Let's briefly review the development history of seal script. Seal script can be divided into big seal script and small seal script, and "big seal script" is the general name of all languages from Oracle Bone Inscriptions in Shang Dynasty to the appearance of small seal script in Qin Dynasty. Most of the big seal characters are "bronze inscriptions", which are named because they are often engraved on metal products such as metal utensils, musical instruments or weapons. It is worth mentioning that Shi Guwen carved on the ten-sided stone drum of Qin State is also famous. It is a classic of the Great Seal, which is mainly evolved from Shi Guwen. "Xiao Zhuan" is a national unified script created by Li Si and others according to the requirement of "homonym" after Qin unified the six countries. The font is long, the strokes are smooth and concise, and symmetry is emphasized. It is made according to the strokes of Da Zhuan. It can be said that Da Zhuan is the predecessor of Xiao Zhuan.
Lisi is the first calligrapher with a recorded name in China, and also the main figure in the transformation of seal script from big seal script to small seal script, which is called a milestone in the history of seal script and even calligraphy. It is said that the Stone Carving on Mount Tai by Li Si is a typical representative of Xiao Zhuan, and it is known as the "first monument in the world" because of its dignified and rigorous words, neat posture and rounded strokes.
At the same time, official script came into being because of its convenient writing, and gradually replaced the position of Xiao Zhuan. Han Li is the most popular calligraphy style in Han Dynasty, but Xiao Zhuan is still used in graves and prominent places, such as tablets, seals and coins. In Shuo Wen Jie Zi, the first dictionary in China compiled by Xu Shen in the Eastern Han Dynasty, the font is still mainly Xiao Zhuan.
After the Han dynasty, the use of seal script was small, and there were fewer calligraphers. Until Li appeared in the Tang Dynasty, he studied under Farris, studied "Engraving Stone in Yishan" and tried his best to restore the ancients, calling himself "after Xi 'ang, until he was a teenager." Although people have different opinions on him, it plays a connecting role in history and has a great influence on later generations, and is known as "the second milestone of seal script".
From the Five Dynasties, Song Dynasty, Yuan Dynasty, Ming Dynasty to the early Qing Dynasty, seal script has not developed much.
After the middle of Qing dynasty, seal script began to flourish, which was manifested in the prosperity of epigraphy, seal script and the emergence of famous artists. They extensively collected inscriptions, surpassed Li to catch up with Qin and Han dynasties, and created a new style of seal script.
Of course, the most outstanding figure is Deng. It was under the recommendation of Liang Biao that he went to Zhongmeijia, a great collector in Jiangning, and studied hard for 8 years, completing his master's degree. Zhong Mei provided Deng with free accommodation and selflessly provided the top-secret epigraphy rare books collected at home since Qin and Han Dynasties. Deng was also hungry and worked tirelessly. "I started to study ink every day, and I ran out of ink at night, and the cold and heat were endless." He systematically studied calligraphy such as seal script and official script, completed the artistic transformation, and the style of calligraphy seal cutting advanced by leaps and bounds. He became a master of four-body calligraphy, especially in seal script, with Qin Lisi and Tang Liyangbing as disciples and a little Li Yi as disciples, which is called a masterpiece.
The greatest feature of Deng's seal script is the injection of official script brushwork. Change the characteristics of Li Si, Li and other pen hearts, introduce side strokes in the writing process, and introduce "writing" into the creation of seal script, which injects vitality and different feelings into seal script. In the process of using the pen, many strokes, especially horizontal painting, are very close to the image of the official pen. When the pen is pressed slightly, the pen becomes heavier and slightly upward, implying a tortuous state. In particular, Deng Yi, who used the long front of a sheep's hair to surpass people's wrist power, wrote a pen like a cone to draw sand and harmony, showing the primitive and vigorous weather. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, Tu Youyou commented on Deng Wan's "White Meat Haoshu Zhuan": "From the end of the confession, I began to see Weng's pen. The long glume used, without pruning, makes the book naturally thin and hard. The five fingers cover Li Qi, the pen tip is self-correcting, and the paper end is like a cone painting sand. "