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Traditional Chinese art form From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Root carving is a traditional Chinese art form. It consists of carving and polishing tree roots into various artistic creations.
The carving of roots has been practiced since very early times. Like many other artistic crafts, root carvings were originally produced in a primitive manner. The earliest root carvings are “辟邪” and “角形器”, showing up in the Warring States period.
In the Sui and Tang dynasties, root carving works prevailed among the general public and the governing class alike. In the Tang dynasty, people emphasized the natural forms of roots, cleverly taking advantage of the effect of corroded and moth-eaten material.
Root carvings were also common in grottoes and temples during the Song and Yuan dynasties. Roots were used to carve the statues of the Buddha, always comparing favorably with the clay.
Root carving preserves the natural beauty of roots, allowing artists—both ancient and modern—to create vivid, lifelike works by emphasizing the roots' natural forms.
Root carving is different from engraving, as it combines peculiarity with ingeniousness. Although its aesthetic principles share common ground with engraving, it applies these techniques in a unique way. Root carving and engraving share expressive techniques with wood carving, sculpture, stone carving, and so on, overcoming weaknesses by acquiring other's strong points. The difference lies in the focus on enhancing the natural shape of the roots. During the creative process, root carving mostly maintains the natural form of the root, adding some artificial polishing. In other words, root carving is guided by the inherent qualities of the root, rather than by strictly carving images.[1][2]
This section contains wording that promotes the subject in a subjective manner without imparting real information. (May 2015) |
Creative effects achieved from the same material can vary among artists due to several key factors:
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