the signature. If there is no blank space, it should be left rather than right. The end stamps should be kept at a certain distance to avoid crowding and looseness. The two seals are one large and one hour old, and should be small at the top and large at the bottom to ensure stability and avoid being top-heavy. The introductory chapter should not be higher or equal to the first word. White space below the first word is best. When a work is suitable for both the introduction chapter and the corner seal, the corner seal should be placed in the lower left corner to form a diagonal position with the introduction chapter. The name badge should be higher than the bottom row of the text. But it should not be too high. If it is higher than the four characters or lower than the last row, the balance will be lost. As far as the color of the seal is concerned, the red text is light and the white text is heavy. For works with light and elegant ink colors, it is advisable to use red seals to maintain the harmony and unity of the two. For works with heavy ink, it is advisable to use white text to create a strong contrast between the red vermilion and the jet-black black. If there are several seals for a work, they should be prioritized, that is, more vermilion with less white, more white with less vermilion, so that they are both varied and coordinated.