The brilliant achievements of official kilns in Song Dynasty mainly depend on two aspects: first, the objective firing technology has matured; Second, it has profound cultural connotation.
If the Song Dynasty is regarded as a "porcelain age", then the artistic characteristics and technical achievements of porcelain glaze are the characteristics of this "porcelain age". The thick glaze decoration method adopted by Song porcelain, whether it is monochrome glaze or multicolor glaze (flower glaze) or thin glaze decoration method combining glaze and carcass decoration, strives for the natural beauty of glaze color. The natural beauty of this glaze color is now in the following two aspects: first, its color is produced by the natural force of "fire", without any artificial traces, and it is a natural result; Secondly, its colors reflect the natural colors of nature, such as blue sky and white clouds, blue sea and green hills, green trees and yellow sand, purple sun in summer, precious stones and jadeites, and rare birds and animals. The ancients had various names for the glaze color of Song porcelain glaze, such as "sky blue", "azure", "moonlight white", "pink blue" and "plum blue". The metaphors of these images illustrate the natural beauty of glaze color; The formation of this natural beauty is reflected in the perfect combination of glaze technology, artistic aesthetics and artistic expression.
Look at celadon again. Blue glazed porcelain is still the mainstream of porcelain production in Song Dynasty, and it is also people's favorite glaze color. Although celadon in the Tang Dynasty and before the Tang Dynasty also pursued jade quality in glaze color and texture, compared with celadon in the Song Dynasty, the jade quality was much worse. Because the glaze used at that time was lime glaze, the glaze layer was thin and transparent, quite like glass texture. This jade texture is mainly achieved by using lime glaze and lime-alkali glaze, and repeatedly firing the carcass and applying glaze to increase the thickness of glaze layer. The thick glaze decoration method is adopted, which not only makes the enamel as jade, but also makes the glaze soft and subtle. In order to give full play to the rich, dignified and deep artistic style of thick glaze decoration, most of the thick glaze ceramics in Song Dynasty are simple in shape and have no more ups and downs. Leave the expression space of modeling to the decoration of glaze, thus highlighting the characteristics of thick glaze. The modeling tone of thick glazed ceramics in Song Dynasty is sincere, concise and integrated, and the modeling and glaze color complement each other. Thick glaze decoration does not mean covering the whole shape, but it is hidden and exposed, deep and shallow, virtual and real, seeking richness in simplicity and individuality in implication. The glaze color of thick glazed celadon in Song Dynasty is very rich, and the glaze color varies from kiln mouth to kiln mouth. Even in the same kiln mouth, there are many different shades. It is not only thick and moist, but also sweaty, and the glaze color is even more charming. If you look at your official ship in the near light, there are many red spots in the glaze, some like going to sea at dawn, some like sunset glow, some like colorful rainbows, and some like brocade flashing, showing a rich and elegant realm.
In addition to thick glaze decoration, the thin glaze decoration of porcelain in Song Dynasty is also very distinctive. The most representative examples of this kind of thin glaze decoration are the carved and printed porcelain of Ding kiln, Yaozhou kiln in the north and Jingdezhen kiln in the south. The matrix of this kind of carved porcelain is finer in material selection and processing than the matrix used for thick glaze decoration. It can be said that the tire (texture and decoration) and glaze * * * are isomorphic to form a jade-like texture. The glaze color of Ding kiln is snow white, ivory white, with a slight yellow in white; The glaze color of Yaozhou kiln is represented by olive green, turquoise, turmeric and other colors; The glaze color of Jingdezhen kiln combines the advantages of cyan and white, which is blue-white with white in green and blue in white. These glazes are characterized by being thin and transparent, which can reflect the color and ornamentation of the carcass. If the color and jade of the thick glaze patterns used in Ru kiln, Guan kiln, Ge kiln, Jun kiln and Longquan kiln are mainly reflected from the glaze itself, then the color and jade of the glaze of the above three kilns have a great relationship with the color, texture and jade of the matrix besides the color and quality of the glaze.
