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Two very different lacquer artists
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Chen Jie and Tang Mingxiu represent two different directions of Chinese lacquer art. Liu focuses on the functional part of lacquerware while Tang pursues its pure artistic nature.
Chen studied techniques of making lacquerware at the Fujian Art School in the 1980s. But with the slowdown of the industry, he took a series of unrelated jobs.
“But I was so bored as a tourist guide or the boss of a renovation company, I told myself that I was born to do something related to lacquer,” Chen says.
In 1988, he opened a lacquer studio.
“I was quite familiar with the material and technique, but at that time I was also aware that the old kind of lacquerware obviously couldn’t meet the demands of urbanites,” he says.
He hoped he could make lacquerware that would be something that could be used or worn in daily life. For example, a lacquer bracelet he makes in a leopard pattern is coveted by many fashionable young women.
“In my eyes, the cup or bowl I make should be closely related to daily life, yet not plain,” he says. “It is a fusion of fashion and craftsmanship.”
The lacquer art that Tang creates, however, is transcendental.
Tang, dean of the lacquer art department at the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, is especially famous for his lacquer paintings on floor screens that can be used to divide rooms. In order to explore the possibilities of lacquer art, Tang secluded himself for years on a mountain before he took the role of dean.
He says he established a “small empire” of several buildings, studying lacquer and establishing a collection of old Chinese lacquerware that filled his house.
He rarely left the mountain, being totally consumed by lacquer painting.
“I don’t want to go into the solitude and the pains during that period,” Tang says. “It is akin to self-cultivation. There are so many laborious steps in making one piece, and if there is a minor mistake that appears in one step, then the whole piece will be ruined.”
The lacquer painting that Tang creates is filled with the Oriental mystery. Although Tang tried to keep a low profile, his fame soon spread in the art community as the “Chinese lacquer art master.” Even some top government officials purchased his floor screens with lacquer paintings.
“But the natural traits of my lacquer painting determine that the work demands time,” he says. “Usually it takes nearly two to three years to complete one single piece. So I have to let some buyers wait if they have patience.”
Tang’s floor screens with lacquer paintings have been collected by the National Art Museum and some overseas art organizations.
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