Chinese calligraphy : an introduction to its aesthetic and technique : with 6 plates and 155 text illustratons

CHINESE CALLIGRAPHY

states used its own form of the Great Seal Style. Then the Prime Minister, Li Szu, with the help of some of his subordinates, unified the various modes into the Small Seal Style. He also, incidentally, added a number of new characters to meet the demands of the increasingly complex society he governed. This Small Seal Style (Hsiao-Chiian) has a standard character for each object and action, and does not confuse the mind with a variety of forms as does the Great Seal.1 This was an important stage in the development of Chinese culture, affecting not only etymology but calligraphy and painting as well. Learning could be more easily disseminated with a standard script. All the irregularities of the ancient writing were dropped, and each character was made to ‘occupy ’ an imaginary square. On this basis were built all the later styles of writing.

There is a record that the first Emperor of Ch‘in, on his visit to the east of his kingdom, made six stone engravings recording his victories and distinctions. Unfortunately only two still exist : one on the Lang-Ya Terrace (#% 39 2), the other on Tai Shan ; and in the course of the centuries even these have been badly damaged. The famous J-Shan Pez (i \l) 2),a memorial on I-Mountain in the Province of Shantung, is not the original written in Ch‘in times but a copy made by Hsii Hsiian (#f #%) of the Southern Tang dynasty. It cannot be claimed that this Pei (##) faithfully reproduces the original Small Seal Style as devised by Li Szu, but it is considered by students of this style to be of considerable merit, and it cannot be overlooked.

1 Many writers translate Hsiao-Chiian as ‘Lesser Seal’. I consider this misleading. It suggests that the style was throughout simpler than the Great Seal and that its characters had a smaller number of strokes, whereas although this was true of some of the characters it was not true of all.

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