Shen Feng

CHINA, Jiangsu, Wuxi; Qing dynasty

Born in Jiangyin, Wuxi, Shen Feng was a seal engraver and painter who was also known as Fanming or Qianzhai, among several other aliases. He was an official in Qingjiangfu (present day Huai’an, Jiangsu). In his early years, he studied under the tutelage of Wang Shu, and was proficient in seal and clerical scripts, as well as seal engraving methodology. His works were well balanced, with loose and dense compositions that used smooth lines to present a simple and clean style. He later modeled his seals after the works of the ancient Qin (221–207 BCE) and Han (206 BCE–220 CE) dynasties.
While he was a guest staying at Chen Conglong’s residence, Shen studied the collections of epigraphy, calligraphy, and paintings. He devoted himself to creating copies of the works he observed during this time. In addition, he authored Collection of Qianzhai Seals.
Shen was also proficient in painting landscapes using the dry brush technique. He copied the works of Ni Zan, and was able to reproduce his paintings that were strikingly like the originals. His Buddhist seal work, Disciple of the White Robe Bodhisattva, is a red-character square seal that employed thick small seal script characters and narrow boundary to make them appear more pronounced.