top of page
豐年樂 Celebration for a Good Harvest 廖洪標 Liao Hongbiao 1996
豐年樂 Celebration for a Good Harvest 廖洪標 Liao Hongbiao 1996

White Glaze

This piece depicts an episode of rural life in which a farmer amuses himself after a good harvest. His apparel, facial expressions and muscle texture reveal the qualities that farmers embrace -- hardworking, plain, kind and optimistic. Happy and pleased with himself, the farmer is playing a dragon-headed erhu and humming. With attentive and contented expressions in his eyes and with a stout barebacked torso, he sits cross-legged on the ground and the whole of his body sways naturally with the melody of the erhu produced by his fingers and bow. In a subtle but vivid way, the movements of the human body and the idea of the figure enjoying himself are fully expressed. This kind of mental state of being intoxicated with something that one enjoys reveals the real life of farmers and the carefree atmosphere of rural life.

The colour tones of the piece are in harmony: the bronze-colored skin, silvery white hair, eyebrows and beard, the beige shorts, and the purplish red dragon-headed erhu. Everything is so lively and rich in texture that one may say that the artist’s use of glazes has attained to perfection. The dull tone of the white glaze found on the shorts in particular realistically depicts the rough linen used to make clothes in rural areas, and such tone is aptly used to express the simplicity of the figure’s character.

Note:As early as in 1962, when he was 25,had worked on the motif of good harvest.The impoverished artist placed his feelings on his art, hoping that the farmers would have good harvests and that everybody lived happily in affluence.

白釉

塑造農村豐收後,農夫自娛的鄉村生活景像。通過對衣著、面部表情及肌理的刻劃,描繪農民的艱辛以及淳樸樂觀的性格。農夫怡然自得地拉著龍頭二胡,哼著村曲,專注融樂的眼神,碩壯結實的身軀,打著赤膊,雙腿盤坐在地上,全身體態隨著運指拉動琴弦的旋律而自然擺動,含蓄又鮮明地表達人體的動感及樂在其中的意境。此種陶醉的精神反應了寫實的農民生活景況,及寫意的鄉野生命氣息。

 

整件作品色調和諧統一,古銅色的肌膚,銀白色髮、眉、鬚及米白色的短褲,紫紅色的龍頭二胡,栩栩如生,甚富質感。作者釉彩的運用已達到出神入化的地步。尤其短褲上啞光白釉的色感,正是農村麻袋布衣的寫照,可與人物質樸性格相得益彰。

註:早在1962年,作者25歲時已創作了豐年樂題材,作者在此窮困之中,期望農村能有豐收景況,人民有豐裕生活及歡樂日子,因而寄情於創作中。

豐年樂 Celebration for a Good Harvest 廖洪標 Liao Hongbiao 1996
豐年樂 Celebration for a Good Harvest 廖洪標 Liao Hongbiao 1996
 藥王孫思邈 Sun Simiao, the King of Medicine 廖洪標 Liao Hongbiao 1994

Transparent Glaze

This is a statue of Sun Simiao, a Tang medical practitioner devoted himself to the studies of medicine and pharmacy and to his bounden duty of relieving the pain of his patients.

Looking quite fatigued, the old medical practitioner is walking with a slightly bent body. Certain herbs are found after a tough mountain-climbing journey, and he believes that his patients will be cured with what he has found. His serious but smiling expressions indicate his heart-felt joy. This is a piece that depicts the practitioner’s kindness and noble character. The composition is meticulously worked out: the old man is held by the arm by a child and walking attentively, carefully and haltingly; the two are looking to the same direction. The bright eyes reveal a practitioner’s desire to saving patients’ lives.

