Ceramic art has become synonymous with Chinese civilization in a sense. However, when Chinese ceramicists suddenly woke up from words such as "traditional", "practical" and "daily use" and looked at the world again, they found that they were lagging behind. Indeed, modern ceramics no longer only exists as a kind of arts and crafts that is closely related to people's daily lives, nor can it be covered by just the concepts of "practical", "beautiful", "economical" and "generous". It has widely participated in the modern art movement with its unique artistic language and has become a powerful tool for artists to express their own ideas and conduct cultural criticism.
It was probably after the 1990s that the Chinese began to pay attention to modern ceramics and formed a large-scale public opinion. Of course, strictly speaking, the origin of the development of modern ceramics in China is related to the earliest practitioners in the former Central Academy of Arts and Crafts (the predecessor of Tsinghua Academy of Fine Arts), Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute and other institutions in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In the past 20 years, the older generation of ceramic artists such as Zhu Danian and Yang Yongshan have made useful attempts in the direction of modern ceramic art, and a large number of young and middle-aged ceramic artists such as Lu Pinchang, Luo Xiaoping, Bai Ming, etc. have been produced, with many styles and schools and increasingly diverse techniques. Most of them are university teachers or have been trained in traditional ceramic art in higher education. Therefore, Chinese ceramic art has had an inextricable relationship with the academy from the beginning.
However, the development of a pure academy is extremely limited both in concept and dissemination, and is also narrow in academic level. In the 1990s, there was first the "Beijing International Ceramics Symposium" in 1991, and then the "Jingdezhen International Ceramics Symposium" in 1995. In May 1998, a larger scale and more academic seminar was held in Yixing planned by Luo Xiaoping and others. The in-depth "98 China Yixing International Ceramics Symposium" and the "First Chinese Young Ceramics Biennial Exhibition" curated by Liu Zheng and others at the China Academy of Art in the autumn of the same year also met the audience. In early 1999, "Beyond Clay - Academic Invitational Exhibition of Chinese Contemporary Ceramic Artists" curated by Zuo Zhengyao at the Guangzhou Art Museum was even more impressive. These important academic seminar exhibitions herald the rise of Chinese ceramic art, and its scale, scope and influence are expanding to the whole society.
However, as a new thing, modern ceramics still has many problems. These problems constitute the current situation of Chinese ceramics in a larger sense and to a greater extent, and are more worthy of our discussion. It boils down to the following questions for the readers’ enjoyment.
1. The gap between "tradition" and "modernity"
The relationship between "tradition" and "modernity" is an endless debate in various art fields today. Ceramics It’s not inconvenient either. However, in many discussions about the transformation of pottery from "traditional" to "modern", a very important issue is underestimated, that is, the function of pottery. It is not only related to the function and value of ceramics, but also has a great bearing on the role of ceramics in the entire cultural system and the social positioning of ceramic artists. Only by correcting the question "What is modern ceramic art?" instead of just "What does modern ceramic art look like?", I think ceramic art can truly move from "traditional" to "modern".
Traditional Chinese pottery is attached to pottery, and "being practical and as beautiful as possible" has restricted the development of contemporary Chinese pottery for a long time. Under this concept, pottery can only belong to arts and crafts, and its functions are only practical and ornamental. In this case, the talents of ceramic artists are more limited by "ware making" and can only be explored in the field of pursuing design and formal beauty. Ceramic artists are also closer to craftsmen and cannot integrate into the trend of modern art.
The role of modern pottery is that it expands the artistic attributes of original pottery, freeing potters from the constraints of “making utensils” and allowing them to work in the fields of aesthetics and value criticism. He can not only continue to make a difference in his original design field, but also give full play to his artist nature and conduct valuable cultural criticism of reality, thus getting involved in many art fields such as sculpture and installation. It enriches itself and complements other art categories, thereby enriching the hall of visual art.
Therefore, no matter how the traditional pottery develops, it is subject to the constraints of "utensils". In the development of modern ceramic art, the first thing to achieve in terms of understanding is the transfer of functional theory, so as to break away from the dependence on "vessels" and fixed shapes, and truly move towards a broader world.
This gap can be resolved through conceptual changes, and its existence is also the driving force for the continuous development of contemporary ceramic art.
