The Art of Ink and the Art of Seal Carving

“The Art of Ink and Seal Carving” are two calligraphic art exhibitions brought together by the dedicated work of local artists Sun Wuk Kim and Young H. Kim.

Young H. Kim has gathered the work of seal carving artists from China, Europe and North America. Sun Wuk Kim has brought an ink calligraphy exhibit originally curated in China that traveled to Alabama and New York before coming to the Kellogg University Art Gallery.

Calligraphic art perpetuates and sustains an ancient Asian tradition, as each work derives and expresses meaning by its synchrony with nature. Artists work with a style that best expresses their sense of beauty, proportion and refinement. Their styles range from the precise, strict disciplined and logical formal scripts to the diverse, dynamic, intuitive, delicate and fluid cursive scripts.

Seal carving is a miniaturist art that began with a practical purpose. Historically, seals were symbols used to authenticate documents, to mark ownership, and as signatures of works of art. By the 14th century, seal engraving had evolved not only to include those practical applications but also to become aesthetic objects for the ruling and intellectual classes in China. Now no longer reserved for the elite, seal carving has evolved, developing many styles and practitioners in modern China as well as here in the United States.

The text in seal carvings can be poems, references to literary works, aphorisms or classical allusions  all contained within the frame of a one to two inch stone surface.

“Seal engraving is often over-looked in surveys of Asian art. In the west, there has been little to no opportunity for the general public to see, learn and enjoy the fascinating art of Chinese seal engraving,” says gallery curator Patrick Merrill. “It is because of the fascinating combination of calligraphy, literature, engraving and the tactile experience of Chinese seal engraving that I welcome the opportunity to bring this marvelous art form to the faculty and students as well as the surrounding community.”