透明釉

作品塑造一位致力於醫學和藥物研究的唐代醫學家,以畢生精力為解救病人痛苦作唯一天職的高尚醫德的孫思邈形象。

作品人物以頗為勞累的微俯前行形態,表現老人登山尋藥的艱苦和當發現藥物時認真仰望凝視時的微笑表情,表達人物對藥到病除的心境所帶來的由衷喜悅,表現出醫學家的善良和人品的高貴。作品結構佈局嚴謹,老人在小孩的攙扶下,專注謹慎的移動蹣跚步履,二人視線同一而齊平,清亮的眼

 藥王孫思邈 Sun Simiao, the King of Medicine 廖洪標 Liao Hongbiao 1994
 藥王孫思邈 Sun Simiao, the King of Medicine 廖洪標 Liao Hongbiao 1994
醉翁歐陽修 Ouyang Xiu the Old Drunkard 廖洪標 Liao Hongbiao 1978
醉翁歐陽修 Ouyang Xiu the Old Drunkard 廖洪標 Liao Hongbiao 1978

Blue Jun Glaze

The piece depicts the artistic conception embraced by Ouyang Xiu: “The drunkard’s heart is not in the cup, but in the mountains and waters.” This great man of letters lies back on some stones, with his eyes half-closed. He has thrown himself into the arms of nature and is intoxicated by its beauty. The Flambé Blue Jun Glaze, which looks like the ever-changing glamorous clouds over mountains and forests and produces a beautiful sense of vagueness, is used on the figure’s clothes to produce a sense of oneness – nature and the drunkard’s heart are in harmony.

藍鈞釉

作品刻劃歐陽修那種「醉翁之意不在酒,在乎山水之間也」的意境。塑造這位大文學家沉浸在大自然之中,半臥山石間、雙眼朦朧,因山水之大美而陶醉的情趣。用藍鈞變釉塗抹人物的衣服;水光山色與醉翁之意渾然一體,此窯變釉色似山林中之雲彩變幻,富有朦朧之美的情趣。

張仲景著傷寒論 Zhang Zhongjing Writes the Shang Han Za Bing Lun 廖洪標 Liao Hongbiao 2006
張仲景著傷寒論 Zhang Zhongjing Writes the Shang Han Za Bing Lun 廖洪標 Liao Hongbiao 2006

Cracked Yellow Glaze

This piece depicts the image of a great master of medicine as a careful thinker, who compiles his own experiences and those of his predecessors into a book with extreme meticulousness. With a carefully arranged composition, the image conveys a sense of strength and realism, with which the viewer is touched by the inner emotions of the figure. The deployment of glazes matches the subject matter very well. This is a piece of a clever use of traditional techniques and of innovation.

開片黃釉

作品將這位漢代醫學宗師,把自己和前人經驗總結成書時的那種一絲不苟,三思而行的慎密思索的形象傳達出來。作品造型剛勁傳神,結構緊湊,人物內心塑造突出,釉彩配合得當,發揮傳統技藝的同時也有新的創造。

張仲景著傷寒論 Zhang Zhongjing Writes the Shang Han Za Bing Lun 廖洪標 Liao Hongbiao 2006
東坡賞現 Dongpo Admires an Ink Stone 廖洪標 Liao Hongbiao 2006

Transparent Glaze

The subject matter, “Su Dongpo admiring an ink stone”, is traditionally scholarly. The piece focuses on the psychology of the figure, whose carefree state of mind is expressed with his facial expressions and hand movements. Sitting leisurely on an old tree stump, he is admiring affectionately an ink stone in his right hand and is going to touch it with his left hand. The absorbed expressions of his eyes and his smile indicate his great love for this object. The Cracked White Glaze is ideal for depicting the scholarly temperament of the poet. The gentle and smooth lines of the drapery show the cubic effect in western sculpture and the charm of brush and ink in Chinese painting. This is a highly life-like piece with endless connotations.