2. Limitations of dissemination and acceptance
Many schools of modern art entered China like a storm after the reform and opening up, especially in the mid-to-late 1980s. Although the Chinese people did not know how to appreciate them at that time, and some even felt disgusted with them, they objectively recognized the rationality of their existence and got closer to them conceptually. Modern ceramic art failed to catch up with that trend and seemed to have missed the golden period from the perspective of communication. Judging from the current situation, many people in the industry also point out that modern ceramics only have a good foundation in certain porcelain areas and cities, such as Jingdezhen, Guangzhou, Shanghai and other places. However, from a superficial perspective, its mass foundation is quite weak and has not cultivated a large number of people. The range of pottery appreciation groups is not conducive to the development of modern pottery. We have also noticed that due to the current sluggishness of China's daily-use ceramics and fine art ceramics industries, even in many porcelain areas with deep traditions, the public's interest in ceramics is also waning. This situation is very worrying. .
On the other hand, the introduction of modern ceramics in the media and newspapers is sporadic and cannot be scaled up, let alone specialized ceramics publications. Nowadays, some ceramic studios are responsible for the dissemination task, but their role has not been taken seriously. People of insight point out that the prerequisite for the overall development of a country's ceramic art is to mobilize the power of the people. Only when the tide rises can the boat lift.
From the perspective of the recipients, although the Chinese people do not lack feelings for ceramics, they do not have feelings for modern ceramics, because most people’s views on ceramics are still based on traditional concepts. . Coupled with poor communication, it is naturally difficult to mobilize the tastes of viewers.
However, we have to see that modern ceramics is spiritually connected with the modern art movement. It is only a matter of time before people can accept modern art.
3. The disconnect between theory and practice
The disconnect between theory and practice has become a very prominent problem in modern ceramic art. Ceramic artist Xia Dewu said: "A group of people from the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts invited an art critic from the Central Academy of Fine Arts to comment on modern ceramic art. He can use modern art concepts and modern philosophy to comment on modern ceramic art. But I think this is far from the truth. Not enough." He pointed out that the reason why it is difficult for modern ceramic art critics to form is that China's modern ceramic art is underdeveloped, and he believes that there is a great need for theorists. The author once found a so-called "modern ceramics" book in the Central Academy of Fine Arts Library. In fact, the ceramics in the book are just modern ceramics made by "living people." It can be seen that the theory of modern ceramics is quite lacking, and there are also very few books introducing modern ceramics, and most of them are informal.
It seems that the disconnect between modern ceramic practice and theory will become a headache for a considerable period of time. Theoretical talents are urgently needed to be cultivated. For this reason, many ceramic artists propose to do some theoretical research while practicing. This can be described as a helpless move.
In addition, modern ceramic art also has problems to varying degrees in terms of the creation system, sales system, and creative concepts. Fortunately, from the words of contemporary ceramic artists, we can all understand a "long road ahead" It is a far-off road, and I will search for it from top to bottom." This is the unique aspiration and pride of Chinese intellectuals.
Although modern Chinese ceramics has a long way to go, with the development of China's economy, it will definitely have a brilliant tomorrow!
Judging from the existing archaeological data, it is not a problem to conclude that China's primitive pottery began around 7,000 years ago. The earliest painted pottery originated in the Yellow River Basin, especially in the Jinghe River and Weihe River in Shaanxi and eastern Gansu. The Phase I culture of Dadiwan in eastern Gansu is not only relatively regular in shape, but also painted with simple patterns. It is one of the earliest painted pottery cultures in the world. During this period, pottery wheel technology appeared, and pottery making became a specialized technology.
In the 1990s, there was first the "Beijing International Ceramics Symposium" in 1991, and then the "Jingdezhen International Ceramics Symposium" in 1995. In May 1998, a larger scale and more academic seminar was held in Yixing planned by Luo Xiaoping and others. The in-depth "98 China Yixing International Ceramics Symposium" and the "First Chinese Young Ceramics Biennial Exhibition" curated by Liu Zheng and others at the China Academy of Art in the autumn of the same year also met the audience. In early 1999, "Beyond Clay - Academic Invitational Exhibition of Chinese Contemporary Ceramic Artists" curated by Zuo Zhengyao at the Guangzhou Art Museum was even more impressive. These important academic seminar exhibitions herald the rise of Chinese ceramic art, and its scale, scope and influence are expanding to the whole society.
