Tourists who have visited the former capital of Luoyang, in addition to praising the places of interest and monuments here, are also impressed by the glittering carvings here. But few people know that located in the national key cultural relics protection unit - Guan Lin (the place where Guan Yu was buried at the first level), these vigorous and powerful carved beams and pillars on the octagonal tower of the ancestral temple are from the hands of one person, who is Zhang Xiaoqu, the carving master of Zhoukou, Henan.
The mountain is not high, the immortal is named, the water is not deep, and the dragon is the spirit. People familiar with him know that Master Zhang is very diligent and good at absorbing the strengths of all, especially the carving pavilion painting is the most profound. Luoyang peony A world, so the paintings are all peonies, carved out of the beautiful, no one can stand out of the right. The traditional carving of the old craft set a variety of processes: hand carving, repeated polishing, inlaying, painting, gold, each process requires repeated operations, achieving his unique unique skills and brilliance.
Zhang Xiaoqu was born in 1943, his ancestral home is Zhoukou Luyi, he has four children, the eldest daughter Zhang Zhi, the eldest son Zhang Tao, the second son Zhang Zhen, the second daughter Zhang Kun, during the Cultural Revolution due to the high family composition can not live in the hometown, so along the road begging and luoyang, he likes to paint, good at carving, with personal wisdom to show the carving works on the gate towers and pavilions of scenic spots and monuments, convex and concave, three-dimensional, strong flexibility, plus gold, vigorous and powerful, magnificent, very high-end, atmospheric, high-grade. Zhang Xiaoqu's assiduous study of carving and painting craftsmanship is not only to support his family, but in the true sense of liking, that is, he wants to carry forward the traditional Chinese carving skills, he is low-key and down-to-earth, not good at talking, but his carving works are exquisite and full of spirituality.
Zhang Xiaoqu life photo
Zhang Xiaoqu took a group photo with his second son Zhang Zhen
Every carving is practice. Compared with cold jade or light and soft leather, Zhang Xiaoqu's meticulous painting can give full play to the creativity of a carver and more can integrate the ingenuity of a craftsman, after which what is hidden is the carver's control over the tools and the restrained and implicit aesthetics of life.