透明釉

此作選擇「東坡賞硯」這一傳統文人主題,注重刻畫人物的心理描繪,通過臉部表情及手部動作揭示詩人閒雅的心境。蘇東坡正悠閒地坐在一盤老樹根上飽含深情,右手托著硯臺觀賞,左手正欲伸去把玩,眼神專注,微微而笑,可見其對此硯的摯愛。作品配合白色開片釉表現詩人的文人特徵,衣紋線條柔和流暢,既體現了西方雕塑的體積感又有傳統國畫的筆墨意蘊,神態生動,耐人尋味。‬

東坡賞現 Dongpo Admires an Ink Stone 廖洪標 Liao Hongbiao 2006
東坡賞現 Dongpo Admires an Ink Stone 廖洪標 Liao Hongbiao 2006
辯才藏珍 The Orator Tries to Hide His Treasure 廖洪標 Liao Hongbiao 1994-1995

開片天青釉

作品取材於蕭翼賺蘭亭的故事。《蘭亭序》為王羲之所作傳世書法手卷,被視為國之珍寶,唐太宗得知此作品藏於永欣寺辯才長老手中,特派監察御史蕭翼前來索取。辯才長老一生別無所求,唯獨珍愛師父智永和尚所傳予他之《蘭亭序》,當辯才得知皇帝欲派人來索取此寶物,正思考如何應付此強大對手,以保住智永師父所遺傳之珍寶。

本作品表現辯才和尚拿著蘭亭手卷,凝思的心境,人物外在形象肅穆,內在護寶心切、苦思對策的動感神情非常豐富,突出的心紋顯示焦慮的心情及對作品厚愛的程度;大片垂直的衣紋更加突顯擔憂失去寶物的凝重心情,令人肅然起敬。釉色屬天青釉,使作品富有高雅的文人氣息。

Cracked Sky Blue Glaze

The piece is based on the story of Xiao Yi getting The Orchid Pavilion Preface by tricks. The Orchid Pavilion Preface (See Note) was a calligraphy scroll by Wang Xizhi handed down from ancient times and has been regarded as one of the rarest national treasures over generations. Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty (Emperor Tang Taizong) was informed that Master Orator of the Yong Xin Temple was in possession of the work and dispatched censor Xiao Yi as an emissary to get it. Master Orator had no desire in his life except that he treasured very much the scroll of The Orchid Pavilion Preface passed to him by his master, Monk Zhi Yong (a famous master of calligraphy and a descendant of the seventh generation after Wang). Realizing that a special agent was dispatched by the kingdom’s head to get the scroll by deception, Master Orator had to think hard to find out how he could confront such a powerful rival and to retain the treasure passed down from his master, Monk Zhi Yong.

This piece depicts the pondering monk, Master Orator, with the scroll of The Orchid Pavilion in his hands. There are rich details to enhance the figure’s solemn appearance and his perplexed mind that is thinking hard for a solution: the protruding lines on the heart show his anxiety and his great love for the scroll; big vertical pieces of drapery enhance his worries over the loss of the invaluable scroll and arouse the viewer’s respect for this man of noble intentions. All these remind the viewer of the story of how Xiao Yi got the scroll by deception. The elegant Sky Blue Glaze intensifies the scholarly temperament of the piece.

辯才藏珍 The Orator Tries to Hide His Treasure 廖洪標 Liao Hongbiao 1994-1995
老子出關(紫氣東來) Laozi Leaving the City by Hangu Pass 廖洪標 Liao Hongbiao 1990
老子出關(紫氣東來) Laozi Leaving the City by Hangu Pass 廖洪標 Liao Hongbiao 1990

Cracked White Glaze

Liao Hongbaio depicts the episode of Laozi leaving the city by Hangu Pass as an allegory of Laozi’s aspiration for the life in a natural society – this is an important issue in Laozi’s thoughts – and of his pursuit of the state of “a person becoming noble when he has no more desire”. Frustrated with the downfall of the Zhou Dynasty, Laozi was determined to live as a hermit. He highly valued nature and called for living with the Way and its Virtue, regulating desires, being sincere, embracing calmness and cherishing one’s roots. Laozi believed that by doing the above one could be enlightened with the philosophy of life, and that nature was the ideal place where he could obtain enlightenment. Liao Hongbiao does not depict Laozi as a deity. He presents Laozi as an amiable elderly and a very wise man who appears slow-witted. Laozi’s broad forehead and thick white hair signify his great wisdom; two sharp eyes and a mild sense of indolence are put together to indicate that he loves to shrug off unnecessary formalities; slightly stooping, he hangs the bamboo slips of the Dao De Jing obliquely on his back; he waves his horsetail whisk carelessly with both hands, with a finger of his right hand pointing to forward the sky ; his eyes stare at the sky and it seems that he has entered the realm of primordial universe.

