Tao Garden Selects the Best (A Collection of Ceramic Art from the Yixing Ceramic Museum of China)

Author: Zhou Xiaodong, Wang Tao (Editor-in-Chief)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-09-01
Features: This book showcases 96 representative purple clay wares from various historical periods and categories held by the Yixing Ceramic Museum (each piece accompanied by name, artist, era, and a description of its main characteristics), as well as 464 representative works by 162 renowned contemporary purple clay artists (each accompanied by artist photos, short biographies, seals, and descriptions of work characteristics). The book also includes articles on Yixing ceramics. The title of the book was inscribed by Pan Zhenzhou, Director of the National Museum of China. As a unique cultural phenomenon, Yixing ceramic culture has a profound historical heritage and rich connotations. The Yixing Ceramic Museum has long been an important creative and internship base for ceramic artists both at home and abroad. Its complete facilities and strong academic atmosphere provide a broad platform for ceramic artists to improve their skills and showcase their achievements. Shanghai Ci Shu Press has recently launched a large-scale illustrated reference book, Gathering Pearls from the Ceramic Garden—A Collection of Ceramic Art from the Yixing Ceramic Museum, which offers a more detailed and comprehensive understanding of the long-standing Yixing ceramic culture and the brilliant ceramic art of contemporary artists. Gathering Pearls from the Ceramic Garden, whose title was inscribed by Pan Zhenzhou, Director of the National Museum of China, highlights the finest pieces of both museum-held and contemporary ceramic art. The index at the back of the book allows for easy retrieval of the biographies and works of the artists included. The selected works from the museum collection, representing various historical periods and categories of Yixing ceramics, are extremely valuable. The five renowned types of Yixing ceramics—purple clay, celadon, unglazed stoneware, fine stoneware, and polychrome stoneware—have long been celebrated both at home and abroad. Yixing purple clay is considered a masterpiece of ceramics. The representative work of the famous female artist Yang Fengnian, the "Wind-Curled Peony Teapot," is the only piece collected by museums both domestically and internationally. Three works by the master Gu Jingzhou, including the "Ring-Bottom Tea Set," are also unique to domestic museums. Although celadon may not shine as brightly as purple clay, it possesses equally distinctive characteristics. The "Glaze-Changed Goat Vessel" by the senior craftsman Wu Keqiang, with its traditional elegant shape and vibrant glaze changes, has become an invaluable heirloom. The "Under-Glaze Potted Patterns" of unglazed stoneware are a unique decorative technique of the "Ceramic Capital." Yang Yaosheng's "Potted Patterned Large Jar" is the most complete and representative work of Yixing's potted pattern technique. As a new variety of Yixing ceramics, fine stoneware combines the strengths of both pottery and porcelain, featuring vibrant colors and durability. The calligraphy hanging plate by the master Xu Anbi showcases the typical style of contemporary fine stoneware art with its bold and skilled pottery carving. Polychrome stoneware is a type of pottery decoration created on the basis of traditional glazed pottery. The "Lying Leopard" by the ceramic sculptor Zhou Guozhen, with its lifelike art glaze and abstract design, has become a prominent work in decorative ceramic art. The contemporary ceramic art section includes 464 representative works by 162 outstanding mid-to-high-level professionals, young and middle-aged ceramic artists, and influential folk purple clay artists. Each selected artist is briefly introduced with their artistic career and unique creative style. They skillfully utilize the characteristics of various ceramics to express the charm and connotations of their works, continuously innovating while inheriting traditional techniques, resulting in works with novel concepts and distinctive styles.