Azure to Jane, that is the sky left by the Great Song. How much influence does the Great Song have on us? No matter how good people are, they can't finish talking for three days and three nights.
But the most profound impact is its minimalist aesthetic.
Song Dynasty porcelain from the Beijing Ceramic Art Museum
From the Tang Dynasty to the Song Dynasty, although the time experienced is very short, the aesthetic changes can be said to be very different. The style of Tang Dynasty porcelain is more elegant and luxurious, and the colors are gorgeous and rich, which is especially evident in the gorgeous Luoyang Sancai, and this gorgeous style suddenly transformed into a light and elegant minimalist aesthetic in the Song Dynasty.
Song Dynasty Ru kiln
The transformation of the popular aesthetic style also influenced the creation of Song porcelain.
The shape of Song porcelain is simple and generous, adding one point is redundant, subtracting one point is vacant, and there is no superfluous place.
The beauty of Song porcelain, the beauty lies in its temperament, the temperament of Song porcelain is simple and unpretentious, but it contains a unique charm, just like everyone's boudoir.
It doesn't have to be outward, but it lets you always know that it exists, and feel its simple but confident beauty.
The simple beauty of Song porcelain is not unrelated to the Song Dynasty's pursuit of naturalism back to basics. Zhao Kuangyin, the grandfather of the Song Dynasty, "mutinied chen qiao" and established the Northern Song Dynasty, fearing that his generals would follow his example in rebelling, so he adopted the method of "releasing military power with a glass of wine".
Therefore, under the influence of successive emperors, the Song Dynasty embarked on a path of heavy literature and suppressing martial arts, and the scholar class entered an unprecedented era of prosperity, constituting a class that was larger and more literate than any previous dynasty.
Therefore, Song Dynasty porcelain greatly poured out this strong humanistic color and rose to a philosophical height of thorough enlightenment.
Song Dynasty official kiln small bowl
The beauty of Song porcelain also lies in its glaze color. The glaze of Song porcelain is characterized by simplicity, nature and atmosphere, but it cannot be seen through at a glance, so that the aesthetic meaning and scientific and technological content of porcelain have reached the peak of The history of Chinese ceramics.
Among the Songguan kiln porcelain, it is known for the high development of monochrome glaze. The elegance of its hue is unparalleled, which may be related to the Song people's admiration of cyan glaze that is close to nature.
In fact, celadon was already popular during the Wei and Jin dynasties, and this aesthetic of advocating celadon was more widely respected and developed in the Song Dynasty.
Song Dynasty Jun kiln
The glaze development of Porcelain in the Song Dynasty went through two stages: the fascination with green and white glaze during the Northern Song Dynasty and the fanaticism with green glaze during the Southern Song Dynasty.
Emperor Huizong of the Northern Song Dynasty dreamed in his dream that a touch of azure appeared in the sky after the rain passed, and after waking up, he proposed to the porcelain craftsmen the standard of "rain over the sky and clouds breaking", which is the birth of azure Ru porcelain.
Song Dynasty jun porcelain
The history of Song Dynasty porcelain turned around the capture of Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty, and the Southern Song Dynasty court, which was located in a corner, was fascinated by the green mountains and rivers of Suzhou and Hangzhou. The green-based glaze color has been popular ever since.
Since then, Longquan Celadon has ushered in the spring of development and fired amazing plum green and pink celadon porcelain.
The emerald green wind finally lasted for more than a hundred years for the Southern Song Dynasty. But plum green and pink celadon have become eternal works of art.
Song Dynasty Longquan celadon
On the basis of inheriting the tradition, Song porcelain began to explore how to better create a production method that conforms to the characteristics of the porcelain clay itself.
Song porcelain no longer excessively imitated the thin and gorgeous shape decoration of gold and silver utensils, but instead pursued the elegant style of dignified, thick, zhongzheng and origin.
Song Dynasty kiln small bowl
Song porcelain has very few survivors, and of course the price is extremely high. There is a saying that "the family wealth is ten thousand, not as good as one jun kiln; ten pieces of jun kiln, not as good as a piece of Ru kiln", which is extremely precious to pass on the preciousness of Song porcelain.
Today, we are committed to the artistic and artistic ceramics of living ceramics. As everyone knows, in the Song Dynasty, porcelain did not have the distinction between art porcelain and daily porcelain.
Song Dynasty ding kiln small bowl
Even ordinary daily necessities, because of the influence of the overall cultural atmosphere of the Song Dynasty, have a good charm and style. This is a mature, moist and lasting beauty after reading the prosperity of the world and the heat and coolness of the world.
Ceramic craftsmen use different outer contour lines of thickness, horizontal straightness, length and length, and bending to combine different shapes. Some are even and generous, some are light and beautiful, both practical and beautiful.
They created an unprecedented style of the times, and many Song porcelain models were used as models for future generations to admire.
Song Dynasty Longquan Celadon Double Fish Plate
Song porcelain from life, dignified and generous. With a deep, elegant, Zen-like shape, it blends so well with everything in nature.
Gently caress the round and smooth porcelain body, and when you look at the grains in the porcelain that are like the broken ice in the rivers in winter, you will be intoxicated by the harmony of this day and the unique aesthetic situation to understand the elegant and noble beauty of Song porcelain.
Cizhou kiln porcelain pillow
Song porcelain is often more revered than Ming and Qing porcelain. Because it advocates natural, subtle and simple Song porcelain, it pays more attention to the embryo, shape and glaze color of the porcelain itself. With a little carving, no matter the shape, glaze color, ornamentation, the pursuit of natural perfection.
It is elegant and quiet, just like "clear water out of the hibiscus, natural to carve", truly set the predecessors of the masterpiece, but also for the future generations of the classic.
Yaozhou kiln plate
The social atmosphere of emphasizing literature and suppressing martial arts also led to the economic and cultural development of the Song Dynasty and the military being very backward. Because he could not make a difference in the expansion of the territory, he had to devote more energy to the creation of poetry and song and the production of fine porcelain.
The elegance and poignancy of the poetry and song, and the delicate and introverted nature of the utensils, are the best way for them to portray their helpless hearts and vent their emotions. The fineness of Song porcelain production has reached a breathtaking degree.
Yaozhou kiln small bowl
The fineness of Song porcelain is also reflected in the care and consideration of people. For example, there is a difference between men and women. The male cup is large and slightly public, and the female lamp is small and rounded, reflecting the respect for gender in society at that time.
The persistent pursuit of exquisite life has achieved the amazing beauty of Song porcelain. Song porcelain, which is simple and unpretentious, and contains a unique charm, still deeply attracts us.
Source: Beijing Ceramic Art Museum