1985 Exhibition of Exquisite Ceramic Items of China Eastern Gallery New York

1985 中國陶塑精品展 紐約東方畫廊

開片白釉

廖洪標取老子出關情節寓意,表達其對老子思想中憩靜自然社會的嚮往,以及「人到無求品自高」的境界追求。老子因周朝衰敗而求自隱,他推崇自然,提倡道德,儉慾存誠,持靜歸根,從大自然中領悟到人生哲理。廖洪標所塑老子是一位大智若愚、大巧若拙、生性隨和的老人,而不是神。寬闊的前額、濃茂的白髮,象徵了他的智慧;銳利的眼珠卻帶著略顯慵懶的神色,表現出他對繁文縟節的不羈;他微帶佝僂,背上斜掛著《道德經》的竹簡;雙手不經意地擺弄著拂塵,右手指天,眼睛凝視天宇,如進入混沌無極境界。

畫龍點睛 (紅釉)  Bringing the Painted Dragon to Life by Dotting its Pupils 廖洪標 Liao Hongbiao 1990-1992
畫龍點睛 (紅釉)  Bringing the Painted Dragon to Life by Dotting its Pupils 廖洪標 Liao Hongbiao 1990-1992

Red Glaze

“Bringing the painted dragon to life by dotting its pupils” is a Chinese idiom, which means a stroke or a word is applied to the most important part of a painting or an essay to make the whole of it appealing and wonderful.The viewer is invited to focus his attention to the excited facial expressions of the painter and the raised folds of the drapery. With reference to the folds of drapery, Liao requires them to fit the emotions of his figures and does not think that they should also be reasonable. The rhythm of the drapery folds in movements shows strength and beauty, and rhythm of this kind is the artistic language and the style that Liao uses to express emotions. With clear, jumpy and graceful lines, he captures and depicts the very short instant of the dragon’s readiness to fly once its eyes are dotted and uses this readiness as a foil to reveal the excitement of the painter.

1982 Award of Product of Excellence in the National Competition of Artistic Design of Ceramics 1983 National Gold Medal in the Shiwan Ceramic Figures Competition

1982 全國陶瓷美術設計評比 優秀產品獎 1983 石灣陶塑人物評比 獲國家金質獎

紅釉

「畫龍點睛」這句成語是指繪畫、作文在最重要之處加上一筆,使整體靈活而有神。

作品欣賞重點在於畫家臉部興奮的神情與往上揚起的衣褶。廖氏對於衣服褶紋的要求合情但不一定要合理。衣紋的韻律具有力度感和運動美,這是作者表達感情的藝術語言和風格。他以開朗、跳躍及飄逸的流暢線條,塑造雲龍一點睛即飛騰的剎那動態形象來輝映畫家內心興奮的情感。

畫龍點睛  Bringing the Painted Dragon to Life by Dotting its Pupils 廖洪標 Liao Hongbiao 1990-1992
畫龍點睛  Bringing the Painted Dragon to Life by Dotting its Pupils 廖洪標 Liao Hongbiao 1990-1992

Liao had expended all his energies over a year to strive to produce the ideal glaze for“Bringing the Painted Dragon to Life by Dotting Its Pupils”
《畫龍點睛》試釉年餘,費盡心血

畫龍點睛  Bringing the Painted Dragon to Life by Dotting its Pupils 廖洪標 Liao Hongbiao 1990-1992

When the firing was finished and“Bringing the Painted Dragon to Life by Dotting Its Pupils”was taken out from the kiln, seeing that his Flambé Blue Jun Glaze was a success, Liao Hongbiao was in exultancy.
《畫龍點睛》出窯時,看到藍鈞釉變成功,廖洪標大喜神情

