篆刻創作之探研

The Creation and Study of Seal Carvings

篆刻是以書法為基礎，將文字設計安排於印面之上，再以刀刻完成作品；所以篆刻必須將字法、書法、章法和刀法相結合才能創作出完美的作品，如加上雕刻精美的印石，其印石質溫色美，使得篆刻作品更具收藏價值。
本文主要以筆者多年來所創作的篆刻作品和四十多年來從事藝術研習、教學、理論研究的成果與經驗，融入創作之中，希望經過努力的實踐，使作品能臻於完美。本文計分五章：一、前言：探討篆刻的定義和內涵，強調篆刻的藝術性和篆刻流派對篆刻發展的重要性。二、璽印和篆刻之美舉例：由於古代璽印以實用為主，官印和私印，其中私印中的成語璽、肖形印深具藝術價值；又明清以後的篆刻流派可謂百家爭鳴，舉例吳派篆刻藝術和齊派篆刻藝術，加以分析探討。三、篆刻創作之研究：以筆者四十多年來創作的篆刻作品加以分類賞析為：（一）以甲骨文入古鉩風格。（二）以古籀文入古鉩風格。（三）以摹印篆入秦印風格。（四）以繆篆入漢印風格。（五）以圖像入肖形印風格。四、印石之美賞析：介紹福建省壽山石、浙江省青田石、浙江省昌化石等，好的印石溫潤細膩，色澤宜人，篆刻家選擇精美印石加以篆刻而提昇其收藏價值。五、結語：篆刻創作透過理論的探討和作品的分析，使欣賞者能了解作者創作的內涵精神和外在表現的技法、形式之美，也藉此激勵創作者的創新精神和展現個人的獨特風格。

Seal Carvings are artworks created on the basis of calligraphy in which words are designed and arranged on the surface of a seal before they are carved out. It is a creation that requires literary knowledge, expertise in calligraphy, understanding in seals and craftsmanship in carving to perfect. If the creator could add an exquisitely craved gemstone with beautiful color and texture to the seal carving, it would make the piece even more invaluable.
This paper is based on my experiences on creating seal carvings and forty years of teaching, studying and results I’ve cultivated from theories related to the arts. I’ve combined my experiences with my creations and I hope that I may reach perfection through continuous execution. This paper is divided into five parts:
I. Preface: This part includes studies on the definition and meanings of seal carvings. I’ve put a lot of emphasis on the art of seal carvings and how the various schools of seal carvings affected its development.
II. Examples of the beauty of seals and seal carvings: Seals were used for practical purposes in Chinese history in which most seals were official seals or personal seals. The seals of idioms and seals of various pictures among personal seals are of most artistic value. Various schools of seal carvings also emerged after Ming Dynasty and Ching Dynasty. I’ve discussed some examples such as the Wu School and Chi School of seal carvings in this part of my paper.
III. The study of creating seal carvings: This part is divided according to the various pieces I’ve created over approximately forty years.
1. The carvings of Oracle Bone Script into ancient seals
2. The carvings of Zhou characters into ancient seals
3. The carvings of reproduced lettering into Qin Seals
4. The carvings of Wang Mang Letterings into Han Seals
5. The carvings of pictures into seals
IV. Appreciation and analysis on stones used for carving seals: An introduction to Agalmatolite from Fu-Jian Province, Qingtian stones and Changhua stones from Zhejiang Province and other stones used for carving. Seal stones of high quality are mild in texture, smooth and in pleasant color. Seal carvers usually choose stones of fine quality to carve which enhances their artistic value.
V. Conclusion: Viewers can understand the creator’s intentions in creating, techniques in presenting and beauty in style through the explanation of theories and analysis of seal carving creations. I also hope that through this process creators would be inspired with new ideas and be encouraged to express their personal styles further.