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文/石安 The Brief Introduction of Lai Chusheng By ShiAn 来楚生（1903—1975），原名稷勋，浙江萧山人氏也。号然犀、负翁、初生等，室名然犀室。近代艺术大家，书画印诸艺皆精，尤以肖形印最为精绝，后人视其为该域一代宗师。 Lai Chusheng (1903-1975) was born in Xiao Shan, Zhejiang. His original name was Jixun. He had other names as Ranxi, Fuweng, Chusheng, etc. His bookroom was called Ranxi Shi. Lai Chusheng was a great artist and good at calligraphy, drawing and seal carving. He had high achievement on shaped seal carving especially. People look him as the greatest master in the field of shaped seal carving. 楚生出身名门，所属萧山来氏，有“两浙巨宗”之誉，先世有义声，且耕读传家，数百年人才辈出于斯。 Lai Chusheng’s family was famous in Xiaoshan, praised as “a family with huge influence in Zhejiang”. There have been many outstanding talents from the family during the past hundreds of years. 至楚生曾祖、祖父一辈，皆早逝，遂家道中落。及至来父荫基一代，逢时事无明，愈见衰微矣。 The family was declining since his grandfather and great-grandfather’s early death. When his father was in charge of the family, The family became very difficult. 清末世纪之交，荫基倾家所有，捐得武昌小吏，急往赴任，以为家业重兴之契机。又三年，岁在癸卯冬月（1903），楚生降于世，然家邦多难，是年八国联军攻克京师，社禝飘摇，局势动荡，民生疾苦，世道愈艰。 Around the turn of the century in the last Qing Dynasty, Lai Chusheng’s father kicked all of his own and then get a petty official position in Wu Chang, Hubei. He went to there in a hurry and tried to Reinvigorate the family. Three years later, Lai Chusheng was born there. In the same year, the Eight-Nation Alliance intruded China and everything became more difficult for all of the people in China. 楚生自幼聪慧过人，少时耽于书画印艺，时有微名。不意年方垂髫（8岁）,义兵兴于武昌，鄂省烽烟四起，荫基仓惶之间，携家小退返萧山故里，家益窘乏。 Lai Chusheng was very intelligent in his childhood. He was keen into art and got his reputation in the city. When he was 8 (1911), the war broke out in the city he living. His father had to escape back to his hometown. It made the family more difficult. 是年，楚生入浙省萧山仓桥小学就读，不数年，来父心力交瘁，溘然仙逝。此时楚生年方十三，未及束发，而承养家重担，几难为继，幸得族中婶娘庇护，视其若己出，时有接济，又资助其学业，是举方有后之艺术大家留名于世，何其幸哉！ In this year, Lai Chusheng started his study in Xiaoshan Cangqiao primary school. When his father died with illness five years later, the young boy had to try to support the family and his condition became very very difficult. It's lucky that he was support by his aunt. The woman looked him as her own sun and support him not only in economy but also in study. It’s very important for his future success in art. 越明年，来氏入杭城宗文中学，从校中美术教师樊氏义臣门下习书学画，兼习刻印。樊爱其才，照顾有加。及至弱冠（21岁），来氏几经辗转，入上海美专从潘天寿学，天寿长楚生六岁，两人相处甚善，亦师亦友。是年来氏更名楚生，后人遂只识楚生而不知有稷勋者也。 In the second year, Lai Chusheng entered the Hangzhou Zongwen Middle School and became to study art following the teacher Fan Yicheng. Techer Fan loved his talent and took care of him. When Lai was 21(1924), he went to shanghai Art College and learnt from Pan Tianshou. Pan was only six year older than him. Pan was good to Lai and looked him as his friend but not only student. Lai used his new name as Chusheng frome then on. It makes others only knew his name as Chusheng but not Jixun later. 