畫龍點睛  Bringing the Painted Dragon to Life by Dotting its Pupils 廖洪標 Liao Hongbiao 1990-1992

Heaps of the ceramic pieces had been used in the process of producing the ideal Flambé Blue Jun Glaze for“Bringing the Painted Dragon to Life by Dotting Its Pupils”

《畫龍點睛》藍鈞釉試釉年餘過程中所累積之陶片

畫龍點睛  Bringing the Painted Dragon to Life by Dotting its Pupils 廖洪標 Liao Hongbiao 1990-1992

Blue Jun Glaze

Liao Hongbiao wants to show that immediately after the painter Zhang Sengyao has dotted the dragon’s pupils, the figure and nature integrate into an “oneness” and become identical to each other. Such integration takes place just in an instant, where the lightning is accompanied with thunder, the livened dragon flies up to the sky, the blue sky and the green land become one, and the white clouds dance swiftly.

A glaze that matches a good piece of art perfectly will definitely reinforce the piece’s presentation of the figure’s personality and expressiveness.

1982 Award of Product of Excellence in the National Competition of Artistic Design of Ceramics 1983 National Gold Medal in the Shiwan Ceramic Figures Competition

1982 全國陶瓷美術設計評比 優秀產品獎 1983 石灣陶塑人物評比 獲國家金質獎

藍鈞釉

廖洪標希望表現畫家張僧繇點睛後,頃刻間雷電交作,神龍乘雲上天,天地藍綠交融,白雲飄舞的瞬間,使人物與自然渾然一體的意境。

一件好的作品如果能施以配合恰當的釉彩,必能增強人物性格的塑造及感染力,而這也是在欣賞廖洪標作品時獨到的樂趣。此件作品的主題、神韻、肌理和衣紋、釉彩的相互配合,氣勢貫串,令人感受畫家張僧繇與陶藝家廖洪標間興奮的情感共鳴。

漁翁得利(藍鈞釉) A Fisherman with a Good Catch 廖洪標 Liao Hongbiao 1993
漁翁得利(藍鈞釉) A Fisherman with a Good Catch 廖洪標 Liao Hongbiao 1993
漁翁得利(藍鈞釉) A Fisherman with a Good Catch 廖洪標 Liao Hongbiao 1993

Blue Jun Glaze

This is an unusually big work and it is very difficult to achieve successful firing. For example, as the fisherman’s head is heavy and his body is shaped in a big curve, one has to make an accurate estimation of the constriction of the clay. Otherwise the head may droop after firing. Usually those who know ceramics and porcelain well do not want to take any risk. With the eagerness to pursue perfection of three-dimensional structures, Liao Hongbiao does not flinch. He even insists on producing the bronzed colour on the figure’s skin by firing to show that the fisherman has been working under the sun over years and to show the usual burliness of a fisherman’s muscles. The surface of glaze on the sleeves are relatively larger, and the Flambé Blue Jun Glaze produced after firing is claimed perfect provided that its colours seem floating; if its colours look stagnant, its artistic value will be greatly lowered. It is such a case because the Flambé Glaze is an expression of the “art of fire”, where three-tenths of success attributes to creation and seven-tenths of it relies on the will of Heaven. This is why exquisite Flambé Glaze works are so rare. Traditionally, Flambé Glaze has been used mainly on wares or animals. Surprisingly, when the art of Flambé Glaze is applied on ceramic figures of emotions, the marvelous transformation of the colours makes the works more appealing. Works of this kind are combinations of arts of painting, sculpture and Flambé Glaze.

The work places the emphasis on the realistic depiction of the fisherman’s body and muscles and his movements involved in his fishing activity. His facial expressions reveal his satisfaction and the fun of fishing when he catches the carp. The folds of his clothes are treated with the freehand techniques of Badashanren. The gorgeous and unrestrained dark Flambé Blue Jun Glaze emits a sense of primitiveness that belongs to the regions of rivers and lakes, and enables the man and the fish to integrate into an “oneness”. This is a work of simplicity, antiquity, strength and ruralism.

