Yellow Earth Up and Down · Art and Archaeology Anthology

Author: Zhang Pengchuan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: The Artistic Value of Neolithic Polychrome Pottery and Painted Pottery
The primitive art of ancient China was highly developed, but after nearly ten thousand years of long history, the patterns painted on human bodies, hemp fabrics, and wooden objects have long disappeared. Today, the patterns on the well-preserved polychrome pottery and painted pottery that have been left behind serve as the main material evidence for studying China's primitive art. The production and development of Chinese polychrome pottery and painted pottery span the entire Neolithic Age, which holds significant value for studying the origins of Chinese art and the unique developmental process of its early period. Overall, the origins of polychrome pottery art are closely related to people's social life. The styles of polychrome pottery are primarily related to people's material life. Out of practical habits and needs, they always imitated the shapes and textures of previously used vessels, believing that only in this way could they maintain the functions of the vessels they imitated. As practical needs and pottery-making techniques developed, the shapes and painted patterns of pottery gradually deviated from the styles of the vessels they originally imitated and were designed according to aesthetic principles, transforming into abstract geometric patterns that became purely spiritual products. Polychrome pottery and painted pottery also feature many profound, biomorphic animal patterns and personified animal patterns. For example, Banpo-type polychrome pottery primarily features fish patterns, and even appeared unique patterns combining fish and human faces, which are considered to be totemic patterns. Totems are animals or supernatural beings regarded as the ancestors of clans, emphasizing the kinship ties of clan members from a spiritual perspective. Totemic patterns then become the artistic expression of clan communities. Therefore, totemic patterns on polychrome pottery were initially products of spiritual production. In the Guanzhong region, Banpo-type polychrome pottery also features patterns combining fish, bird heads, and human faces. Bird patterns are the main motifs of Miaodigou-type polychrome pottery and are considered one of the totemic patterns of the Miaodigou clan. In the adjacent areas where Banpo and Miaodigou-type polychrome pottery coexist, these unique composite patterns reflect the fusion of clans that revered fish and birds as totems, a phenomenon that emerged when different clans formed tribal alliances. As the scope of "clans" expanded, realistic animal patterns that once represented a single clan could no longer convey the more complex of broader tribal alliances. Therefore, symbolic composite patterns had to be designed. Thus, from the perspective of the patterns on polychrome pottery and painted pottery, whether natural or geometric, they all underwent a developmental process from concrete to abstract. The Chinese nation is a multi-ethnic community. The mutual influence of different ancient cultures' polychrome pottery and the evolution of complex composite patterns reflect the unique formation process of the Chinese nation as a community, which also determined that Chinese art took the path of abstract expression. The patterns on polychrome pottery and painted pottery primarily adopt dynamic forms and formats, with motifs often composed of arcs, curved lines, and dots, fully extending within these dynamic formats, showcasing a smooth and elegant style. Chinese polychrome pottery frequently uses point (dot) positioning methods, allowing patterns to extend from all sides of the positioning points, achieving freedom in pattern design with minimal constraints. This enables multi-unit patterns to remain dynamic yet orderly, rich yet harmonious, and endlessly variable. Miaodigou-type polychrome pottery also employs non-uniform positioning points to create scattered, flowing, and asymmetrical patterns, achieving harmony through unified shapes and dynamic momentum. This scattered composition form has become one of the main structural forms of traditional Chinese patterns. Among the various dynamic formats in polychrome pottery and painted pottery patterns, rotational formats are a primary pattern type. Diagonal arrangements are also common dynamic formats in polychrome pottery patterns, and patterns often combine background colors with diagonal and rotational formats, creating evenly spaced, interlocking rotational movements. Additionally, polychrome pottery patterns feature dynamic formats such as hooked curves, wave-like shapes, hanging arcs, zigzag patterns, and entwined branches, all designed to break spatial constraints through continuous movement, reflecting the enterprising spirit and vigorous creativity of the ancient Chinese people. In the long history of traditional art, polychrome pottery and painted pottery were among the earliest works to combine painted patterns with shapes. Chinese polychrome pottery pays great attention to the relationship between patterns and vessel forms, achieving unity and harmony through mutual complementarity. It also considers the different visual effects produced by patterns from various perspectives, ensuring that beautiful scenes can be seen from all angles. This artistic technique of perfectly integrating painted patterns with shapes has also become a distinctive expression in traditional sculpture and handicrafts. Polychrome pottery and painted pottery art is a brilliant page in the preface to traditional art, reflecting the rich and diverse cultural expressions of various tribes in ancient China. Throughout history, the cultural exchanges and multi-layered integration among tribes have made it an important source of bronze art. By studying the development process of polychrome pottery and painted pottery art, we can explore the methods ancient Chinese people used to observe the world and the formation of their aesthetic concepts, as well as the evolution of abstract expression methods. Additionally, it allows us to study the different developmental paths of ancient art in China and other parts of the world. Polychrome pottery and painted pottery of the Neolithic Age in China are not only treasures of ancient Chinese cultural art but also an important part of the world's ancient cultural art, shining brilliantly in the treasure trove of primitive art. P10-P11