The beauty of glaze color in the thin glaze decoration of porcelain in Song Dynasty is reflected in the jade-like color and texture composed of glaze, tire and decorative pattern. Emperor Qianlong praised Ding Yao's white porcelain as "jade in quality and as white as snow"; In the Song Dynasty, Deying Houbei praised Yaozhou kiln celadon as "as clever as gold and as fine as jade." "depending on its color, it is as warm as its warmth"; Li Qingzhao, a poet in the Song Dynasty, once praised Jingdezhen blue and white porcelain with "the fog is thick and the clouds are sad forever, the golden beast sells its brains, the festival is double ninth, the jade pillow is in the cupboard, and the night is cool ...". .
The glaze color of porcelain in Song Dynasty pursues natural beauty and benefits from traditional aesthetic thought. A remarkable feature of China's traditional aesthetics is that he advocates nature and truth, despises carving and pretense, and regards the beauty of nature and simplicity as a model of ideal beauty. This admiration and pursuit of natural beauty had a far-reaching impact on the aesthetic consciousness of the Chinese nation and the development of China's art. The glaze color of porcelain in Song Dynasty followed the natural charm, which not only coincided with the purport of China's traditional aesthetics, but also produced artistic masterpieces under the guidance of this aesthetic concept through technical means. Therefore, compared with poetry, novel, drama, calligraphy and painting, they are less artificial, and it is really a natural wonderland. It is for this reason that all kinds of exquisite famous porcelain in the Song Dynasty were praised as rare treasures by the world and warmly welcomed and highly praised by people of all ages. This is also an important reason why Song Dynasty porcelain enjoyed a high reputation in the world.
The beauty of the glaze color of porcelain in Song Dynasty is not only reflected in the glaze color, but also in the texture of the glaze. If the beauty of glaze color is only the beauty of porcelain products, then the beauty of texture is the beauty of its personality. The word texture originally refers to the tissue and morphological characteristics of human skin. In modern design, the word texture is used to refer to the texture and texture of materials, while the texture of porcelain mainly refers to the texture and texture effect of glaze. If the word texture is analyzed in detail, "muscle" represents the texture of glaze, and "texture" represents the texture of glaze. The ancient people's pursuit and appreciation of enamel color has always been aimed at jade, but while pursuing and appreciating jade enamel color, they also appreciate the texture effect formed by various textures naturally formed in and on the glaze. Looking through the notes of the ancients, it is not difficult to find that ancient scholars praised these textures with many nouns, some related to the shape of textures, and some described their colors. For example, "ice crack" is a description of the opening of the official kiln, just like the crystal of ice cubes cracking layer by layer; "Caviar pattern" refers to the small mouth in the Ge kiln, which looks like dense caviar; "Cow hair pattern" is a texture that describes the flow of thick glaze in Jun kiln, like cow hair; "orange peel" refers to the tiny pinholes on the surface caused by dense bubbles in the fired glaze. If orange peel; "Rabbit hair" is to describe the iron glaze crystal of kiln builders as rabbit hair; "partridge spot" is to describe the white spot on the black glaze, just like the black and white feathers on the chest of a partridge bird. It can be seen that the ancient people's appreciation of porcelain is comprehensive and meticulous.
In Song porcelain, the appreciation of glaze pattern is the first place to push the ice crack on celadon. The appearance of ice crack was originally a technical defect, which was caused by the different expansion coefficients of porcelain tire and glaze, and it cracked when it cooled down. However, the ancients appreciated this naturally occurring crack texture very much. They mastered its law and consciously widened the gap between the expansion coefficient of the carcass and the glaze. The size and density of cracked lines are controlled, and the lines are discolored by coloring. The cracking of ice cracks is like the lines when the river ice surface cracks in winter, criss-crossing and changing. This kind of ice cracking effect probably makes craftsmen feel that it has some meaning, so it reproduces this natural phenomenon in life on porcelain, which makes people feel unexpectedly fresh and vivid. The craftsman's pursuit of the natural change of the ice seam has also won the appreciation of the literati, affirming this unintentional natural "opening" phenomenon and becoming a popular decorative technique.
