Art of Sculpture -- "Local Treasures" Series

Author: Lou Qingxi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-02-01
Features: [Tribal Treasures] is compiled by Chen Zhihua, Lou Qingxi, Li Qiuxiang, and others from the School of Architecture at Tsinghua University based on a 15-year survey of rural architecture. The text is concise and straightforward, accompanied by abundant hand-drawn illustrations and exquisite photographs, making it a valuable historical archive with strong artistic appeal. The book introduces the sculptural decorations on ancient Chinese architecture, as well as the sculptures on various parts of rural architecture such as roofs, walls, screen walls, and column bases. These sculptures not only possess aesthetic beauty in their forms but also carry diverse cultural connotations, making them an indispensable part of rural architectural art.
[Tribal Treasures] is compiled by Chen Zhihua, Lou Qingxi, Li Qiuxiang, and others from the School of Architecture at Tsinghua University based on a 15-year survey of rural architecture. The text is concise and straightforward, accompanied by abundant hand-drawn illustrations and exquisite photographs, making it a valuable historical archive with strong artistic appeal. The book introduces the sculptural decorations on ancient Chinese architecture and the sculptures on various parts of rural architecture such as roofs, walls, screen walls, and column bases. These sculptures not only possess aesthetic beauty in their forms but also carry diverse cultural connotations, making them an indispensable part of rural architectural art.
The series "Tribal Treasures" includes albums such as Carved Beams and Painted Ridges, Beauty of Doors and Windows, and Thousand Doors and Myriad Houses, which respectively explore the forms and decorative arts of various components of wooden structures in houses, wooden doors and windows, and the entrances of architectural groups. Roofs of different types of houses are also adorned with numerous decorations. The walls of houses, especially the end walls (mountain walls) of a building, are often decorated with brick and tile carvings. Even the smallest parts of a house feature distinctive forms and diverse carvings. Additionally, the small-scale structures within architectural complexes, such as archways, screen walls, and tombstones, are employed with materials beyond the common wood, brick, and stone, including glazed tiles, lime, mud, ceramic pieces, and bamboo. In terms of craftsmanship, in addition to carving, techniques such as stucco, mud sculpture, and floral carving are also used. All these forms and decorations not only exhibit aesthetic beauty in their external appearance but also carry different cultural connotations, making them an indispensable part of rural architectural art.
By compiling these elements as much as possible into one volume, it is termed "Sculptural Literature." This book includes relatively fewer survey drawings and more photographs to authentically showcase the achievements of this aspect. Like the other volumes, it features a comprehensive introduction titled "Sculptural Decorations of Ancient Chinese Architecture," along with relevant captions for the images in each section. These are all designed to help readers better understand the forms and contents of these sculptural arts, thereby gaining a deeper appreciation of the overall value of rural architecture.