The focal point of the whole work is placed on the figure’s face, in particular his eyes. The old fisherman’s facial muscles are depicted with great details; it seems that even his eyebrows, his beard and his moustache are moving. Besides the details on his face, the dynamic movements of his chest, his neck and his limbs also indicate that he is in a state of ecstasy where he is oblivious of himself. His joy has gone beyond the three-dimensional space, and the work has reached the highest level of the art of sculpture at which the form and the spirit have merged.

漁翁得利(開片白釉) A Fisherman with a Good Catch 廖洪標 Liao Hongbiao 1993

藍鈞釉

陶塑屬特大作品,燒成難度高,例如漁翁頭部重而身體彎曲弧度大,陶土收縮力度要推敲精準,否則燒成後頭部易下垂,懂做陶瓷的人不會輕易冒險嘗試,廖洪標執意追求立體結構的完美,不惜冒險嘗試。且膚色要燒出陽光常年照曬的色澤,才能顯出肌肉的結實感。衣服釉色面積較大,鮮明的藍鈞釉變燒成後,要有色彩流動的效果才屬上乘,若釉色停滯則其藝術價值自然降低許多。因釉變是「火的藝術」表現,所謂「三分創意,七分天意」更讓人領會釉變藝術的難能可貴。傳統的窯變大都被應用在器皿或動物上,但若將窯變藝術發揮在感性的陶塑人物裡,變化奇絕的色彩增強了感染力,作品集繪畫、雕塑和窯變等多種藝術於一體。

作品著重老翁身體肌理的合理刻劃和捉魚的動感結構。作品面部表現老漁翁釣到鯉魚時內心的滿足和樂趣。人物衣服褶紋用八大山人大寫意的手法處理,釉色斑斕奔放,在深色的藍鈞釉變中,顯現水鄉的原始粗野氣息,人與魚渾然一體,是件古樸蒼勁,鄉土氣息濃厚的作品。

整件作品的精神集中在臉部表情,老漁翁面部肌理刻劃細微,連眉、鬚、鬍子都在動,胸頸結構及手足的動感表現,尤其是眼神, 將漁翁欣喜奔放的形象表達至忘我意境,其內在喜悅情感已躍出了整個立體空間,達到雕塑藝術中形、神相結合的最高境界。

1987 National Exhibition of Arts and Crafts

Selected as a collection item of national treasures

全國工藝美展 獲選入國家珍品收藏

1989First Prize of Product of Excellence of Ceramic Figures in Groups in the Competition of Excellent Products by the Ministry of Light Industry

輕工部優質產品評比 獲集團陶塑人物 優質作品第一名

漁翁得利(開片白釉) A Fisherman with a Good Catch 廖洪標 Liao Hongbiao 1993
漁翁得利(開片白釉) A Fisherman with a Good Catch 廖洪標 Liao Hongbiao 1993
李逵 Li Kui 廖洪標 Liao Hongbiao 1990

The making of the image of Li Kui and other issues, Liao Hongbiao

What makes Li Kui outstanding among the one hundred and eighty warriors in Outlaws of the Marsh is his personality: upright and outspoken, fearless of nothing and no one. Fighting as a daring vanguard throughout his life, he is the hero “most determined to combat the feudal rulers”. In Outlaws of the Marsh, he is the character who most values righteousness, and he believes that anything that is unjust must be eradicated. In order to present the upright, irritable, brave and unruly Li Kui, I have tried to express the features that he displays in the episode of “Raiding the Execution Ground”, in which he brandishes his axes, kills the headsman and rescues Song Jiang and Dai Zong. The reason why I have chosen this episode as the background against which Li Kui is presented is that the plot and actions of this episode fully indicate Li Kui’s belief in righteousness and thoughts.

