"Blanking" is the first working procedure and an important link. Especially for large-scale round carvings, you should first "leave a blank" on the soil, and then "leave a blank" on the stone after clicking the "clay manuscript".
The purpose of "blank making" is to ensure that all parts of the sculpture can meet the strict proportion requirements, and then move the knife to carve vivid and vivid works. Generally, round carvings are carved from a previous position, and at the same time, it is particularly required to pay attention to the unity, harmony and integration of all angles and positions of the works. Only in this way can the round carving work stand the audience's all-round "perspective". Roughing is generally based on the formed three-dimensional mud draft. First, draw a rough outline on the material with a brush, then remove the excess material outside the outline with the help of an axe and carving tools, and then chisel out the rough blank. In the specific operation, the material is placed on the blank-making platform and held by a rope, or placed on the ground and supported on the floor with feet to make blanks. Roughcast gouges are mostly flat gouges with large width and round gouges with large reverse openings. First, make a large morphological proportional relationship and shape it with a geometric cube. Emphasize the big turning point and the direction of volume.
Taking figures as an example, generally, the limbs except the head volume are chiseled first, and then the head, chest and pelvis are chiseled. Then cut out the shape block surface, such as vertical, inclined, etc. After the basic shape of the human body is completed, the concave and convex shapes of various parts are chiseled one by one according to the structure and proportion of the human body, such as the ups and downs between cheeks and facial features, chest and neck, and breast and breast, so that there is room for the next two processes when dividing the concave and convex. Hui 'an's earliest round carving works include He Shiyang in Wanglin Road Cemetery of Hui 'an County in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the statue of General Shi on Luoyang Bridge in the Song Dynasty, and three stone buddhas on the tail mountain of Longchuan in Luoyang. Since then, there have been sculptures of generals, horses, tigers, sheep and huabiao. Zhang Yue's Tomb in Jiajing Period of Ming Dynasty (1522 ~ 1567). These round carvings, which are mainly composed of stone statues, animal statues and Buddha statues, still retain the characteristics of the Central Plains culture before the Tang Dynasty in terms of techniques, showing a simple and rough artistic style.
There are many stone lion products in Ming Dynasty, and there are two common ones: temples, mansions, guardian lions in front of graves and small sitting lions on various capitals. The stone lions in front of the Sanyuan Palace in Chongwu, the Li's and Liu's residences in the north of Los Angeles, and the tomb of Liu Wanghai in Luoyang are all works of this period. Its lines are straightforward and concise, its shape is vigorous and powerful, and it rarely excels in detail decoration, retaining the primitive and rugged style of the northland and the sacred connotation of deterrence. During the Wanli period (1573 ~ 1620), some marble statues of baby Jesus carved by overseas Chinese of the Hui nationality in the Philippines were also appreciated by people at that time.
In the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, due to the extensive use of bluestone, various round carving crafts, mainly lions and dragon pillars, emerged in an endless stream. Their craft is good at hollowing out techniques and fine chiseling, paying attention to smooth lines, symmetrical structure, realistic modeling, and achieving both form and spirit.
Zhou Li, a master of Wufeng stone carving in Qing Dynasty, applied painting art to stone carving technology, and his artistic style changed greatly, from simple and rough to exquisite and elegant.
Zhou Li's sculpture of Fuzhou Wanshou Bridge 18 "Boxing Lion", a pair of stone lions in Xinghua Hall of Fuzhou, and two bluestone dragon columns in Nanjun Hall of Fuzhou are all representative works of this period. The Dragon Column of Nanjun Guild Hall is called "Li Panlong Column".
Since then, Hui 'an's stone carving skills have made great progress, and there are many excellent works, especially the carving of bluestone dragon columns. Carved dragon columns, flower-and-bird columns and figure columns have appeared in some temples in Anxi, Jinjiang and Hui 'an. Among them, a pair of bluestone dragon pillars in Anhai Longshan Temple in Jinjiang are regarded as masterpieces of stone carving with the unique style of southern Fujian (the temple was later imitated by dozens of Longshan temples in Taiwan Province Province, competing to imitate), and the dragon pillars in Anxi Confucian Temple are also very distinctive (the temple building is called "Guanbamin"), and the dragon pillars in Dongyue Temple in Hui 'an, among which the sex can be identified by tapping sound, and there is a sand pavilion known as "finely carved and rare in other temples"
In the 21st year of Jiaqing in Qing Dynasty (18 16), Hui 'an craftsmen were hired to build Xue Jia Tzu Chi Palace in Tainan for the descendants of Bai Jiao in Longjiaowei Town, Fujian Province. At the same time, 10 Panlong stone pillar and two carved square columns were carefully carved and transported back to Longhai to build Bai Jiao Tzu Chi Palace.
