I have two cork carvings. I find them fascinating.
Timeline for Cork Carving Industry
Fuzhou cork carvings are considered one of Fuzhou’s three treasures along with bodiless lacquer ware and Shoushan stone carvings.The craftsman’s combination of talented carving skills and traditional painting techniques make it a unique art form applauded by the art world.
The Embryo
Cork carvings were born and took shape in the beginning of Republic of China period. The art of cork carving was started in a process very similar to that in which Issaic Newton stumbled on the Law of Gravity by obseving a falling apple. Mr. Wu Qiqi, known as the “father of cork carving art”, created some lovely postcards by carving away the cypress wood from the old fashioned life buoy. These creations came about in the year of 1910 while Mr. Wu was a student in a local art school.
Cork carvings were born and took shape in the beginning of Republic of China period. The art of cork carving was started in a process very similar to that in which Issaic Newton stumbled on the Law of Gravity by obseving a falling apple. Mr. Wu Qiqi, known as the “father of cork carving art”, created some lovely postcards by carving away the cypress wood from the old fashioned life buoy. These creations came about in the year of 1910 while Mr. Wu was a student in a local art school.
In 1915(or 1913, the exact date is unknown), landscape pictures were first brought to China from Germany. The new art form was introduced to the art school that Wu studied at. He created the first of what’s called ‘cork carving’ by combining western techniques in landscape pictures with classical Chinese aesthesia. He, together with a few other young craftsmen, opened a cork workshop near what’s now the Daming Road bbq scene, and started to claim an increasing market popularity based on the beautiful cork carving artwork produced from his workshop.
The Teething
Wu’s students continue to create masterpieces influenced by his teachings and commitment to the art of cork carving. The 1930’s was a period when cork carving skills took a leap from postcards to a variety of different techniques such as base-relief carving, three-dimensional sculpting and open work carving. So cork carvings jumped off the wall to set feet on the desk of scholar’s study, or living room in delicate glass casings. Cork carvings maintained a moderate popularity and market reception during the decades that followed. And a cohort of carving artists developed nearly consummate charm in their works, which set the parameters for the launch of the industry later. More here
Wu’s students continue to create masterpieces influenced by his teachings and commitment to the art of cork carving. The 1930’s was a period when cork carving skills took a leap from postcards to a variety of different techniques such as base-relief carving, three-dimensional sculpting and open work carving. So cork carvings jumped off the wall to set feet on the desk of scholar’s study, or living room in delicate glass casings. Cork carvings maintained a moderate popularity and market reception during the decades that followed. And a cohort of carving artists developed nearly consummate charm in their works, which set the parameters for the launch of the industry later. More here
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