How is the jade carving "benchmark work" "refined"

The market is a double-edged sword, which can not only inject power and vitality into jade carving creation, but also stir up the impetuous atmosphere of quick success and instant benefit in jade carving industry. A cabbage is a "treasure", a monkey on horseback is "immediately sealed", and so on. Because ordinary consumers' understanding of jade mostly stays in the traditional oral appeal, for the profound Chinese jade culture and contemporary jade carving creation, the functional orientation brought by mass social psychology obscures the artistic soul of jade carving creators. In fact, the artistic life of jade carving lies in the combination of profound communication demands and aesthetics of the times; Cultural connotation and exquisite design, especially when creating a masterpiece or a group of masterpieces. In recent years, Huang He has created seals with the theme of "Zodiac" and jade carvings with the brand of jade respectively, showing different understandings, requirements and styles on materials, varieties, patterns, crafts and art. We are amazed at the courage and artistic expression of this era, and we call for more and more "benchmark" works that conform to the times, pecking a deep knife for the new peak of jade carving. Twelve overprinting, twelve overprinting of the zodiac, twelve overprinting of the yellow snake and twelve overprinting of the zodiac snake are usually good jade materials, and the sculptor chooses themes with high market recognition to maximize economic value. Why choose a rare form to express the theme of the zodiac? Huang: Now many people pay attention to the value of jade, try to keep its original shape and carve it properly. Especially in the trading market, after jade carvings are bought and sold by weight, sculptors are afraid to move their knives easily for fear of reducing the collection value and economic value of jade. I quite agree with this view. Jade has been formed naturally for hundreds of millions of years. Even if it is not carved, the first-class jade has already had certain value. It is natural and necessary for sculptors to attach importance to materials. We can't waste every beautiful jade given by nature. Attaching importance to materials does not mean neglecting art, and unique artistic creativity can truly show the beauty of jade. Under normal circumstances, a jade sculptor's creative golden age is only about 20 years (35 to 55 years old). If he creates 8- 10 masterpieces every year, he can only create 160-200 masterpieces in his life. This requires us sculptors to create works with high artistic value in a limited artistic life. Otherwise, he is just a jade craftsman, not a creative and artistic jade carving artist. In the past, most of my jade carving works were antique pieces with traditional animal themes, and many different animal images were shaped by traditional jade carving techniques. But no matter how vivid the posture and expression are, every animal jade carving is an independent one. We have never tried to express all animals in one work at the same time. When I first came into contact with this jade material, I didn't intend to carve the theme of the zodiac, just wanted to break through the previous creative forms and express it in a new way. I carefully observed this jade, and found that this jade weighing 10 kg has a complete shape and a large volume, which can realize my idea of bringing all animals together, so I tried to seek inspiration from traditional folk culture. Our folk culture has the characteristics of universality and inheritance, which is easy to understand, lively and interesting, elegant and popular, reflecting the folk customs and artistic aesthetics of our country. Using jade carvings, especially the zodiac, can make viewers sing instantly. It is a very familiar image in folk culture, which can not only express traditional meaning, but also adopt contemporary artistic techniques, which conforms to the creative concept of contemporary jade carving based on traditional innovation. Chen Jian: Actually, this set of my works is not the theme of the zodiac that everyone is used to. From the beginning of creation, I spent quite a long time cutting twelve brands to conceive the theme of creation and the expression of design theme. Zodiac, Twelve Golden Hairpins and spend december are the most common themes in twelve sets of cards. However, these themes are used too much by predecessors and are a bit old. After more than a year of brewing, I read a lot of Buddhist and Taoist classics and other materials, and then prepared some alternative themes according to my preferences and interests. According to the difficulty of different themes in the actual carving operation and the accuracy of the final presentation effect, we think from multiple angles, constantly explore and sort out our ideas. After several screenings, I finally decided to take Twelve Chen Yuan as my creative theme. In view of the fact that the production of "Twelve Chen Yuan Decks" is my first attempt at large-scale jade carving. I hope that I can not only try the theme that others have not done, but also inherit the ancient culture of China and highlight the connotation of my works. Twelve jade cards