Brief introduction of woodcarving:
Wood carving is a kind of sculpture, which is often called "folk craft" in China. Wood carving can be divided into three categories: three-dimensional round carving, root carving and relief carving. Wood carving is a kind of work separated from carpentry, which is classified as "joinery" in China. Folk art varieties classified by carving materials. Generally, nanmu, rosewood, camphor, cypress, ginkgo, agarwood, mahogany, longan and other excellent and tough tree species are selected. The natural art of tree root carving is "tree root carving". Wood carving includes round carving, relief, carving or a combination of several techniques. Some people also paint to protect wood and beautify it.
Origin:
Wood carving originated in China in the Neolithic Age. Woodcarving fish appeared in Hemudu culture in Yuyao, Zhejiang Province more than 7,000 years ago. The woodcarving skills in Qin and Han dynasties tended to be mature, and the painting and carving skills were exquisite and perfect. The appearance of colored woodcarving indicates that the ancient woodcarving technology has reached a quite high level.
The Tang Dynasty was a glorious period of China's craft, and the woodcarving craft became more and more perfect. Many woodcarving Buddha statues preserved to this day are masterpieces of ancient Chinese artworks, which have the technological characteristics of concise modeling, skillful and smooth knife work and clear and bright lines, and have become the "darlings" of today's domestic and international art markets. The themes of woodcarving in Ming and Qing dynasties were mostly life customs and fairy tales, such as auspicious and festive, abundant grain, good luck with dragons and phoenixes, peace and contentment, and prolonging the life of pine cranes, which were deeply welcomed by the society at that time.
Main categories:
Wood carvings in China are widely distributed, with ups and downs. Due to local folk customs, culture and resource conditions, different materials and different techniques, many schools with strong local characteristics have been formed.
In China, woodcarving schools are mostly divided by regions. For example: Dongyang Woodcarving, Yueqing boxwood carving Woodcarving, Quanzhou Woodcarving, Guangdong Chaozhou Golden Lacquer Woodcarving, Fujian Longan Woodcarving, Beijing Palace Lantern Woodcarving, Taiwan Province Woodcarving, Ningbo Zhu Jin Woodcarving, Yunnan Jianchuan Woodcarving, Hubei Wooden Boat Woodcarving, Qufu Mu Kai Woodcarving, Suzhou Redwood Woodcarving, Shanghai Red Woodcarving, Nanjing Antique Woodcarving, Jiangsu Taizhou Painted Woodcarving, Shanxi Woodcarving, Shandong Weifang Redwood Embedding Woodcarving, Shanghai Boxwood Woodcarving, Liaoning Yongyong.
These woodcarving schools are very influential in the whole country or local areas. The most famous ones are Quanzhou woodcarving, Dongyang woodcarving, Yueqing boxwood woodcarving, Chaozhou gold lacquer woodcarving in Guangdong, and Longyan woodcarving in Fujian. These five schools are called "Five Woodcarvings in China".