In the domain of artistic creation, it is important to make breakthroughs in generalization, and to associate the figure with typical situations. A man of impertinence, Li Kui has however shown his courage, fierceness and wits in the episode of “Raiding the Execution Ground”. Before taking any action, he hides himself on the first floor of a restaurant and waits impatiently, and Li Kui is exactly typical of impatience. In order to project his image, I have placed him in a situation where he is anxious to rescue his comrades but has to wait until the time comes. This is a situation of contradiction but it also fits the episode. It is indeed torturous for someone who is impatient and irritable, but it is also a necessary process: waiting – impatient – outbreak of temper. Via this process, the figure’s personality and emotions develop into a climax, which is essential for my creation of this particular figure.

李逵 Li Kui 廖洪標 Liao Hongbiao 1990

塑造李逵的形象-廖洪標

李逵是《水滸傳》一百零八將中的一個天不怕、地不怕的剛烈硬漢。他一生戰鬥中,衝鋒陷陣,無所畏懼,是「反封建統治者的鬥爭中,最堅決的」一個英雄人物。是《水滸》中最強烈重「義」的人。在他的心目中,於民有害的都必須剷除。我為了把一個剛強暴躁、勇猛不羈的人物刻劃好,我把握了李逵「劫法場」形象的特點。他掄起雙斧,手起斧落殺了劊子手,救了宋江、戴宗。這一「劫法場」的行動,從情節和內容,都充分反映了李逵的重義性格和思想實質。

在藝術創作上,我力求突破一般化,要從典型環境和人物的關係聯繫起來。李逵雖然魯莽,但「劫法場」的表現是勇、猛、智結合在一起的。他事先隱藏在茶坊樓上,表現他等待和焦急的情緒,就更好突出了典型環境的真實性了。塑造李逵形象,我把他處於救人心切的忍耐等候的矛盾形象狀態中,是合乎情節的。這對急性暴烈的人,是一種難受的煎熬。恰好,這—等待—急躁—性格發作是必然的過程,它可使人物性格,形象感情向高峰發展,正是我塑造這一特定人物所需的。

Master of Art and Crafts of China  Liao Hongbiao

Liao Hongbiao (1936- ) is a master of Shi-wan pottery. Under his father's guidance, Liao learns the basic techniques and knowledge of clay, glaze and fire, and he builds solid skills for further art development by imitating works by the predecessors. In addition to creating various forms, Liao is diligent in studying and testing various formulas of clay and glaze, and features of fire to best represent his artworks.

His early artworks have the features of Pan Yushu and Liu Chuan, but gradually Liao integrates more and more his ideas in his art. By applying cubic structure, which is often used in western sculpture to emphasize the volume, Liao adds a taste of bold into his simple, powerful artworks. The Founder of the Chan Sect, Attains Enlightenment, and Li Kui are artworks with particular pottery textures, giving a more vivid impression of the characters, and generating strong visual power to viewers. Liao also depicts a subject with different viewpoint from others, such as Budda Sakyamuni, instead of presenting the general image of grace and peace after attaining Buddha-hood, the artwork shows the endurance and hardship during

Besides offering the viewer the traditional sense of affinity found in Shiwan art, Liao Hongbiao’s works embrace the power of the universe and the talents of the artist. His art is an integration of art and crafts (form, meaning and spirit), three-dimensional space and the art of Flambé glaze (clay, glaze and fire), and he makes use of professional techniques (such as expression of the composition, expression of the structure and expression of the sculpture texture) to demonstrate the inner depth and broadness of a work. Liao is not only the most representative figure of the contemporary Shiwan ceramic art but also a hard-to-come-by sculpture master of traditional Chinese crafts and arts. The poetry of Wang Anshi is the most appropriate description of Liao’s life-long devotion to and pursuit of art: “What looks ordinary is indeed the most extraordinary; what seems easy is actually arduous.”

When Foshan TV came to Taiwan to visit the curator Zhang Yuteng in 2013, he said: Liao Hongbiao is the first master of Chinese arts and crafts to hold a solo exhibition at the National Museum of History. This exhibition is of great significance to the times.

bottom of page