However, as a new thing, modern ceramics still has many problems. These problems constitute the current situation of Chinese ceramics in a larger sense and to a greater extent, and are more worthy of our discussion. It boils down to the following questions for the readers’ enjoyment.
1. The gap between "tradition" and "modernity"
The relationship between "tradition" and "modernity" is an endless debate in various art fields today. Ceramics It’s not inconvenient either. However, in many discussions about the transformation of pottery from "traditional" to "modern", a very important issue is underestimated, that is, the function of pottery. It is not only related to the function and value of ceramics, but also has a great bearing on the role of ceramics in the entire cultural system and the social positioning of ceramic artists. Only by correcting the question "What is modern ceramic art?" instead of just "What does modern ceramic art look like?", I think ceramic art can truly move from "traditional" to "modern".
Traditional Chinese pottery is attached to pottery, and "being practical and as beautiful as possible" has restricted the development of contemporary Chinese pottery for a long time. Under this concept, pottery can only belong to arts and crafts, and its functions are only practical and ornamental. In this case, the talents of ceramic artists are more limited by "ware making" and can only be explored in the field of pursuing design and formal beauty. Ceramic artists are also closer to craftsmen and cannot integrate into the trend of modern art.
The role of modern pottery is that it expands the artistic attributes of original pottery, freeing potters from the constraints of “making utensils” and allowing them to explore the realm of aesthetics and value criticism. He can not only continue to make a difference in his original design field, but also give full play to his artist nature and conduct valuable cultural criticism of reality, thus getting involved in many art fields such as sculpture and installation. It enriches itself and complements other art categories, thereby enriching the hall of visual art.
Therefore, no matter how the traditional pottery develops, it is subject to the constraints of "utensils". In the development of modern ceramic art, the first thing to achieve in terms of understanding is the transfer of functional theory, so as to break away from the dependence on "vessels" and fixed shapes, and truly move towards a broader world.
This gap can be resolved through conceptual changes, and its existence is also the driving force for the continuous development of contemporary ceramic art.
2. Limitations of dissemination and acceptance
Many schools of modern art entered China like a storm after the reform and opening up, especially in the mid-to-late 1980s. Although the Chinese people did not know how to appreciate them at that time, and some even felt disgusted with them, they objectively recognized the rationality of their existence and got closer to them conceptually. Modern ceramic art failed to catch up with that trend and seemed to have missed the golden period from the perspective of communication. Judging from the current situation, many people in the industry also point out that modern ceramics only have a good foundation in certain porcelain areas and cities, such as Jingdezhen, Guangzhou, Shanghai and other places. However, from a superficial perspective, its mass foundation is quite weak and it has not cultivated a large number of people. The range of pottery appreciation groups is not conducive to the development of modern pottery. We have also noticed that due to the current sluggishness of China's daily-use ceramics and fine art ceramics industries, even in many porcelain areas with deep traditions, the public's interest in ceramics is also waning. This situation is very worrying. .
On the other hand, the introduction of modern ceramics in the media and newspapers is sporadic and cannot be scaled up, let alone specialized ceramics publications.
Nowadays, some ceramic studios are responsible for the dissemination task, but their role has not been taken seriously. People of insight point out that the prerequisite for the overall development of a country's ceramic art is to mobilize the power of the people. Only when the tide rises can the boat lift.
From the perspective of the recipients, although the Chinese people do not lack feelings for ceramics, they do not have feelings for modern ceramics, because most people’s views on ceramics are still based on traditional concepts. . Coupled with poor communication, it is naturally difficult to mobilize the taste of viewers.
However, we have to see that modern ceramics is spiritually connected with the modern art movement. It is only a matter of time before people can accept modern art.
3. The disconnect between theory and practice
The disconnect between theory and practice has become a very prominent problem in modern ceramic art. Ceramic artist Xia Dewu said: "A group of people from the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts invited an art critic from the Central Academy of Fine Arts to comment on modern ceramic art. He can use modern art concepts and modern philosophy to comment on modern ceramic art. But I think this is far from the truth. Not enough." He pointed out that the reason why it is difficult for modern ceramic art critics to form is that China's modern ceramic art is underdeveloped, and he believes that there is a great need for theorists. The author once found a so-called "modern ceramics" book in the Central Academy of Fine Arts Library. In fact, the ceramics in the book are just modern ceramics made by "living people." It can be seen that the theory of modern ceramics is quite lacking, and there are also very few books introducing modern ceramics, and most of them are informal.
