Engraving Pen And Theory Research

Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, seal-cutting has developed into a particular art form in China. As artists got engaged in progress, seal-cutting has been evolving from practical seals, craftsmen carving into literati seal-cutting, when the Theory of Seal-cutting Styles emerged in response to the art development. In the Wanli period of the Ming dynasty, in the book of The Theory of Seal-cutting, Zhou Yingyuan was the first person to put forward the concept of "Way of cutting demonstrates artistic concepts", which played a significant role in China's seal-cutting art history. Firstly, this paper aims to explore the origin of the theory and its aesthetic impact on seal-cutting development in the Ming and Qing dynasties in the course of its evolving. Secondly, the paper will discuss how the Theory of Seal-cutting Styles was influenced when the stone inscription rubbings and the epigraphy were prevailing in the Qing dynasty. Finally, the paper will continue to study on the development of seal-cutting art creation in the modern and contemporary times.