Common ice cracks in official kilns and Ge kilns are stoves, bottles, cans and other furnishings for the court. Ice cracks are divided into caviar lines, wicker lines, fine lines (also known as broken lines) and crab claw lines according to their shapes. According to the color, there are light yellow caviar patterns, eel bloodshot, gold thread and so on. Ge Kiln is famous for its beautiful ice cracks and is known as "golden wire and iron wire". Its uniqueness lies in that the big opening is covered with small cracks, and the purple-black cracks surround the golden-line-shaped cracks, which makes the already irregular ice cracks more varied and wonderful.
The beauty of this artificial ice cracking effect is natural and natural. One of the characteristics of China's traditional aesthetics is that he worships nature, but despises sculpting. Many artists and philosophers in history have discussed this aspect. From Zhuangzi's "Great Beauty in Heaven and Earth" to Liu Xie's "Colorful Cloud Carving", it is more wonderful than painting; Flowers and trees are lush, and brocade craftsmen are not surprised. Husband wears exterior decorations and covers natural ears, as well as Cao Zhi, Zhong Rong, Si Kongtu and Su Shi. The problem is that such flaws complement each other because of technical defects, but they are beautiful and cherished in the eyes of people in the Song Dynasty, which may be related to the popular artistic theory of "taking ugliness as beauty" in the Song Dynasty. Scholars in Song Dynasty showed such preference for the texture of official kilns and Ge kilns, such as ice cracks, orange peel lines and earthworm mud lines, which were formed due to technological defects and closely related to their aesthetic concepts. If there is only one or several cracks in porcelain, I don't think this kind of defect will give people a beautiful feeling, but it is indeed a defect. Therefore, the formation of ice cracks and other textures is due to technological defects, but the ancients discovered the beauty in this defect, so they deliberately made it and developed the defect into beauty.
Contrary to the "beauty of flaws" brought by technological defects such as ice cracks, the beauty of rabbit hairline, oil drop spots, partridge spots and leaf patterns is the icing on the cake. Rabbit hair pattern is a texture appearing on black glaze. Black porcelain is famous for its black glaze color. Black gives people an unfathomable sense of tranquility and seriousness, and it has always been a favorite color. Why did the craftsmen in Song Dynasty make a fuss about this black glaze? It may be that black glazed porcelain has the lowest lightness, and it is easy to feel depressed after being burned, so the craftsmen put on new colors and people can't put it down; Perhaps the craftsmen are not reconciled to the monotony of enamel tone, but want to reproduce the charm and style of some objects in nature and pursue the natural state of nature; Perhaps it was the accidental coincidence of unintentional ingredients and firing that produced these wonderful textures, so this wonderful work was deliberately made.
The formation of texture effects such as rabbit hair, oil drops and partridge spots is caused by the liquid phase separation and crystallization of glaze. In the process of crystallization, if the temperature rises above 1300℃, it will flow into yellow-brown, rust-colored or milky white stripes, which is the dazzling rabbit hair pattern praised by the poet. The texture of rabbit hair pattern has a sense of order and is quite regular. Seemingly uniform, people will not think of rabbit hair. However, rabbit hair patterns have random changes in shape and color in the rules, sequence and unity, which accords with the unity of changes in formal beauty. When we examine it carefully, we find that under the control of computer, the width of milli-peaks is not consistent, and the glaze color in milli-peaks is slightly similar. This is not only the result of human action, but also the change that people can't completely control. The creation of rabbit hair texture is a masterpiece of "harmony between man and nature". It is artificial, but it does not show any artificial traces, showing the interest of "nature is nature"
Among the famous kilns in Song Dynasty, Jun kiln is the one with the richest glaze color change. Jun kilns are not only as famous as contemporary celadon kilns in terms of sky blue, azure and moonlight, but also unique among many famous kilns in terms of red purple such as begonia red, rose purple and grape purple. Jun kiln is characterized by rich glaze layer, milky white and shiny glaze color, deep and changeable glaze lines and bright and flowing glaze surface. The glaze color is based on blue and red, which melts and glows, looks like clouds and sunset clouds, and is unpredictable and has fascinating artistic charm. People call this wonderful phenomenon "kiln change".