During this period, there were also stone lions in front of temples, ancestral halls and memorial buildings or in the courtyards. There are many kinds, including hydrangea lion, scratching lion, ear-scraping lion, ancient money lion, Beijing lion and ribbon lion (mother and son lion). Small hundreds of kilograms, big several tons. Its artistic style has changed from vigorous to exquisite and gorgeous. The stone lion is beaming, playful and funny, with smooth lines and innocent and lively expressions, symbolizing good luck and happiness. Fully embodies the slender and smooth "Southern School" style. Representative works include the male and female hydrangea lion (Li Zhouzuo) in front of Yongquan Temple in Gushan, Fuzhou, a pair of lions (Jiang) in Chongwu Fengshan Palace, the little lion (Jiang Wenzi) on the railing of Fayutang Courtyard in Fuzhou, the 1 pair lion in Shifangxia, Wucun, Xiamen, the three lion hydrangea on the stone drum in front of Fayutang in Yushan, Fuzhou, the lion awakening in Nanjing, and the stone carving lion in front of Nanputuo Hall in Xiamen.
At the end of 19, foreign Hui 'an craftsmen also carved a pair of stone lions for Qingyun Pavilion in Malacca, a pair of dragon pillars for Fujian Guild Hall, and many stone statues and horses for Thai Palace.
In the 28th year of Guangxu (1902), Jiang Shuangjia carved a pair of stone lions in front of Chongwu Chenghuang Temple. At the end of Guangxu, Jiang Wenzi's carved blue stone flower drum chair and round table works in Beijing Summer Palace Craft Competition were known as "the crown of stone carving".
At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, the famous stone carvers of Wufeng undertook the stone carving business of Longshan Temple in Taipei. Among them, Eight Dragon Columns (1 for earth-shattering dragons) and Flower-and-Bird Columns are masterpieces of a generation with outstanding skills and far-reaching influence.
In the early years of the Republic of China, Jiang Wenzi also carved a stone dragon ball in Huanghuagang Martyrs Cemetery in Guangzhou and a statue of Tie Guai Li in Fuzhou, all of which were masterpieces and had great influence. In addition, during the Republic of China, a pair of dragon pillars carved with auspicious dragons and Eight Immortals in Xilong Temple in Mei Zhuang, Dongling, Hui 'an had unique skills. This period can be called the golden age of Hui 'an stone carving. The only three pairs of "earth-shattering dragon pillars" in China (Taipei Longshan Temple, Anxi Confucian Temple and Huian Shage Palace) are all created by Huian artists.
After the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC), Hui 'an stone carvers carved statues of Mao Zedong, Ten Grand Marshal and Chen Jiageng, which were more than 2 meters high, in Jimei "Aoyuan". Since then, some stone carvers have been selected and sent to Hangzhou Academy of Fine Arts for further study. During the study period, Huian craftsmen continued to make excellent works.
Jiang 1959 "Guerrilla Trumpeter" won the second prize in the National Arts and Crafts Exhibition. Also on display here are the lotus bowl carved by Jiang Youcai, the narcissus basin carved by Jiang and the lantern dragon column carved by Lifu, all masterpieces of a generation.
In the 1960s, Hui 'an Stone Carving Factory created new works, such as Eagle and Snake Fight and Song of Cowherd and Flute. The former is vivid in image and profound in conception, while the cow rope in the shepherd boy's hand is as thin as a matchstick and outstanding in carving. Since then, the factory has developed lantern products with the characteristics of round carving and relief on the basis of traditional crafts. In 1970s, Hui 'an craftsmen carved white marble and Mao Zedong stone statues in front of the county government compound and the exhibition hall of Wuyi Square in Fuzhou.
Since 1978, the stone dragon columns in Hui 'an have been all the rage. In just a few years, dozens of pairs of Panlong stone pillars have been exported. Up to now, Huian has owned a series of products such as White Dragon Column, Qinglong Column, Yellow Column, Figure Flower-and-Bird Column and Lantern Column. According to incomplete statistics, there are more than 1 10 pairs of dragon beads carved by Hui 'an craftsmen in past dynasties (including domestic, provincial, domestic and overseas).
In the early 1980s, many handicrafts of Huian Stone Carving Factory were exhibited in Japan, West Germany, Canada, the United States and other places, which were warmly welcomed by people from all countries, and the export volume of products increased year by year. The products of Wufeng Stone Carving Factory (including dozens of varieties such as Shatuo, Garden Snow, Fish Tank, Flower Bowl, Five Pagodas, Thirteen Pagodas and Palace Lantern) are exported to Japan, Taiwan Province Province and Southeast Asian countries.
198 1 year, Hui 'an craftsmen also carved a pair of large stone lions, which were presented by the provincial government to the Okinawa Civic Museum in Japan. The two lions in front of the Liberation Monument in Manila, Philippines were also created by three famous artists, including Jiang. These lions are carved by hollowing out, which is a masterpiece of this period.
In the 1980s, there were twenty or thirty kinds of small conjoined handicrafts produced by Huian, including twelve phases, eighteen arhats, eight immortals crossing the sea, sitting on lotus Guanyin, Taibai drunk, frog, unicorn, horse and deer. There are also more than a dozen varieties exported to Japan, such as Guanyin in white, Maitreya Buddha with a big belly, the Seven Blessed Gods, and sleeping children after resting.
