Bamboo slips

Bamboo slips

Zhu Jian (1570 -?) He was a seal cutter in Ming Dynasty. The word xiuneng, the name abnormal minister, later changed the reputation. He is from Xiuning, Anhui Province.

He was good at poetry and prose. He was a master of yin and Bao. He kept secrets from others, but he was a master of fish and insects. He was in harmony with the famous literati Li Liufang, Zhao Huanguang and Chen Jiru at that time. Study the ancient seal style. You Jinggu Zhuan. Take Zhao Fanfu's cursive seal script as a family. Seal cutting focuses on brushwork, has the interest of grass seal, and is good at using cutting knives. Yinfeng was astringent and boundless. It was unique at that time and had a great influence on Ding Jing.

The theory of printing

He also had a brilliant view on the theory of printing, "the blade and pen are harmonious, without trace, and they are divine products; there is a pen without a knife, and they are wonderful products; there is a knife without a pen, and they can be good products; there is a knife and pen, and there is a different interest, and there is a Yipin; there is a blade, and it is like a saw tooth carbuncle, and it is a layman; there is no blade, and it is like a iron line ink pig, and it is mediocre work." (on seal) also: "the study of no origin, partisan make do, seal disease; do not know how to write, calligraphy and painting description, pen disease; sharp turning, inappropriate, knife disease; professional lack of interest, loose and out of shape, Zhang disease; the heart and hand are good, because of the end, the disease." (on seal) he also initiated the criticism of seal science, and specially listed a collection of false seals in yinpin, including the works of he Zhen, Liang Zhen and Chen Wannian.

Personal works

He is the author of Jihan mimingzi, Yinshu, Yinjing, yinpianyaolun, yinpin, Junge Cangyin and xiuneng yinpu.

Seal cutting creation

His seal cutting creation has many features, and various genres are flexibly applied, especially the use of cursive seal writing method into the seal, and the use of broken knife (i.e. cutting a stroke with multiple knives) method, which makes the seal strokes dull and heavy; the seal is astringent, vigorous and ancient, thick and steep, full of dynamic; the seal style is strange and vigorous, and full of heroic spirit.

Before Zhu Jian, he Zhen had already used the cutting knife method. He Zhen's cutting knife has a large cutting range, which produces a strong and spicy taste. Zhu bamboo slips, on the other hand, use a small cutting method, which has the flavor of rustic and luxuriant. Because Zhu Jian studied ancient seals deeply, some of his seals were imitative in form. He printed "bamboo slips" and "xiuneng" for his own use, and the method of writing and composition is a typical example of imitating the private seals of the pre Qin Dynasty.

Chinese PinYin : Zhu Jian