Out of Clear Water Lotus Engraved by Nature

Writer: Feng Qiyong

Recently, I watched the ceramic creation of young ceramicist Gao Zhenyu. His works carry the prominent impression of youthful vigour.

The shapes of the various utensils of Gao Zhenyu’s works are very fluid and smooth, with modelling lines in a state of perfection. Every vessel is seen as round, unobstructed. The shape of the vessel is simple and without carvings or embellishments. The artist is clearly in pursuit of natural beauty. In his own words, ‘Carving for the sake of carving is good for nothing’.

The glaze colour of the celadon porcelain is clear and shiny, green and tender, full of youthful vitality. It feels appropriate to describe Gao Zhenyu’s shadow celadon glaze by echoing ‘Bie Fu’ written by the great poet Jiang Yan of the Six Dynasties era: ‘Spring grass is blue; spring water is green.’

Gao Zhenyu’s shadow celadon harmoniously unifies the three aspects of ceramics – modelling, decoration and glaze – creating a perfect work of art. The shadow celadon tripod plate bears the colour of green hills after the rain, underneath of which the fluidity of life flows.

The large disks with creamy glaze epitomize the simplicity of calm, resembling porcelain of the Song dynasty. The calm style is from so long ago that it might be unbearable for some. The black glazed pots are rich with charm. At first glance, the shape of their bulging bellies and narrow shoulders look like top-quality Liao porcelain. But upon closer inspection, they are seen as works of contemporary art.

In addition to porcelain, Gao Zhenyu has produced a number of works of pottery. These works of art are novel, chic and simple. The artist’s achievement is not by chance or luck. From a young age, he was surrounded by accomplished pottery masters, and later, he furthered his studies of ceramics in Japan. His father (Gao Haigeng), his mother (Zhou Guizhen) and his father-in-law (Xu Xiutang) are all contemporary ceramic masters. His wife (Xu Xu), who studied with young Gao in Japan, is also a pottery artist. The biggest influence on his skills and techniques, as well as his artistic philosophies, was the grandmaster of zisha pottery, Gu Jingzhou, whom he apprenticed with for many years. His upbringing and rigorous studying culminated into a distinct career as a ceramic artist.

The main ambition of Gao Zhenyu’s life is to popularise the use and appreciation of ceramics in daily life. His belief is that real works of art are simple and should not be over interpreted; they also do not require excessive carving.

I appreciate and agree with Gao Zhenyu’s opinions. Art is for everybody; art is a gift from nature. An ancient philosopher once said: ‘Out of clear water lotus engraved by nature.’ Masters do not carve. To achieve this, one must possess a high level of cultural literacy and artistic appreciation as well as firm artistic values. It is a path of continuous refinement of skills.

As a matter of fact, in art, what is perceived as simple is extremely challenging to achieve. Art without carving is the artist’s ultimate goal. Gao Zhenyu’s ceramic art pursues the beauty of nature and its temperament – the beauty of blending with nature, not just the beauty of a carved shape.

Returning art to life and combining life with art is both a simple and complex undertaking. From the perspective of the growth and development of art, art itself comes from life. Gao Zhenyu strives for a broader appreciation of ceramic art in our daily lives.

As a true master, Gao Zhenyu is there with his creations from their inception to the firing process. He draws, kneads, forms and shapes; in all, working through over twenty steps before the finished product is welcomed to the world. His thoughts and hands are what make the creation a work of art. Not many artists have the required proficiency to have such hands-on involvement throughout the process of creation.

Gao Zhenyu’s ceramics are pure; the style is one of nature itself. The versatility and diversity of his creations are uniformly satisfying. His contributions to the Chinese ceramic art world will resonate for generations to come.