A Study On The Evolution Of Wu Dajing 's

As one of the most influential collectors and researchers in epigraphy of the late Qing dynasty, Wu Dacheng is also a prominent artist in calligraphy, of which his seal script is most notable and influential.With a long history from the pre-Qin dynasties (Xia, Shang, Zhou, Qin), seal script, which then served as the official language, has developed into diverse styles. After the Qin dynasty, however, seal script lost the status as the country’s official language. In the Han dynasty, seal script was gradually replaced by clerical script, of which style "Yuan An monument" and "Yuan plant monument" were typical examples. Chinese Characters, kept its evolving trend and generated into different styles, including regular script, running script and cursive script, during the Wei and Jin dynasties. After Wei and Jin, there were fewer seal script artists, of whom Li Yangbing in Tang dynasty was a notable figure. Seal script, has faded away after Li, till the late Ming dynasty. Following Ming dynasty, with a combinational effect of literary inquisition, the development of philology, epigraphy and textual research, and an increasing number of unearthed ancient inscriptions, seal script regained its popularity, since the Qing dynasty. The glorious era of seal script has witnessed oceans of great artists:Wang Shu in the early Qing dynasty, Deng Shiru in the middle Qing dynasty, Wu Changshuo and Wu Dacheng in the late Qing dynasty. After years of painstaking study on ancient calligraphy art, Wu Dacheng developed his unique and far-reaching style of seal script, from his analysis and learning from previous experiences, from his frequent academic communications with friends, and from his increasingly rich collection of ancient inscriptions.The present dissertation is divided into three major parts, with Wu Dacheng’s seal script as the main research focus. The first part focuses on the development and historical standing of seal script in the Qing dynasty. Effects of various factors on the Qing’s seal script evolvement and its place in the Chinese history are closely analyzed and discussed. As one of the most famous representatives of Qing style seal script, Wu Dacheng has his own uniqueness in presenting his style of chirography. The second part discusses the complicated ways in the formation of his seal script style. The historical value and influence of Wu’s seal script, are another research focus discussed in the thrid part of the present dissertation. As an old Chinese saying goes, "Taking others as mirror, one can tell the good and bad. Taking history as mirror, one can understand rise and fall." Through the analysis of Wu’s style of seal script and its evolutions, people in the modern society can seek guidance in creating their own artworks.