Comparison of Seal Engraving Art of WU on the South and CHI on the North

In the end of the QingDynasty of China, Wu Changshuo (1844–1927) and Chi Baishi (1863–1957) the two greatest masters in engraving art were called as ‘Wu on the south and Chi on the north ’because of where they practiced. Two people were the best in poems, writing, paintings, and even seal engraving and were followed by numerous students.

Even though their backgrounds to births and other environments are different, both of them grew up to form independent sects, ‘Wu school ’and ‘Chi school ’later. Wu succeeded custom through imitation while Chi combined the old law with aspects of the people both creating distinctive seal engraving art. Backgrounds in birth, the world of seal engraving art, achievements, techniques, and works of these two remarkable artists of Chinese modern history will be analyzed in the text.

At the end of Qing Dynasty of China when epigraphy flourished, epigraphic ethos and metal hobbies spread producing many outstanding epigraphists. Particularly, the two greatest of all was Wu and Chi who worked till modern times. They are called as ‘Wu on the south and Chi on the north ’. It is because Wu worked in southern regions while Chi in northern regions. Both of them were the most remarkable in poems, writing, paintings, and even seal engraving. Especially two books named after their names "Wu Changshuo's Seal Engraving Dictionary "and" Chi Baishi's Seal Engraving Dictionary" indicates their positions in the history of Chinese seal engraving. There has never been a single personal dictionary that is not on calligraphy but modern seal engraving.

Both of these two people established their own world of art sublimating traditional seal engraving art to modern art. Two seal engraving sects created and named after them were Wu school and Chi school. The reason for these names are that Wu school also called as ‘Hai school ’was named after Wu who usually work in Shanghai. On the other side, Chi school sometimes called as ‘Jing school ’was named after Chi who was active in Beijing. At last, there were great number of students who admired these two people because of their unique taste and trend in seal engraving art.

Wu combined the old law with the meaning of tradition into a piece, creating time-honored and anticipated seal engraving art, while Chi dipped Into the books of old epitaph handwriting, completing intense and straightforward art with strength from when he was a carpenter.