On February 23, 2022, the "Materials of the Hidden Body: Chinese Bamboo Carving Art Exhibition" hosted by the Shanghai Museum opened at the Liechtenstein National Museum. At the opening ceremony, Rainer Vollkommer, director of the Liechtenstein National Museum, delivered a welcome speech, and Zhao Qinghua, Consul General of the People's Republic of China in Zurich and in the Principality of Liechtenstein, delivered an opening speech. Yang Zhigang, director of the Shanghai Museum, delivered a speech via video. Steven Batlainer, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Liechtenstein State Museum Foundation, attended the opening ceremony.
Director Yang's opening ceremony video speech
Stephen Batlainer, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Liechtenstein State Museum Foundation, Zhao Qinghua, Consul General of the People's Republic of China in Zurich and Principality of Liechtenstein, Reno Woconmore, Director of the Liechtenstein National Museum (from left to right)
Exterior view of the Liechtenstein National Museum
This exhibition selects 60 pieces of Chinese bamboo carving from the millions of pieces in the collection of the Shanghai Museum, from the first half of the 17th century to the middle of the 20th century, to introduce the historical achievements, artistic characteristics and craftsmanship characteristics of Chinese bamboo carving art, and to guide the audience to intuitively contact the art world composed of traditional Chinese crafts and Jiangnan literati aesthetics through bamboo carving, a handicraft with Chinese national characteristics. The exhibition is divided into four parts: "Gong Gong Rhino Elephant", "Art Ginseng Calligraphy and Painting", "Fun with Jinshi", and "Material and Table". The exhibition will run until May 8 this year.
Interior view of the pavilion
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Reno Woconmore, Director of the Liechtenstein State Museum:
We are very grateful to the Shanghai Museum for allowing us to display their collection of 60 outstanding bamboo carvings from the past 500 years. This is also the first time that the Shanghai Museum has displayed these artifacts in Europe. I have known the Shanghai Museum for many years and have had the privilege of meeting with Director Yang Zhigang many times. We always exchange and discuss the importance of cultural exchange in promoting knowledge and understanding among peoples and for museums. It was in this context that we decided to do what we said we would and hold this exhibition at the Liechtenstein National Museum. It was the two museums that worked together to bring this exhibition to life. We hope that this exhibition will help European audiences learn more about Chinese people. I wish the exhibition every success and trust that visitors will be happy to explore these profound bamboo carvings.
Yang Zhigang, Director of Shanghai Museum:
Because bamboo products are not easy to preserve, the exhibition opportunities of bamboo carved artworks have always been few, and it is the first time that such a large-scale and systematic exhibition in foreign museums is the first time in the Shanghai Museum. I hope that this temporary exhibition can open a useful door and window for friends in Europe and the world to appreciate the art of Chinese bamboo carving. I have a lot of contacts with Director Renault. He is very passionate about Chinese culture and is full of enthusiasm for the exchange of museums between China and Leninism. Many years ago, we agreed to hold cooperation and exchange exhibitions in each other's museums, and today the first step of this wish is about to be realized. At present, the NEW CROWN epidemic is still continuing, and personnel exchanges are hindered, but inter-museum exchanges cannot be stopped. Based on the friendship and trust between the two sides, the bamboo carved cultural relics of the Shanghai Museum will "fly" over thousands of mountains and rivers to Liechtenstein, building a bridge of friendship for the people of the two places and building a cultural platform for mutual learning and mutual learning. I wish the exhibition a complete success!
An Introduction to the Art of Chinese Bamboo Carving
Bamboo carving is a special category in Chinese arts and crafts, and it is also a unique carving art in China, with unique craft techniques, unique aesthetic tastes and independent cultural character.
The history of Chinese bamboo carving can be roughly divided into three stages. From the Neolithic era to the Han Dynasty, it is a long gestation period. At this time, bamboo is widely used and is a very important material material for people's production and life. The engraving on this bamboo product is "bamboo carving" in a broad sense.