with a unified theme must have their own unique charm. Together, they can show the momentum of the overall deck and give people a refreshing sense of impact. This attempt is a test of my overall grasp ability, design ability and other comprehensive abilities. I hope to make works full of cultural heritage, expressive force, mass base, market popularity and acceptance. This set of works has a unified style and presents a harmonious beauty. Each work can be appreciated separately, and it can also show the unique beauty of personality. When creating, how did you conceive it? Chen Jian: My "Twelve Chen Yuan Deck" is often mistaken for the theme of the zodiac. It may be influenced by traditional appellations, such as Zishu, Ugly Cow, Yinhu, Hairy Rabbit, Chen Long, Sishe, Wuma, Weiyang, Monkey, Youyou Chicken, Dog and Sea Pig. These traditional names occasionally associate the twelve Chen Yuan and the twelve zodiac animals. Generally speaking, the ugly cow does not refer to people born at this time. In fact, these are not the twelve years corresponding to the zodiac, but the names corresponding to the middle branch of heavenly stems and earthly branches adopted in the ancient calendar of China, which have no direct relationship with the twelve years. In my "Twelve Chen Yuan Deck", each card personifies the corresponding Chen Yuan, and shows the demeanor and movements of duty officers of different Chen Yuan with the head of a man and a beast. This is also the most typical method and style of Taoist image-building. This anthropomorphic technique combines the pure animal symbol of the zodiac with the concept of the zodiac, which not only shows the characteristics of the zodiac, but also vividly spreads the concept of the zodiac to modern people. The theme of Chen Yuan has not been adopted and used by predecessors in the field of jade carving. According to historical records, Twelve Chen Yuan appeared in some paintings and calligraphy works. This time, the Twelve Chen Yuan will be presented in the form of carving, hoping to show its cultural connotation to jade lovers through warm and delicate jade materials and increase its performance style in different artistic fields. In the design, I deeply know that deck design is the key to the success of the whole deck, and excellent design can show the profound and complex connotation to the viewer in a simple way. The later carving process depends entirely on the design concept and method, and it is also the decisive factor for the success of the final work. Huang: The key to carving a complete set of Chinese zodiac is the unity of style. These twelve animals look like a loving family. However, if we give up our individuality for the sake of unity, the works will be dull and lose appreciation. When I conceived it, I originally envisaged carving it into twelve heads, and each head was carved into animals with different postures, such as cows grazing with their heads down, roaring tigers standing, and snakes circling head and tail. However, the different body postures of standing, lying and squatting lack a unified and harmonious aesthetic feeling, and it feels like twelve separate works are put together, not twelve in one work. I tried to design an 8 12 square size. 3? Stamps are carved into 12 animals of the same size with a 3 mm seal. Each animal takes a hovering posture, so that the head and tail are connected to symbolize harmony, and each animal's demeanor shows its own characteristics. My creative style has been pursuing roundness and simplicity on the basis of realism, without deliberately exaggerating and abstracting, especially when carving animal parts. Too much exaggeration and abstraction will cause the imbalance of animal body proportion. When carving this set of overprint of the zodiac, I started from the living habits and lifestyles of each animal, and used the carving techniques of combining round carving, hollow carving and three-dimensional carving to try my best to show the most vivid dynamics that best fit their personality, just showing the most agile side. For example, a mouse shows its timidity, caution and cunning through its eyes; Cattle show their strong muscles and strength through the combination of blocks and lines; The tiger opened its mouth wide, showing a sense of strength and so on. Is there any special significance to use the seal and jade card to represent the zodiac respectively? Huang: I saw a set of jade carvings of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in the Forbidden City (real estate) in Beijing. It used animal faces and human expressions to allude to various forms of officialdom at that time, and its form was very novel. At that time, I was faced with 10 kg of Hetian seed jade, which was square and regular in appearance, with little dirt and inferior quality on the surface, and was very suitable for carving seals. I think if we can learn from the expressions of the Chinese zodiac in Ming and Qing dynasties and show the Chinese zodiac on it, it may have unexpected effects. Seal collection began in the Tang Dynasty and flourished in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Since the Tang and Song Dynasties, seal cutting has lagged behind the art of calligraphy and painting. In terms of artistic