The Chinese art of seal making is getting international attention with the release of the 2008 Beijing Olympics emblem. The seal of "Dancing Beijing" reflects the artistic depth and sophistication of this multidisciplinary art. As a master engraver in the field, Tianjin-based Sun Jiatan embodies the best of painting, calligraphy and carving in his seal making. His works are widely considered heirloom quality with their brilliant artistry. "Faces of a Nation" today takes a look at a seal smith who's devoted himself to the art for more than 25 years.
A token of authority and credibility, seal making traces its origin to the early appearance of oracle inscriptions on tortoise shells 37-hundred years ago.
Its practicality has dwindled nowadays, but expectations for artistic quality continue to grow. Sun Jiatan's works are imbued with such artistic vigor that his designs and characters seem to leap off the stamp surface.
Seal Artist Sun Jiatan said, "In seal carving, what we carve draws from Chinese traditional culture. It's the art of carving the dragon. Why? Because we often say that Chinese people are the offspring of the dragon."
The best chop seals show three main qualities: composition, or the arrangement of characters, calligraphy, and the handiwork of the engraver. With 25 years in the field, Sun Jiatan is an expert in carving various materials. His rhythmic movement of wrist and fingers is essential to this delightful dance of the knife.
Seal Artist Sun Jiatan said, "My works are more traditional in style, but made with varying techniques. For example, I've been making Qing seals, Han seals, seals for Emperors, seals for mud, seals of Wangdang characters and seals of certain designs. Full development of these techniques will lay a solid base to foster my own style in the future."
Apart from the 99 percent perspiration, Sun Jiatan gets his one percent of inspiration largely from his collection of ancient seals, all of which testify to the art's rich history and culture.
Seal Artist Sun Jiatan said, "This is a chop from the Warring States Period. It's a hooked chop with a horse head, and designs on the bottom. When using it, people usually press it against the mud. You can see here we've got two dragons on the plasticine. To master chop carving, we start with learning about ancient seals, the characters, carving techniques and composition. Therefore, when we carve our own chops, we keep the tradition."
If ancient seals are inspiring, then calligraphy is the groundwork. Sun practiced calligraphy for years, which made his start in seal making a natural progression. So when he made himself known with his first award-winning seal at the age of 31, he earned a certain renown with his distinctive calligraphy style.
And he credits his style to his ten years as an archaeologist in Inner Mongolia in the 1980s.
Seal Artist Sun Jiatan said, "The chops I carve belong to a style of unrestrained wildness. It's simple and unadorned. I acquired the style from years in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The sprawling grassland is proportioned with a sense of formidable vastness, which is in turn echoed in my works."
Apart from its practical nature, Sun's seals have an artsy feel with the characters and meaning corresponding to the elaborate sculpture on the top and the scene on the sides in shallow relief. This rectangular seal with a natural reddish flow is reminiscent of a gory scene, but was given more depth with the seal characters suggesting combat gallantry.
Fifty-seven-year-old Sun Jiatan is the chairman of the Tianjin Seal Society and a member of the Xiling Seal Society. But the administrative obligations don't get in the way of his art. For him, there is no better enjoyment than to sit under a lamplight and scrutinize his stones.
(CCTV September 30, 2005)
