Event: The Charm of Woodcut Chinese Seals and Calligraphy by Tseng-Yao Terry Sun
Reception: Irvine Barclay Theater 2:00-4:00 PM, May 3, 2023
Exhibits: Irvine Barclay Theater (4242 Campus Drive, Irvine) 10:00AM - 5:00PM, May 3, 2023
South Coast Chinese Cultural Center (9 Truman St, Irvine) May 27, 2023
Seal carving is a unique form of fine art appreciated and valued by artists and collectors in East Asian cultures. Until recently, intricate seals carved with a person’s name in ancient script served as identification for nearly everyone in China and Japan. Artists have long used these seals to authenticate paintings and calligraphy. Today, leisure seals - those carved with a line of poetry or quotation from the classics - are used to add meaning and decoration to artworks.
In the 1980s, Tseng-Yao (Terry) Sun 孫曾堯 developed a technique of enlarging seal designs and carving them into wood, making a traditionally arcane and diminutive art form more accessible to the general public. Terry’s accompanying calligraphy also emphasizes the beauty and meaning of the seals. His work has been exhibited in the Arthur M. Sackler Museum at Harvard University, the Gallery of Palos Verdes Library, the East Asian Library at the University of Southern California, and the San Diego Chinese Historical Museum.