In addition, modern ceramic art also has problems to varying degrees in terms of the creation system, sales system, and creative concepts. Fortunately, from the words of contemporary ceramic artists, we can all understand a "long road ahead" It is a far-off road, and I will search for it from top to bottom." This is the unique aspiration and pride of Chinese intellectuals.
Although modern Chinese ceramics has a long way to go, with the development of China's economy, it will definitely have a brilliant tomorrow!
Most of the utensils in the world are decorated. During the thousands of years of development of Chinese ceramics, decoration and utensils have been closely linked, forming a unique ceramic cultural style. Today, when people's aesthetics are diversified, ceramic art with thousands of years of Chinese history and culture is increasingly favored by people. The update and development of modern ceramic art decoration on the basis of traditional ceramic art decoration not only promotes modern ceramic art Decoration has expanded to a higher artistic realm in terms of creative direction, expression forms, and expression techniques, and has emerged as a trend of "a hundred flowers blooming and everything coexisting". Its brand-new concepts, unique creativity, rich materials, and exquisite production techniques have formed A unique form of craft painting. Modern ceramic art decoration places more emphasis on the effect of works on people's spirit and psychology, and artists use their own design concepts to incorporate more new connotations into ceramic art decoration works.
About Chinese traditional culture: Traditional culture refers to the sum of material culture and spiritual culture created by predecessors. my country's rich and colorful excellent traditional culture is attracting more and more attention from the whole society. The connotation of Chinese traditional culture is multi-faceted. Chinese traditional culture contains 1. Conceptual culture (ideological theory). Traditional conceptual culture mainly includes Confucianism, Taoism, Legalism and Buddhist theory); 2. Historical relics (cultural relics include utensils and works of art, such as pottery, porcelain, bronze, jade, gold and silver, lacquerware, bronze mirrors, ancient coins; calligraphy, painting); 3. Social system, the so-called Institutional culture; 4. Ancient books on literature, history, medicine and health, agriculture, astronomy and calendar. It can be seen from Chinese traditional culture that the Chinese nation has used its hard work and wisdom to create a long and continuous history and a rich and colorful civilization. Chinese traditional culture is rich in content and diverse in expressions. Chinese traditional culture has the spirit of humanity, nature, oddity, and understanding.
Ceramic art decoration forms a unique form of craft painting with its exquisite patterns, rich colors, unique craftsmanship, exquisite production skills, unique creativity and new concepts. A unique ceramic culture was formed. The creation process of ceramic art decoration always runs through the three major links of aesthetic occurrence, aesthetic creation and aesthetic acceptance of the entire artistic creation.
Ceramic art decoration reflects the historical influence of Chinese humanistic paintings, forming a unique artistic style of Chinese ceramic decoration.
Ceramic art decoration is an important part of China's excellent culture, and it is a precious treasure of our nation. wealth. Chinese porcelain began to spread to foreign lands from the Sui and Tang Dynasties. In the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, porcelain was marketed as an important commodity throughout the country and to the world. While ceramic art decorations were circulating as commodities, they were also constantly spreading in China. The ceramic culture has promoted the development of Chinese culture, so China is known as the "Porcelain Country" and is famous all over the world. Porcelain-making technology has been inherited and innovated from generation to generation. The unique ceramics produced in China play an important role in meeting people's daily life and aesthetic needs, as well as in foreign economic and cultural exchanges.
Ceramic art decoration plays a role as a bridge and link between the development of Chinese culture and world culture. He has made great contributions to the prosperity and development of Chinese culture and world culture.
China is one of several ancient civilizations with a long history in the world and has made many significant contributions to the progress and development of human society. Achievements in ceramic technology and art are of special significance.
