The Charm of Woodcut Chinese Seals and Calligraphy by Tseng-Yao Sun
April 23, 2011 – September 2011
Until recently, intricate seals carved with a person’s name in ancient script served as identification for nearly everyone in China and Japan. For centuries, artists have used these seals to authenticate paintings and calligraphy, and the emperor’s seal once conveyed absolute authority. Today, leisure seals still add decoration to artwork and are enjoyed as works of art in their own right, imbued with profound meaning.
In the 1980s, Tseng-Yao (Terry) Sun 孫曾堯 developed a technique of enlarging seal designs and carving them into wood, making a traditionally arcane and diminutive art more accessible to the general public. Terry’s accompanying calligraphy also emphasizes the beauty and meaning of the seals. His work has been exhibited in the Rübel Asiatic Research Collection, Fine Art Library; Arthur M. Sackler Museum at Harvard University, the Gallery of Palos Verdes Library and the East Asian Library at the University of Southern California.