expression, the printed surface of the seal is too small and the visual impact is insufficient. Coupled with the disappearance of the practicality of the seal, its public awareness is low, the public aesthetic ability is insufficient, and the market liquidity is poor. Actually, it's not. The seal has the artistic effect of meeting the knife and pen. Seal cutting is not only a writing, but also a sculpture, paying attention to layout and composition. Indians first conceived the design layout, and then skillfully carved it with superb painting skills, especially the button style of printed buttons, which appeared unique styles such as ancient animal buttons, character buttons, animal buttons, fish and insect buttons and thin buttons. It can be said that seal cutting is an artistic expression that integrates calligraphy, painting and seal cutting, and it has high artistic value. Although contemporary jade carving has been innovating its forms of expression, few people use seals to express it, so I try to break through and carve the zodiac on the buttons, so as to visually contrast the gestures of various animals with the founder's seals and enhance the aesthetic feeling of the works. Chen Jian: The raw material of my work "Twelve Chen Yuan Decks" is a seed material of about 6 kilograms. There are cracks on the surface of the material, which is not very complete. However, this did not affect the rest of the jade. When the material is cut, the internal structure is unified and the texture is uniform, which is quite satisfactory to me. Apart from cracks on the surface, it can be said that the whole piece of material is flawless, which is called "one breath" in our jargon. When purchasing materials, we first think of the utilization rate, analyze how many finished products each purchased material can make, and then calculate the cost. When I saw the jade, everything was fine except white, and there were no impurities and hard spots in it. The texture is very clear and all aspects are very satisfactory. In order to improve the utilization ratio, I intend to cut the materials into large rows. At that time, there were two cutting schemes in front of me: one was to cut raw materials into jade brands of different sizes and shapes, and more than 20 brands could be cut economically; The other is to divide the jade material into twelve long jade cards with the same size and make a deck of cards. According to the former scheme, the cost is relatively low compared with the second scheme, but I have never tried to make a set of twelve cards. I have considered the two schemes for a long time. After weighing the pros and cons, my team and I finally decided to make a deck. From a commercial point of view, although the cost of making a deck is relatively high, it is a rare opportunity for me to get such high-quality jade materials suitable for making decks. So ... I am determined to build the "Twelve Chen Yuan Deck", a huge overall project. If the final result is excellent, it will be a great contribution to my jade carving career. Have you encountered any problems in your creation? Chen Jian: The success of the product depends on the design first. Perfect design, thoughtful details, the final effect will not be too far away from expectations, the gap will not be great. After the design is finalized, the room for later changes is very limited, at most, some details are changed. Therefore, before the actual construction, our team made several rounds of revisions to the original design draft, including the use of accessories, the distribution of spatial layout, the change of modeling posture, and the adjustment of clothing patterns. When we designed it before, every duty officer was equipped with a waist tag, and the waist tag was engraved with the title corresponding to Chen Yuan. After many discussions, the team thought that such a picture structure was not effective, and finally decided to remove the design of the waist tag and simplify it. In order to simplify the design image of the card face, according to the shape of the card face, we made full use of some relatively ample space on the card face, and moved the word Chen Yuan originally placed at the waist to the fan-shaped decoration on the top of the card, which also played a role in balancing the overall picture. Jade carving can't show every detail as exquisitely as painting and calligraphy. It not only shows the image between squares, but also conveys a mirror image to people. Minimalist representation of characters is a means for us to pursue the tenderness of jade. When the image is simplified, all kinds of decorative patterns show indispensable artistic value. At first, there was only a statue in the middle of the card surface, and the use of shading played a unified overall effect. It is very important to choose which shadow to use in the design. At first, I wanted to use moire as a shading to show an ethereal spirit far away from the world, to show the spirit of Japanese immortals on duty, and to give people a feeling of walking on clouds, but the effect was not ideal. Later, after many attempts, the Huayang decoration commonly used in Buddhism was finally used as the background, and the twelve Chen Yuan in Taoism was used. Huang: It is the most difficult