Li Qing Dedicated to Art of Fire

Ceramics is an art of fire. The tension and flexibility of earth are extended in the artist＇s hands to show the unique textural beauty and subtle feelings of the artist and original materials from the nature are mixed and tempered by fire. This complicated process demonstrates the artist＇s particular ideas, feelings and dispositions. In the eyes of Li Qing, a young artist from Chengdu, Sichuan Province, that is the very nature of ceramics that fascinates him so much.     

Art Information

China： World＇s Second Biggest Art Market While the United States and the United Kingdom share history as a pair of number ones and number twos, they are no longer the first and second largest art markets. China has surpassed the UK for the first time, according to the nation＇s own British Art Market Federation.In a study by the BAMF, China and Britain remain neck and neck. In 2010 China recorded auction and gallery sales of nearly $8.5 billion, giving it a 23% world market share. This is a one percentage point advantage over Britain＇s 22% of sales worldwide. This figures were reported through Bloomberg news agency, who noted the latter still remains the largest European market for art even with a 7% dip in recent years.     

The Empire of Women： Not a Fairytale

In China there are small matriarchal societies which survived for thousands of years and whose culture is unknown by the majority of our modern world.One of them is the ancient cuiture of the Mosuo, an ethnic minority group living in the provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan, areas referred to in old Chinese historical records as ＂the empire of women＂. After reading about this culture, Mathilde Heijne, a Berlin-based artist, started thinking about an art proiect that would locus on their social structures and began planning a trip to Lake Lugu - the home of the Mosuo.     

AGLIMPSE OF CHINESE MURALPAINTING

Mural painting enjoys a long history in China and numerous mural masterpieces .have been left over from ancient times.For example, Mogao Grotto Temples in Dunhuang house 492 caves with some 45000 square meters of mural painting. First built in 366 AD, Mogao Grotto Temples are the best-preserved grotto groups with the largest number of mural paintings in the world. In addition, there are more than 25,000 square meters of mural painting preserved in temples and tomb chambers in Shanxi Province. And mural paintings in Yongle Palace in Ruicheng, Shanxi and Fahai Temple in Beijing are considered classical masterpieces of Chinese mural art. The art of porcelain, lacquer, silk, cast copper, painted stone and brick in ancient China all have contributed to the diversity and excellence of mural painting skills. Since the 1970s, this art form has gained growing vitality, with a diversity of genres developed.[第一段]     

Chinese Lacquer Art （III）

The Chinese lacquer techniques in the Three Kingdoms Period： rhinoceros skin lacquer and inlayed golden line
The lacquerwares made during the Three Kingdoms Period are rarely unearthed. In 1984, 60 pieces of lacquerware were unearthed in a tomb of the Three Kingdoms Period in Ma＇anshan of Anhui Province. The lacquerwares which contain plates, cups, pots, spoons, rulers and so on show the highest art of lacquer-making of that time, and prove that the lacquer techniques in the Three Kingdoms Period gained its own progress on the basis of the achievement in the Han Dynasty. In the Three Kingdoms Period, the noble people were enthusiastic in the lacquerware, which is proved by the ＂lacquer plate about the life of the noble＂.     

The Art of Bookplate in China

A bookplate is usually a small print or decorative label pasted to a book to indicate its owner. As a form of higher art, bookplates are praised as ＂gems on paper＂ or ＂pearls in print＂. First appearing in the 1 5th century, bookplates are collected as timehonored artworks. In Europe, collecting and appreciating bookplates is recognized as one of qualifications for intellectuals. In China, bookplates have gained increasing popularity among collectors thanks to the upgraded aesthetic level of Chinese people.     

A Rich Mosaic of Art： Taiwan＇s Water and Ink Paintings Displayed in Mainland

An exhibition on Taiwan＇s water and ink painting masterpieces were displayed in National Art Museum of China last November. The exhibition featured nearly 120 artworks by twelve artists from Taiwan showcasing update painting accomplishments of Taiwan today The exhibition was also hailed as a big art event In Mainland Talwan culfural interaction, following the exhibition of the same subjects by young Mainland artists held In Taiwan in 2004.     

Pan Yuliang''''s Damaged Oil Paintings Restored Successfully

Thanks to the film "A Soul Haunted by Painting" starred by world star Gong Li, the legendary Chinese painter Pan Yuliang again became a focus. Never an artist has such a dramatic life experience: from a prostitute to a professor at China's top art academy; from a brothel in Anhui, China's hinterland province to Paris, the art capital of the world. Many people have heard of Pan's legendary life stories but few have understood her artistic accomplishments. In fact, Pan is China's most repr…     

Top Art Collectors Dominate World＇s Art Market

ARTnews magazine, a prestigious USA-based art periodical with a history of 105 years,announced in 2007 the ARTnews 200, its annual list of the 200 most active players in the art market. However, only a few of Asian names were included in this annual list and there was no single Mainland Chinese name on the ARTnews 200 that year. What did that list on the world＇s leading art collectors mean to the overheated art market in China and 70 million Chinese who are involved with art collection？     

SHADOW PLAY CHERISHED AS INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE

In celebration of ＂China Cultural Heritage Day＂, a comprehensive exhibition showcasing Chinese .shadow play masterpieces was held in June in the National Art Museum of China. Some 17,000 rare leather silhouettes used for shadow plays and collected by NAMOC was displayed for the first time in the history of NAMOC and shadow plays by folk troupes were presented in the museum for three days in order to give the audience an authentic taste of this timehonored art form.[第一段]     