In addition, Huian also carved large-scale sculptures (height15.7m, made of 625 stones, with a total weight of over1400t) of Sanya in Hainan and Luhuitou in Zheng Chenggong on Gulangyu Beach in Xiamen, the emblem of shishi city "Wake Up the Lion in the East" and the "Virgin in the Air" of Meizhou Island (height 65438+). 1989, Huian Stone Carving Factory also completed 500 customized Luohan sculptures in Taiwan Province Province. The round carving of Shoushan Stone began in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. Since the 1950s, the "figurines of man and beast" unearthed in Fuzhou during the Southern and Northern Dynasties are the most primitive Shoushan stone carvings discovered so far. According to the research and analysis of relevant data, since the Southern and Northern Dynasties, round carving has been the main technique of Shoushan stone carving. Even in the prosperous period of Shoushan stone carving in the early Qing Dynasty, the round carving technique was still the main technique for carving figures and animals, but compared with the ancient Southern Dynasties, the round carving technique in this period was not the same, and the artistic level of the works was quite different. Famous ones are Yang Yuxuan, Zhou Shangjun, Wei Rufen, Wei Kaitong and Dong Cangmen. They are all masters of round carving. Although their carving styles are different, many of their round carving works have become masterpieces handed down from generation to generation. For example, dozens of Shoushan stone carvings such as Lying Monk, Maitreya Buddha, Lohan on Tiger by Wei, and works handed down from generation to generation by Yang, Zhou, Wei and Dong collected by Shanghai Museum, Tianjin Art Museum and Fuzhou Museum all show the superb level of Shoushan stone carving skills in the early Qing Dynasty with natural sitting posture, carefree expression and full denomination. It can also be seen from "The Beads Count Lohan" that stone carving artists in this period have been good at using clever colors. They not only know how to carve cassocks with colored parts of stones, but also carve Lohan's body with colorless parts, and some skillfully fill Lohan's meditation futon with gold powder. Yang Yuxuan, a first-generation master, also inlaid gems in Luohan costumes to set off the statue and make it gorgeous and colorful.
Ancient Shoushan stone carvings are mostly independent individuals, such as immortals, buddhas, pigs, sheep and horses. And the size is relatively large. They are usually small carvings placed on several tables, or used as decorations such as fans and pendants. With the passage of time, the theme of Shoushan stone carving has been broadened and the stone carving techniques have been enriched and developed. On the basis of round carving techniques, carved flowers and chain carvings appeared. In terms of performance content, it has also developed from an independent individual to a large-scale group sculpture combining figures, animals and mountains and rivers, which has enriched and improved the techniques and contents of the round sculpture. The same round carving works are often a combination of various techniques such as round carving, block carving and chain carving. For example, the "Little Pig Full Circle" carved by Feng Jiuhe, a master of "Dongmen Sect", reflects the prosperity of farm life with a group of mother and son pigs; Chen Jingxiang's "Courtship Chicken", with its exciting and unrestrained modeling and innovative knife method, is refreshing; Guo Gongsen's landscape sculpture "Wuyi Scenery" combines Fujian's landscape with infinite artistic conception. Lin Hengyun's fish sculpture "Underwater World" enjoys swimming without water and has rich imagination. Lin Fashu's "Three Immortals Drunk" seems as drunk as a picture; Lin's Comic Book is composed of nine chapters and stones. Wang Zuguang's lotus Guanyin is dignified and quiet; There are also the Long March Sculpture, the Red Minxi Sculpture, the Jinggangshan Meeting, and the Happy Minshan Thousand Miles of Snow. These exquisite works of art are all created by using large pieces of colorful mountain stones, and they are completed on the basis of mastering the eight techniques of round carving and combining with other techniques, which is a major breakthrough in the modeling, theme, techniques and ingenious color application of Shoushan stone carving.
Because the round carving works are full of three-dimensional, lifelike, lifelike, so the round carving has strict requirements on the selection of stone materials, and the length, width and thickness must be in proper proportion to the real thing, and then the sculptor can "leave blank" in proportion. "Cutting" is the first working procedure and important link of round carving, especially for large-scale round carving works, it is necessary to "cut" on the soil first, and then "cut" on the stone after Zhu revised the "clay draft". The purpose of "blank making" is to ensure that all parts of the sculpture can meet the strict proportion requirements, and then move the knife to carve vivid and vivid works. Generally, round carvings are carved from a previous position, and at the same time, it is particularly required to pay attention to the unity, harmony and integration of all angles and positions of the works. Only in this way can the round carving work stand the audience's all-round "perspective".
There are three traditional round carving techniques for Shoushan stone, namely, blank beating, blank planing and polishing.
1. After the blank is "stoned", use chisel and other tools to knock out the excess part of the stone to determine the basic form of the set layout of the work.
2. Blank cutting means using various hand chisels, hammer knives, drilling tools, etc. Detailed carving will make the scenery of the work more distinct and the structure more clear.
Completing this is the last process of carving. With different carving knives, the image of the scene is perfectly carved with stone carving knives, which reflects the overall temperament and charm of the work. When cutting the knife, it is necessary to be precise and powerful, light and heavy, cadence, straight bend and turn, and change freely, so as to give the viewer a unique aesthetic feeling.