Bamboo root carving folded branch manta peach water bowl
After that, the Wei and Jin Dynasties and the Northern and Southern Dynasties passed through the Sui, Tang, Song and Yuan dynasties to the early Ming Dynasty, which was a period of gradual development. The special beauty of bamboo has been valued, and a variety of carving techniques have been developed according to the characteristics of the material, but the artistic level is still not high, and the craftsmanship is not mature. From the middle of the Ming Dynasty to the present nearly 500 years for a period of high maturity, marked by the formation of the famous Zhuo Li and the genre, bamboo carving has become a model for elegant play carving, and has become a special art with the dual attributes of literati art and craftsmanship. The fact that the mature bamboo carvings were mainly consumed by the literati and doctors and the wealthy citizens and merchants with considerable cultural heritage also made the shape of bamboo carvings completely biased towards the establishment and selection of literary utensils and clean and elegant play.
Bamboo root carving Oriental Shuo
In plant taxonomy, bamboo belongs to the subfamily Bamboo family of the order Poaceae in monocotyledonous plants. There are more than 500 species of bamboo in 39 genera in China. The bamboo carving art used is mainly produced in the mainland, widely distributed in the Yellow River Basin and all over the south of the bamboo species, that is, commonly known as moso bamboo. From the perspective of the use of bamboo, bamboo carving is mainly divided into two categories: bamboo root carving is the use of bamboo knots dense flesh thick underground stem to make round carving figures, animals, folded branches and fruits, landscape small scenery and water, cups, washing, antique Yi utensils and other utensils; bamboo stems are bamboo poles, round and hollow, suitable for making pen holders, arm rests, incense tubes and other utensils, techniques such as yin carving, relief, through carving, and the use of bamboo to leave how much to see the color of the green.
Bamboo root carving group immortals wish Shou ShanZi
With the extensive participation of many literati and calligraphers, bamboo carving in the Ming and Qing dynasties reached its peak as a specialized art. The Jiading school, founded by zhu he's ancestors and grandsons in the Ming Dynasty, is the longest and largest bamboo carving art school in history, and has had a huge impact on all kinds of carving techniques in the same period. The Three Dynasties of Kangyongqian in the Qing Dynasty were the peak of bamboo carving art, with famous hands, great techniques, and gorgeous and profound styles. Since the middle of the Qing Dynasty, bamboo carving production has tended to be flat and simple, reflecting more the influence of the literati Jinshi calligraphy and painting art.
Bamboo carvings with beams and bamboo carvings
Bamboo has a lofty place in traditional Chinese culture and is often used as a symbol of the virtues possessed by "gentlemen" such as modesty, integrity, and integrity. In Chinese art, countless beautiful works of poetry, painting and music have been born around the expression of bamboo for thousands of years. In many bamboo-producing countries, people will use bamboo as a material for craft creation in production and life, and will also use it as an object of artistic expression and a carrier of sustenance, but the development of highly developed carving technology with it is unique to Chinese civilization. In this sense, the art of bamboo carving is the ultimate fruit of the profound Chinese bamboo culture.
There are four points in the selection of the characteristics of bamboo carving art: the selection of materials and materials strives to be natural and natural, and the use of materials is the essence of the traditional concept of creation; the modeling instrument is mainly played with literary utensils, which is an indispensable thing in the elegant life of the literati; the integration of calligraphy and painting carving seals as one, elegant style, is the most able to reflect the aesthetic taste of the literati in the handicrafts; the carving skills are unique, the techniques are complete, and it has become the crown of the sculptures of the literary play.
Exhibition information on "Taking The Hidden Body: Chinese Bamboo Carving Art Exhibition"
Venue: Liechtenstein National Museum
Duration: 2022/2/24-2022/5/8
Organizer: Shanghai Museum
Contributed by丨Process Research Department, Cultural Exchange Office
Edited 丨 zhou prologue
Preliminary trial 丨 Xu Liyi, Shi Weichen
Final judgment 丨 Tang Shifen