葦滄 吳世昌의 篆刻과 印譜

Abstract

Wichang,(葦滄) Oh Se-chang(吳世昌) who laid the foundation stone of Korean art history was a compiler, a calligrapher, a bibliographer and a great epigrapher. He also was a great seal engraver who sublimated the engraving into the art and made the big stroke in Korean modern history of engraving. He started to study by himself the seal engraving from his late teens by copying the collections of the past Chinese seal prints(印譜) that his father had collected through his thirteen trips to China as an official interpreter. He copied the past Chinese and Korean seal prints, and also enjoyed the seal engraving holding the seals in his hands through his whole life. Wichang’s fascination with the seal engraving since his youth was further encouraged by the lively activity of Japanese seal engraving community which he had observed during his exile in Japan. After returning to Korea, he could give himself to the seal engraving. He accepted various forms of expression that the engravers of the Ching Period in China had applied to select the materials and forms of seals, makers’ signs and seals on the bells or kettles, Wadang(瓦當), Jeonpyeoe(錢幣), Bongni(封泥), etc, to Inmun(印文) of seals. Accordingly, he could hold an unrivalled position as the master of engraving with his own unique style as well as the style of Japanese chisel. His engraving accepted various styles of scholars in the Ching age and was influenced by Chusa’s view of seal engraving and academic circles. Wichang, while dedicating his time to seal engraving, also did a lot of research on this subject to collect 3,912 articles of the past Korean seals and complie 「Geunyeokinsu(槿域印籔)」. He also compiled 7 collections of his own seal prints such as 「Wichanginbo(葦滄印譜)」, 「Ohssiinjip(吳氏印集)」, etc. These collections can be considered the remarkable achievement as one of the rare collections as well as the very first individual collection of a devoted seal engraver since the seal print collection of Chusa. Since he succeeded the artistic value and spirit of seal engraving established since the period of Chusa and bridged between the modern period and the present, his tremendous impact on the seal engraving could be fully appreciated.