待丁卯美专毕业，来氏返萧山故里，委职于广盛米店，娶同乡女子赵芳薇，又两年，生长子士龙，家和丁旺，治印益勤，期间时有印谱行于世。癸酉年（1933），举家迁杭城。 After Lai graduated from the school in 1927, he came back to Xiaoshan and began to work in Guangsheng Rice Shop. Then he married with a girl named Zhao Fangwei from the same village and have his first son after two years. The family became better. Lai was more diligently on seal carving. He issued his own seal book soon. in 1933, The whole family moved to Hangzhou. 又一年（1934），自拓《楚生印存》行世，樊师义臣赞其“天资敏悟，超妙绝伦”。遂订润例于杭城王星记扇庄，揽件治印渐丰。 Next year(1934), Lai Chusheng published his book “The seal works of Chusheng”. His teacher Fan Yichen praised him as a smart talent and made wonderful works. The teacher help setting customized seal price for him. Lai’s ecomonic condition became better and better because of the business. 是年，来氏入“莼社”，与潘天寿、唐云诸家周聚于斯，谈文识艺，甚为活跃，斯时青春年少，可谓意气风发。 In this year, Lai Chusheng joined “Chun She”. He met with Pan Tianshou, Tang Yun and other friend every week there. These young men talk about literature or art with high spirits. 然国运多舛，未几抗战爆发，来氏迁往沪上，先后受聘新华艺专、上海美专，逢家中变故，遂辞教职，以鬻艺为生。丙戌之年（1946），于上海“中国画苑”办个人画展，次年又有《然犀室印存》出版于世，又重入职上海美专，旋复去。 Soon afterwards, the Anti-Japanese War was broke out. Lai Chusheng moved to Shanghai, worked in XinHua Art college and Shanghai Art College. Becaue of his family’s misfortune, he quited his work and began to make living by art. Lai held his personal art exhibition at “China Art Center” in Shanghai In 1946, and published his another book “The seal works of Ran Xi Shi” in the next year. Then he rejoined the Shanghai Art College but left there soon. 来氏虽与沪上名家潘天寿、唐云、白蕉、邓散木等友善，然其性耿介，低调缄言，“息交以绝游”，自号“闷胡庐主”，又执著于拙朴写意之风，“不喜施脂粉，以迎合时凉”，终不为时人所喜，时察以艺谋生为不易之事。 Lai Chusheng got along well with some famous artists in Shanghai, such as Pan Tianshou, Tang Yun, Bai Jiao, Deng Sanmu, etc. He was honist, frank, silence and low-key. He made a seal work “Xi Jiao Yi Jue You” and named himself as “Men Hulu Zhu” which means a deep quiet man. He was a keen artist and liked being far away from the society. It’s not easy for him to make living by the art because of his character. 吾观其时沪上印坛，吴缶翁、王福庵、赵叔孺等皆有显名，众星捧月，唯来氏楚生，未应其名，门庭清冷。实非技不如人，性格与艺风使然也。 When we see the seal field in Shanghai at that time, we can find that some famous artist such as Wu Changshuo, Wang Fuan, Zhao Shuru all have great influence and lots of students followed them. However, Lai Chusheng was not well-known. it’s not up to his level but his character and art style. 来氏治印，以秦汉古玺为本，二吴为宗，其印质朴雄强，熠熠有豪迈之气。又精于书画，以画入印，所刻肖形印，独辟一径，上溯汉砖画像，又参上古纹饰，有古风，且用刀精熟，构图简炼，时人视为一绝，有诗赞曰：“吴越才子多刻印，君登当代最高楼。” On seal carving, Lai Chusheng based on the ancient seal of Qin and Han, learnt from two great seal carvers Wu Xizhai and Wu Cangshou. Lai’s seal style was simple and powerful, with special heroic spirit. Because he was good at drawing, he like to make seal work with picture. His portrait seals were combined with the brick portrait of Han Dynasty and the ancient ornamentation. He was skillful on carving and good at making simple composition. He had made great achievement and was praised as the greatest seal carver in the portrait seal field. 