Folk Songs in China

THE folk song in China is an art form created by working people through the ages to express therr feeling and emotions. In China,as elsewhere,such songsare a repository of the folk wisdomof the nation.Origins of China’s FolkSongsIn primitive society our ances-tors created in their struggle againstnature.In the Xia Dynasty(21st-16th centuries B.C.),Slaves used     

From Lausanne to Beijing--A Glimpse of the 5th International fiber Art Biennial Exhibition

Fiber artworks record existence experiences and cultural evolution of human kind. They carry inherent life logics and bear cultural continuity and richness of life evolution.Their connotations are highly individualized and closely related to human ideals, reflecting value commonality and humanitarian concern. Recently, “From Lausanne to Beijing： the 5th International Fiber Art Biennial Exhibition” was held in the art school of Tsinghua University, a one-month event co-hosted by the art school and the fiber art committee under China Art and Design Society.     

Perspectives on Sustainable Conservation of Cultural Heritage

UNESCO has recently warned the French Government that the Lascaux Cave would be listed as a World Heritage in Danger if no effective measures were taken in half a year to prevent its cave paintings from fungi attack. Cave paintings in the Lascaux Cave were of the greatest importance for the history of prehistoric art. Ironically, however, the threats that these cave paintings are faced now were caused by protection measures, In order to reduce temperature and humidity, an air conditioning system was installed in the cave. But soon after the system was installed, white fungus appeared on cave tops and wails. Last year, fungi attacked the cave again. Gray black fungi in various sizes formed on cave walls, which brought serious damage to scenes of those cave paintings.     

Liling Porcelain Made in official Kiln

Not long ago a hundred fantastic works of art from Hunan Province were auctioned off in Hong Kong.Among them a set of Five-color Glazed Porcelain bowls used exclusively by Chairman Mao was sold for 8million yuan,top bid ofthe auction.In Capital International Auction held in October 1993,a set of small porcelain bowls used by Chairman Mao was auctioned off at 88,000 yuan.In the autumn of 1974,Chairman Mao returned to Hunan for the last time.Considering Chairman Mao would celebrate his birthday in Changsha,the then provincial party committee of Hunan decided to send a set of exquisitely-made Liling porcelain bowls,made in special kiln,to him as blessings of people from     

Collecting Arts,Gollecting Joys

Pu Guoyi, a well-known art collector in Chengdu, showed me around his deluxe residence where a considerable number of artworks are housed. His collections range from landmark creations by prestigious artists such as ＂Crossing the River＂ by Luo Zhongli, ＂The Green Dog＂ by Zhou Chunya, ＂The Five-pointed Star＂ by Len Jun, ＂The Superman＂ by Wei Jia, ＂Chairman Mao on the Beach of Beidaihe＂ by Hou Bo, ＂Rescuing the Nation＂ by Luo Xiaoyun, ＂The Panorama of the World＂ by Li Zhanyang and ＂Dramatic Figures＂ by Jiao Xingtao, to outstanding oil, print, photo and sculpture works by emerging art students. Hanged on walls or displayed on the floor, these collections have witnessed Pu＇s fascinating career as an art collector.     

Wu Guangzhong：A Legend of the Art Market

A Leading Artist in the Art Market Wu Guanzhong is a big name in the history of Chinese contemporary art.In 1978, he held his first solo exhibition in the then Central Institute of Art and Design at age 59. Since then, he has amazed the art market with one miracle after another.     

RESCUE MEMORIES OF HUTONG ALLEYS

In the beginning of 2009, a photo exhibition entitled ＂Memories of Hutong＂ was held in the office building of the Ministry of Culture. The photos on display are shot by Lu Baohua,a 77-year-old retired ernployee of the ministry.     

798:Beijing’s Soho Art Village

In Dashanzi outside the northeast4th loop road in Beijing, there is a factorynumbered 798. Old residents in Beijingperhaps know that it was a secret factoryin the past. But now it has become aworld famous Soho art village.On a weekend in the hot summer, Ivisited the studio of Prof. Wang Tieniufrom the art school of TsinghuaUniversity, which is located in 798Factory. He was revising a huge oilpainting which featured an anti-Japanesebattle scene. “This oil work is created inhonor of the 6…     

A Rich Mosaic of Art: Taiwan''''s Water and Ink Paintings Displayed in Mainland

An exhibition on Taiwan's water and ink painting masterpieces were displayed in National Art Museum of China last November. The exhibition featured nearly 120 artworks by twelve artists from Taiwan, showcasing update painting accomplishments of Taiwan today. The exhibition was also hailed as a big art event in Mainland-Taiwan cultural interaction, following the exhibition of the same subjects by young Mainland artists held in Taiwan in 2004. Traditional Chinese arts are common wealth that…     

CHINESE ARMORIAL PORCELAIN

China-Europe trade was first launched by Portuguese fleets which began to navigate in Chinese seas in the 16th century. Numerous Chinese commodities were shipped to Europe, among which Chinese porcelain was particularly favored by European noblemen and merchants as a sign of fortune. In the 17th and 18th century, the fever on Chinese art, triggered out by the French court, brought China-Europe trade growth to an unprecedented height.