This paper is designed to extend the creation method of epigraphic painting school integrating calligraphy, painting and seal as well as to implant the nature of western sketch theory (light and color), so as to produce a new variety (new seal cutting art of composition-gradation). In the naming of art of composition noun, in order to convert the conventional falsehood, reality and density of art of composition language into that being present progressive, clear and understandable, the present progressive integrating falsehood, reality and density is called deep-shallow combination method. While seven categories of new seal cutting art of composition-gradation includes front light, backlight, oblique light and diagonal light according to the source of light, and includes multi-theme, swing and natural based on the visual principle. Contents of five chapters are described as follows in the paper.
Chapter I Introduction: Section I: Research Motivation; the motivation for this research is mainly to narrate the connection between visual language. Section II: Research Objective; the research objective is mainly to describe the application of visual language. Section III: Research Content and Scope; the scope of the research is to seek a new composition of art by blending painting and calligraphy. Section IV: Research Methods; the research methods are designed to absorb the consistency of the art composed of painting and calligraphy through understanding of the meaning of works of art of important figures of the Epigraphic Painting School with the aim of verifying the feasibility of composing new art language by the author.
Chapter II Section I includes an exploration of the literature with an academic foundation, and eight pieces of composition art are influenced by the contents of the Preface of the Holy Doctrine as a prelude, including well-demonstrated, scattered, inclined, vivid, echoing, collaborative, borrowed and variable themes to present an evident creation of the imagery. The essentials of the calligraphy art of composition presented in Section II are based on the experience and summary of the author from the author’s education in the field of calligraphy over the past 20 years. Section III describes the composition art of seal cutting presented by Mr. Deng Sanmu to propose a creation after interpreting each piece of composition art, and to demonstrate the effort the author has made to understand composition art. In Section IV, the creation of each piece of composition art is presented through an understanding of each of the 13 composition painting rules proposed by Mr. Li Feng (deployment, guest-host, choice, density, true or false, opening and closing, blank, contrast, balance, color, background, decoration and signet), so as to demonstrate the author’s thorough understanding of natural formation. Section V summarizes the principles of painting and calligraphy compositions, tabulates and blended paintings, and calligraphy and seal cutting created by the author and to review the composition pieces that have given life to a new type of composition art.
Chapter III The creation of painting and calligraphy in seal cutting involves seeking the root and source. The idea of the creation in Section I is based on the enlightenment of the Epigraphic Painting School. The creative content in Section II is based on the inheritance of the experiment of the Epigraphic Painting School. The course of the creation in Section III is the embodiment of new seal-cutting composition art. In this chapter, the author attempts to transform the light perception and gradation methods of western painting into an extension of the Epigraphic Painting School, and thereby generate a new type of seal-cutting composition art.
Chapter IV This chapter classifies the gradation generated by light rhythm: 1. Reinless (front light); 2. Convergent (backlight); 3. Oblique (side-type oblique light); 4. Diagonal (diagonal echoing type-two key lights); 5. Multi-theme (irregular S-flow type multi-facade cascade); 6. Swing (swing-type Yin-Yang sides); 7. Natural (awakening-type random side).
Chapter V This chapter concludes the paper and includes the inspiration for the introspection and thinking behind this paper for future development of this subject matter.