来氏肖形印，生肖、佛像、人像、花卉、草虫等皆为题材，以刀代笔，形神兼备，后人以为古今无有能出其右者。近代印坛大家钱君匋云：“来氏刻印七十岁前后所作突变，朴质老辣，雄劲苍古，得未曾有。虽二吴亦当避舍……二十世纪七十年代能独立称雄于印坛者，唯楚生一人而已。”石安以为的评。 Lai’s portrait seal themes came from zodiac, buddha, figure, flower, grass, insect, etc. He made graver as brush pen and made lots of wonderful works both at form and spirit. Some people think Lai is the best one in the field of portrait seal. Qian Juntao, a great artist in 21 century, had said that Lai Chusheng changed his seal carving style around 70 years old, his style became more simple, spicy and vigorous. Wu Xizai and Wu Changshou were less powerful than him even. He was the strongest one in seal carving field in the 1970s. 岁在丙申（1956），上海中国画院筹立，来氏以印家之声入为画师。其时以印家身份入画院者，唯来楚生、陈巨来、叶璐渊三人耳。 In 1956, the Shanghai China Art Academy was set up. Lai Chusheng became a member of it. There were only three seal carvers recuited as its members at that time. there were Lai Chusheng, Chen Julai, Ye Luyuan. 是时，来氏生活安定,心舒神畅，又能专于艺事，为其创作黄金时，且多有歌颂社会新风之作，别具一格。然大凡艺术大家者，往往命运多舛也。不数年，来氏胃肺诸病侵劳其身，渐次身衰体虚，不复安享康健之福矣，后遂长期告病于家。 During that period, Lai Chusheng was peaceful and happy. He focused on art and created a lot of great works. But great artists are always ill fated. Lai suffered some kinds of illness and his health became worse after several years. He had to be on sick leave and stayed home from then on.
然病也不坠其志，有生后十年，来氏治印益勤，勇猛精进，仅辛亥一年（1971），即刻印逾百方。虽古稀之年，艺业竟又有大成矣！ Illness can not defeat him. Lai Chusheng worked more hard in the following ten years. he made more than one hundred works only in 1971. It was amazing that he made great achievements in his 70s. 惜天不假年，终因时世艰阻，病情渐重，乙卯初春，一代大家溘然长逝，年仅七十有三，惜哉！ Unfortunely, Lai’s health was getting worse. In the spring of 1975, Lai died for illness. It was very regret that he was only 73 years old that year.
来氏挚友唐云曾言：“来楚生先生书、画、篆刻无不精妙，而于书，篆、隶、正、草均熟中求生，刚健婀娜，平生憨辣，气势磅礴，不可名状，允推当杰手；画从书法得来，清新横逸，刻则运刀如笔，饶有奇致，皆不涉前规，开生面者也。”可为来氏艺业慨要。 One of Lai’s good friends Tang Yun once said, “Mr. Lai was good at calligraphy, drawing and seal carving. His artistic style was both traditional and innovative. His works are vigorous, graceful, majestic and simple. It’s not easy to describe his whole features and his great capibility. He cambined calligraply, drawing and seal carving skills together very well and was a great innovator in the art field.
石安曰：观来氏印章，以秦汉古玺为宗，承其精华，又能接二吴（吴熙载、吴昌硕），尤近缶翁，深得其神韵，加之向线用刀，制险出奇，恢恢乎游刃有余。故其印意境高古，朴实拙茂，富于变化。又以汉砖入肖形印，妙造自然，形神不可方物，令人叹为观止，此诚印坛大家也。 Shi An said, Lai Chusheng’s seal style root in the ancient seal style of Qin and Han. He inherited their essence and learn much from the two great seal carvers Wu Xizhai and Wu Changshou. He made seals easily with great skill. His works are full of ancient flavor and colorful. His portrait seals are amazing and wonderful. He was such a great seal carver indeed. ———————————————— |
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