to accurately cut out twelve seals of equal size. Before engraving, 2 mm should be reserved on each side of the seal. At that time, I repeatedly calculated the size of each piece of jade on the drawings to maximize the use of every inch of jade. I remember that when I cut the first knife, the cutting machine was broken, and the angle was inclined, which deviated from the original predetermined angle, so I had to recalculate, and finally only one more seal was cut for use. If there is a jade with the same material and weight as the jade carving of the Chinese zodiac, do you still consider being a Chinese zodiac? Or consider works of other scales? Huang: Each piece of jade has its own unique characteristics. Even if it is carved with the same theme, the final effect is different. As far as the theme of the zodiac is concerned, I won't use the seal any more. Maybe I will carve it into a jade card or make it into a handmade piece. In artistic expression, it may change the ancient style, absorb fresh elements from other contemporary art categories, and make the works more contemporary. Adhere to the concise and clear foundation in art, show more lines and make them more detailed and exquisite. For example, in the past, a line was used to represent the eyes of animals, and then eyeliner or eyelashes were added to the eyes to make the animal image look more real and lifelike. If jade is leather, some decorative patterns will be carved on it to enrich the picture of the work. However, we will always adhere to the realistic style and will not use exaggerated techniques, otherwise it will deviate from the gentle and heavy characteristics of jade. I have always had an idea to make a large-scale work with jade, that is, the animal world. In this world, animals from all over the world get together and have fun. Of course, the premise must be that the animal image conforms to the characteristics of jade and cannot deviate too much from tradition. For example, I can carve giraffes, pandas, kangaroos and other lovely animals, but I can't carve crocodiles. Otherwise, it will not be an animal world, and it will give people a feeling of a monster world. Besides, I plan to create a series with the same theme. For example, the theme "gaining power" will be expressed by a single tiger image, monkey image or character image, and the concept of gaining power will be expressed through their respective expressions and body language. Chen Jian: The "Twelve Chen Yuan Deck" has attracted great attention as soon as it appeared in the jade carving world. First, I participated in the selection of the 20 12 Tiangong Award and won the "Silver Award", and then I participated in the one-week exhibition of Tiangong Award. Then I was invited to participate in the Xiling auction. The key is that the communication between friends in the industry has inspired me a lot. Generally speaking, everyone's evaluation of my work is still relatively positive. The design of card surface and base has been recognized by everyone, especially the novel theme has really brought freshness to most people. The audience is more curious about the meaning of the work than other concerns. Whether in the "Tiangong Award" or in the Xiling auction, people pay more attention to this set of works with extraordinary momentum and outstanding themes. It is also a pity that the jade material is slightly inadequate, which may be a regret of my work. In fact, the congenital deficiency needs our producers to make up with ideas, designs and creative techniques, and to enhance their works with art, which is the value of a work from natural beauty to artistic beauty. I have made two or four sets of cards before this set of works. After writing "Twelve Chen Yuan Decks", I deeply understand that both of them are decks, and two or four cards will have wider choices, more design space and easier unification than twelve cards. Therefore, I have more confidence in the overall grasp when I create later. In fact, the increase in the number of decks means that the scope of theme selection is narrowed and the difficulty of unification is increased, which determines the final finished product effect of the work. Therefore, such a large-scale work means that producers need a deeper humanistic background and overall planning ability, as well as overall grasp ability. If there is an opportunity, I will still try to make different large-scale works, not necessarily the twelfth birthday, but also other themes, so as to show the unique beauty of jade in all directions. Chen Jian is a young jade (stone) carving artist, senior arts and crafts artist and senior technician in China. 