This phenomenon of Jun porcelain kiln appeared as early as Tang porcelain. The glazed porcelain produced in Lushan and other places in Henan Province is called "Lushan Flower Porcelain", which is a reflection of this changing phenomenon. This kind of flower porcelain is made of glazes containing different metal oxides, which are poured on the matrix, so that the glazes overlap and flow at high temperature, resulting in a grotesque, colorful and natural kiln effect. The colorful spot decoration of Lushan kiln in Tang Dynasty undoubtedly pioneered the appearance of colorful spots of Jun porcelain in Song Dynasty and created favorable technical conditions. However, the glaze color change of Jun porcelain kiln is different from that of Tang Lushan flower porcelain kiln. Lushan flower porcelain uses two different colorants and glazes with different viscosities, which are changed by superposition and flow. Jun porcelain kiln glaze is the change of the same basic glaze containing different colorants during firing. Therefore, there is no trace of pigmentation on the glaze, and the change of color image is completely melted in the glaze, which is more natural than Lushan flower porcelain.
Of course, the beauty of Jun porcelain kiln glaze change is related to glaze matching and firing, but its characteristics of simple decoration, clear lines, prominent edges and corners, and appropriate undulation also increase the artistic appeal of Jun porcelain kiln glaze change. It uses the thin glaze and accumulated glaze caused by the edge and turning part of the modeling to form different color changes; The convex and concave lines of edges, ribs and halberds are used to prevent or condense the glaze layer and form various texture changes. Form and glaze complement each other, which not only sets off the formal beauty of modeling, but also highlights the natural beauty of thick glaze. A flower pot of Jun kiln in the Northern Song Dynasty, which is collected by the Palace Museum, is diamond-shaped. It forms a plump and straight figure with a slightly curved outline close to a straight line, and outlines a diamond-shaped wheel rim and foot rim with a concave-convex curve. The ridge line of the abdomen echoes the diamond-shaped rim and feet up and down, which is harmonious and beautiful, just like a blooming diamond-shaped flower, rich and elegant. The diamond flowerpot is hung with glaze, and the glaze flows on the vertical plane of the pot body, and the blue and red colors blend, showing a rosy sunset scenery. Rose red and the tea yellow beside the basin set each other off, just like sunset glow and sunset glow, giving people a beautiful daydream.
The kiln change phenomenon on Jun porcelain is strange and unpredictable. It has basic colors such as red, blue and white, and some ribbons are radiant; Some ribbons are horizontal or oblique, like clouds winding around the mountain peak; Some ribbons flow vertically, just like a waterfall pouring down from the top of the mountain, magnificent, elegant and illusory, full of charm. The valuable thing about the transformation of Jun porcelain kiln is that it shows no traces of artificial works, and it is a natural form, which embodies a kind of "natural beauty". This kind of beauty has reached the aesthetic realm of "elephant is invisible", "loud voice is joyful" and "clumsy if clumsy". China's classical artistic ideal has always opposed carving, respected simplicity and nature, and regarded simplicity and nature as the highest artistic realm. Jun porcelain kiln transformation is such a successful work of art. Although there are artificial factors, it looks like nature, which embodies China people's aesthetic concept of "harmony between man and nature". From painting to gardening, from literature to drama, China people's aesthetic concept always pursues the integration with nature. This is completely consistent with the whole philosophical concept of China people: the combination of heaven and earth, the combination of heaven and earth, the beauty of nature and the beauty of the country. Everything is based on heaven. The so-called "wonderful workmanship" is to avoid leaving any traces of humanity. Didn't Jun porcelain kiln change achieve the natural state endowed by "excelsior"? People often say, "Ceramics is the art of fire"! It is because of the "fire" that the kiln is possible; Only in this way can the glaze color change into wonderful wonders such as mountain clouds, canyon waterfalls and purple sunset clouds; Only by "melting" and "melting" can glaze decoration produce muddy, seamless, muddy, natural and harmonious artistic beauty.