After liberation, a large number of exquisitely crafted painted pottery vessels were unearthed at the Banpo prehistoric site in Xi'an, which is breathtaking. According to legend, Yao passed down the world to Shun, Shun passed it down to Xia Yu, and Yu passed it on to his son, starting the so-called "family world". When Xia spread to Jie, they were tyrannical and immoral, but Shang Tang released them and established themselves as emperors. Therefore, the people who conquered the world through conquest began with Tang. After Shang conquered the world, he ruled for more than 600 years (around the 16th century BC to the 11th century BC), until King Zhou. Later, he was conquered by King Wu, and King Zhou committed suicide, so the world returned to Zhou. The Zhou Dynasty's reign roughly lasted from the 11th century BC to 221 BC, and the de facto effective rule ended in 771 BC. The period from 475 BC to 221 BC was called the Warring States Period. By 221 BC, the Qin Dynasty rose and the unification of China began. However, the Qin Dynasty only lasted until 206 BC, when it was replaced by the Han Dynasty. During these thousands of years, in addition to daily dining utensils, objects used in sacrificial rituals also developed greatly. From the Han Dynasty between 206 BC and 220 AD, the creative materials of artists and craftsmen no longer focused on jade and metal, and pottery received more precise attention. During this period, firing techniques developed, relatively solid glazed pottery became common, and the word "porcelain" began to appear in Chinese characters. At the same time, China and the Roman Empire began to communicate through the trade routes from Xinjiang and Persia to Syria, which promoted cultural exchanges between the East and the West. From this period, clues of foreign influence can also be seen in the ceramics of this period. Buddhism was also introduced into our country at this time.
During the Six Dynasties period (AD 220-581), the rapidly emerging Buddhist art also had a corresponding impact on ceramics, leaving obvious traces on the shapes of this season's works. The Sui Dynasty seized power in 581 AD, ending the long-standing north-south division, but it only ruled until 618 AD when it was replaced by the Tang.
The Tang Dynasty (618 AD to 970 AD) is considered a great period in the history of Chinese art. The technology of ceramics has improved tremendously, and many fine porcelain varieties have appeared in large numbers. Even if measured by today's technical testing standards, they can be regarded as truly high-quality porcelain. At the end of the Tang Dynasty, there was great chaos, and heroes emerged. What followed was a dynastic struggle, that is, the Five Dynasties. This situation lasted until 960 AD. During the years of war, a new variety of ceramics emerged - Chai kiln porcelain. The quality of its texture is widely praised, but it is extremely rare to be handed down from generation to generation.
The ceramic industry developed vigorously in the Song Dynasty (AD 960-1279), and began to be exported to European and Southeast Asian countries in large quantities. Numerous famous kilns with their own characteristics, represented by Jun, Ru, Guan, Ge and Ding, have sprung up all over the country, and their products are becoming increasingly rich in color variety. Due to the invasion of the Khitans (Liao) and Jurchens (Jin) from the northeast, the rulers of the Song Dynasty were forced to move south, and were later destroyed by the Mongols. In 1280 AD, the Yuan Dynasty was established and the Shufu Kiln appeared. Jingdezhen began to become the center of China's ceramic industry, and its reputation spread all over the world.
The white porcelain produced in Jingdezhen is in sharp contrast with the blue underglaze decoration. Since then, blue and white porcelain has become a culture and has been deeply loved by people in various historical periods. The Ming Dynasty ruled from 1368 to 1644. During this period, Jingdezhen's ceramic manufacturing industry was absolutely the best in the world, occupying a prominent position in terms of craftsmanship, technology and artistic level. In particular, blue and white porcelain reached its pinnacle. In addition, Dehua kiln in Fujian, Longquan kiln in Zhejiang, and Cizhou kiln in Hebei are also famous for their high-quality ceramics with different styles. Following the suicide of the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Li Zicheng led a peasant uprising army to invade Beijing in 1644 AD. From the time Wu Sangui summoned the Manchu troops to enter the country to the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1911, the Manchu rule lasted for more than 200 years. Among them, the Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong dynasties are considered to be the most glorious periods for the ceramic industry under the rule of the Qing Dynasty. Products with more complex craftsmanship often had glazes of various colors and extremely rich overglaze colors. By the late Qing Dynasty, the government was corrupt, the country was in decline, the people were impoverished, and China's ceramic manufacturing industry was deteriorating. After the founding of the Republic of China, some ceramic research institutions were established in various places. However, in addition to inheriting the previous generation, the products simply copied some foreign designs, with no development at all. In the early years of the Republic of China, warlord Yuan Shikai attempted to restore the monarchy and specially produced a batch of porcelain with the "Hongxian" year mark. This batch of porcelain was technically sophisticated, mainly pastel colors, and had an old style. Due to frequent civil wars and foreign invasions, the people were in dire straits, and the entire ceramic industry was in decline. Until the founding of New China, no products that attracted the world's attention were produced.