1993 studied jade carving skills in Yangzhou (real estate) Hanjiang jade carving factory; 1997 studied the design and production of jade brand from Mr. Liu Zhongrong, a master of arts and crafts in China; Established "Zhuo Huiyu Studio" in 2004; In 2009, his work "A Spring Rain" won the bronze prize of the 8th China Jade Carving "Tiangong Award"; 20 10 The work Seven Sages of Bamboo Forest won the gold medal in China Arts and Crafts Hundred Flowers Award, the work Meng Mu San Qian won the third jade carving Shen Gong Prize, Fushou Kangning won the third jade carving Shen Gong Prize and the work Ma Xun won the Chinese jade (stone) Hundred Flowers Award Silver Award. The twelve constellations are twelve Chen Yuan, that is, twelve Chen Yuan. Refers to Yin Sheng as a tiger, and Gong Cao Chen Yuan; Sheng Mao is a rabbit, Taichong Chen Yuan; Chen Sheng is a dragon, and plough is Chen Yuan; Four sacred snakes, Taiyi Chen Yuan; Being born in the afternoon is a horse, winning the light and Chen Yuan; The unborn sheep, Xiao Ji Chen Yuan; Shen Sheng is a monkey, transmitting Chen Yuan; You are a chicken, from Chen Yuan; Born a dog, He Kui Chen Yuan; Haisheng is a pig, and it is Minghe; The son is a mouse, and God is behind Chen Yuan. Ugly life belongs to cattle, but good luck. Twelve belong to the same genus, and the six gods note. According to the textual research of Evonne in Qing Dynasty, the zodiac originated from the Eastern Han Dynasty. In thousands of years of traditional culture in China, the zodiac is not only a vivid way to mark the year and the moon, but also has been combined with everyone and endowed with a magical personality. Yupai Yupai is a kind of Yu Pei with a long history, which can be traced back to early cultures such as Hongshan, Liangzhu and Yinxu. From the Warring States Period to the Han Dynasty, the development of Yu Pei reached an unprecedented peak. In addition to wealth, art and etiquette, she also added the meaning of happiness. In the Ming Dynasty, Lu Zigang, a real estate in Suzhou, changed the stereotype of jade in the Ming Dynasty, and integrated seal cutting, calligraphy and painting with exquisite jade materials and superb jade carving skills. Zigong makes jade pendants, which are square or rectangular, generous and three-dimensional, like brands, so they are called "Zigong brand" for short. It engraves China's calligraphy and painting art on the front and back of the jade brand, and with exquisite head decoration, it has high appreciation and endless fun, which is the main reason for the popularity of Zigang brand. This not only lays the foundation of modern jade brand, but also determines the basic form, content and category of jade brand. Huang is China jade carving master, a young jade (stone) carving artist in China, a representative inheritor of Shanghai intangible cultural heritage and a senior technician. 1993 entered the jade carving industry? Smoke from Wu Bixia; In 2008, The Zodiac won the gold medal in the Tiangong Award, Reunion won the gold medal in the Tiangong Award in shanghai jade carving, China, Turtle Crane won the silver medal in Hundred Flowers Award, and Reunion won the gold medal in Hundred Flowers Award. In 2009, he was hired as the judge of the second "Zigang Cup" jade carving exhibition in Suzhou, and his work "The Beast" won the silver award of "Hundred Flowers Award"; 20 10 "ward off evil spirits? Yousheng won the 3rd China Heying Cup Jade Carving Innovation Gold Award and Hundred Flowers Award Gold Award. 20 1 1, Exorcism won the silver medal of Tiangong Award, Dominance won the silver medal of Hundred Flowers Award, Baoxing won the gold medal of innovation, Exorcism won the gold medal of Luzigang Cup, and The Jade Sculptor of China was published in series. 20 12 "exorcism" won the "Hundred Flowers Award" gold medal. The seal of the jade carving. In ancient times, the emperor's imperial seal was a kind of imperial seal, but the imperial seal was carved from fine jade materials by royal technicians and was a symbol of rights and status. Jade seal can also be subdivided into many kinds because of the different jade qualities, such as white jade seal, jasper seal, jet seal, sapphire seal, topaz seal and so on. Jade seal is different from lithograph, and its value is relatively low. As a jade handicraft, the jade seal is now loved by more and more people, because it not only has practical functions, but also has the value of viewing, decoration and collection. Seal is a combination of seal cutting materials and seal cutting. Distinguishing the collection value of seals mainly depends on the types of jade used to carve seals and the seal cutting technology of seals. Among them, the most valuable materials are Tian Huangshi (real estate), bloodstone, Qingtian stone and wormwood green, which are known as the "Four Wonders of China". Tian Huangshi is produced in Fuzhou, Fujian (real estate), and the other three are produced in Zhejiang. Bloodstone is produced in Changhua, Zhejiang; Jade is produced in Qingtian, Zhejiang; Artemisia argyi is not only produced in Zhejiang, but also in Fujian, Liaoning and other places. Among them, Tian Huangshi is known as the "Stone Emperor" for its bright color and excellent quality, and the bloodstone is delicate and bright red. Because of its extremely scarce reserves, it is said that "a thousand dollars is easy to get, but a stone is hard to find", and it is the overlord of printed materials. Qingtian stone and wormwood green are also precious top grades in Zhang Shi. The seal cutting technology of ancient jade seal has a long history. Since the Ming Dynasty, there have been many schools of Indian studies. There are eight schools, namely Wenhe School, Anhui School, Surabaya School, Gaopai School, Linpai School, Deng School and Xiling School. The seal cutting technology of these schools reached its peak at that time.