The historical remains of each era inevitably retain the brand of that era and inherit the genes belonging to that era. Whether it is technology or culture. This paper attempts to explore the relationship between the characteristics of the official kiln porcelain in Song Dynasty and the cultural environment at that time, as well as the thinking caused by it.
Song Guan kiln porcelain belongs to celadon system. Anyone who is familiar with the history of Chinese ceramics knows that the Song Dynasty was a glorious period of all-round development of China ceramics, not a unique celadon. There are at least white porcelains from Ding Yao and black porcelains from Ji 'an and Jianyang in various statements about famous porcelains in Song Dynasty, such as "Five Famous Kilns", "Six Famous Kilns" and "Eight Famous Porcelains". Ding Yao White Porcelain is famous all over the country for its exquisite printing technology. Used to be a supplier of porcelain, but later it was abandoned because of "Mangkou". Black porcelain also had a great influence in the Song Dynasty. People in the Song Dynasty are still drinking tea. Tea in Song Dynasty is different from modern tea. It is better to use white bubble tea, so it is more appropriate to try teaching with black cup. Therefore, black glazed teacups are popular, from the royal family to the folk, and they are popular all over North Korea. As a result, many famous products have appeared, such as oil drops, rabbit hair, tortoise shells and so on. Among them, the existing Japanese "Obsidian to Tianmu" bowl in the Song Dynasty, regarded as a "national treasure" by Japan, is exquisite and exquisite, and it is extremely difficult to fire, making it a masterpiece. However, black porcelain has never been a "porcelain donor". It can be seen that it is no accident that Song people have a soft spot for celadon, at least not for technical reasons. So why did celadon win?
As far as Song Guan Kiln porcelain is concerned, although it was jointly completed by many people, they have a tacit understanding based on the same ideological roots. They transplanted the cultural genes belonging to that era to porcelain perfectly. Therefore, we can appreciate a pure aesthetic and the pursuit of perfection from these porcelain with extremely simple shapes and decorations. On these porcelains, we can see an ideal figure in the Song Dynasty.
The rulers of the Song Dynasty attached great importance to the firing of ceramics, and the emperor of the Song Dynasty had a high cultural taste. For example, Evonne is a meticulous painter and calligrapher with high artistic accomplishment. Ru kiln was established at his instigation and is known as the first of the five famous kilns. Therefore, it is natural that decorative ceramics appeared in China from the Song Dynasty, that is, people whose spiritual achievements exceeded their practical value. China's ceramic art should also be said to have entered the real spiritual hall since then. Let's analyze the style characteristics and historical inheritance of Song Guan kiln porcelain from three aspects: shape, decoration and glaze color.
Modeling. Official kilns imitate jade and bronze, and there are also many bowls, plates, bottles, washing and other shapes. The official kiln is simple, concise, correct and not curious, and the linear shape is not tight, and the grasp of the law of formal beauty is very particular. Repeatedly scrutinize from the aspects of proportion, scale, balance and rhythm. , make people feel a kind of unassuming, subtle and elegant, quiet and restrained beauty. Any change in the shape of the vessel seems to destroy its beauty, and this grasp of the degree is just right. Before the Song Dynasty, the ceramic modeling was not too rigorous, and the products lacked some rational control. Or each has its own shape, or the same, especially the trace of the evolution of the shape of vessel-type ceramics is more obvious. This at least shows that although these shapes are lively, there are still many places that can be modified, and they have not yet reached the level of "stereotypes". However, many forms of official kilns in the Song Dynasty have become models for future generations to learn. Since the Sui and Tang Dynasties, there have been some rigorous modeling, but personally, it is difficult to see the rigor of the overall modeling of a certain type of ceramics, and no other types of ceramics can be found, which makes people feel that this rigorous modeling is an expression of some spiritual requirements. Since the rise of blue-and-white porcelain in Song Dynasty, the importance of modeling language itself has decreased, and its modeling should adapt to blue-and-white decoration. Even the modeling design is to better highlight the decorative beauty of blue and white, so it is easy to appear insufficient in terms of modeling alone, and there is almost no content behind that sense of form. In contrast, although the official kiln porcelain in Song Dynasty is simple in shape, its intentions and intentions are unmatched by other dynasties.