Draft:Xue Pingnan

Xue Pingnan (1945—), courtesy name Dingzhi, late title Xiaweng, was born in Qieding in Kaohsiung County in Taiwan, and is a Taiwanese calligrapher and seal engraver.

Lifetime
Xue was born in 1945 in Qieding in Kaohsiung County, and in 1964, he entered National Taipei Teachers' College specializing in physical education. He once worked as a physical education teacher in an elementary school. Due to his passion for calligraphy, in 1968, he gained admission to the night program for arts and crafts at National Taiwan College of Arts, and after graduating, he remained at the school as an assistant teacher. During his academic years, he won the championships for decathlon on the field at the National Intercollegiate Athletic Games and numerous championships in calligraphy competitions at the college level. He also taught at National Taiwan Academy of Arts, National Taiwan College of Arts, and the Department of Chinese Literature of Shih Hsin University, mainly offering courses in calligraphy and seal engraving. In addition to being a calligrapher and seal engraver, he is also a collector, amassing a significant collection of stone seals and calligraphic works.

Xue Ping-nan received calligraphy instruction from Professor Li Pu-tong and seal engraving guidance from Professor Wang Zhuang-wei, and excelled in the standard script. Xue learned firstly epigraphy and then the hardwood calligraphy. He mastered all five major script styles, seal, clerical, regular, running, and cursive scripts, with his seal script being particularly outstanding. His calligraphy displays the elegance of the epigraphy and the grandeur of the hardwood calligraphy. Xue is highly skilled in carving ancient Chinese Han Dynasty seals, combining his expertise in “calligraphy with seal engraving” in an elegant and harmonious manner. At the age of thirty-five, he resigned from his position as a lecturer at the art school to focus on creating calligraphy and seal engraving artworks. He has received the first prize in the National Art Exhibition, Zhongxing Literary and Art Award, Dr. Sun Yat-sen Culture and Arts Award, and the National Award for Arts, and has held more than ten solo exhibitions both in Taiwan and internationally. Xue also has been invited for holding lectures and solo exhibitions in Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and Beijing University. He has also served as a juror for various art competitions, including the Dr. Sun Yat-sen Culture and Arts Award, National Art Exhibition, Taiwan Provincial Fine Arts Exhibition, the Da Dun Fine Arts Exhibition and the Mingzong Award. In addition to his creative works, Xue Ping-nan has contributed to the art education, serving as the chairman of the Chinese Standard Cursive Script Association, vice chairman of the Taiwan Seal Society, board member of the Xiling Seal Engraver’s Society, and a researcher at the Chinese Seal Engraving Art Academy. He has published books of more than ten topics including but not limited to calligraphy, seal engraving, and calligraphy models, and has collaborated with Chinese Television System (CTS) to produce instructional DVDs for calligraphy lessons.

In 1981, he established the "Panshi Calligraphy Society" with his students. In 2000, he formed the "Ten Outstanding Female Calligraphy Society" by selecting ten of his female students and followed by the establishment of the "Ten Friends Society" with ten male students, both of which serve as subsidiary groups of the Panshi Calligraphy Society. In 2015, he established the "Nanfeng Seal Society" for those interested in learning seal engraving, facilitating regular meetings for mutual learning of calligraphy and seal engraving skills.

Art Style
Xue Ping-nan believes that the value of art lies in the creative process. Without a deep foundation, blindly pursuing novelty or following the so-called “trendy script” can lead to confusion and uncertainty within the broad knowledge of calligraphy and seal engraving. His creative approach involves deepening his knowledge of classical works, practicing by both copying traditional calligraphy models and creating original works. Through this process, he strives to ignite creativity and develop unique artistic style in calligraphy.

Awards and Achievements
1972: First Prize in the sixth National Youth Student Calligraphy and Painting Competition, College Calligraphy Division.

• 1973: First Prize in the first National Teachers' Calligraphy Competition.

• 1980: First Prize in the ninth National Art Exhibition (Seal Engraving Category).

• 1982: Zhongxing Literary and Art Award (Calligraphy Category).

• 1983: Dr. Sun Yat-sen Culture and Arts Award (Seal Engraving Category).

• 1995: National Art Exhibition (Calligraphy Category).

• 2001: Dr. Lin Zong-yi Cultural Award.

Solo Exhibitions
• 1974: Armed Forces Cultural Center, Taipei City

• 1977: Taiwan Provincial Museum, Taipei City

• 1982: Kaohsiung Public Library

• 1983: Taichung City Cultural Center

• 1984: Nagasaki Hamaya Department Store, Japan

• 1985: Yongfu Hall Tainan City; Six Six Gallery, Taipei City

• 1987: Kaohsiung Municipal Social Education Center

• 1989: National Museum of History National Gallery

• 1991: Kaohsiung Cultural Center, Xinsheng Gallery, Taipei City

• 1995: Taipei Fine Arts Museum

• 2000: Taipei Hong-Zhan Art Center (Millennium Hundred-Couplets Exhibition)

• 2004: National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, Zhongshan National Gallery (Mutual Glow of Calligraphy and Seal Carving)

• 2006: National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taichung City

• 2008: The 80th Anniversary Exhibition of National Taiwan University (Flourishing in the Coconut Groves)

• 2014: Taiwan Soka Association's Touring Exhibition (Changhua, Hsinchu, Taipei, Kaohsiung)

• 2020: National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, Zhongshan National Gallery (Flourishing in the Afterglow)