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Chinese bronze and Chinese culture is a big topic. In here, I actually just want to discuss two aspects. One is the basic characteristics of Chinese bronze and the other is the evolution of the style of Chinese bronze and the nation’s cultural spirit. These two issues are what I am very interested in. Of course, due to the limitation of the time, many of the specific content is unlikely to talk about extensively but only general knowledge about the bronze.

Characteristic is existed in comparison. Take the Western ancient bronze sculpture for reference; we discuss the uniqueness of Chinese bronze. This comparison is not to assess the strengths and weaknesses. Any culture of a nation has its unique value and significance. We can not judge the bronze art on the basis of any bronze sculpture of a particular nation. Such a comparison is illustrative in order to help people to see its unique look and shape. The basic characteristics of the Chinese bronze can be summed up and grouped into six areas.

One is the breadth of the themes. Chinese bronze sculpture has a wide range of subject matter. It can be seen from the narrative of the book. People, animals (including imaginative and fictional animals), the natural landscape, historical stories, myths and legends, scenes of life, music and dance, theater performances, etc. can be used for the content of the bronze. Among the Western bronze and sculptures, human is always the center and the object of the performance of the bronze. The image of the people accounts for the vast majority of the numbers. In theory, the artists also consciously put the image of the people on the most prominent position.

However, Chinese bronze is different that the image of the animal relatively accounted for a large proportion, particularly in the Qin Dynasty and the Qin and Han dynasties (ie, before the rise of Buddhist sculpture). The image of the animal is more vivid and successful than the human. So in the subject matter of Chinese bronze, the center position of the people is not as prominent as Western Bronze. Although from the absolute terms of the overall number, the bronze figure is still the largest, but relatively not so particularly striking.

Chinese people draw the natural landscape into the bronze, which is unusual in the history of the world bronze, such as the landscape bronze or funerary objects of the Tang Dynasty, Tour Hills Figurines and others. It can be said that as long as the content can be expressed by the plastic arts, they can almost be found in bronze.

It is not accidental that Chinese Bronze is free, bold, and not rigidly adhering to certain performance characteristics of the object in the selection of the theme. Take the expression of the human image for an example. In the early sculptures in the West, the ancient Egyptians produced statues is for the purpose of copying the image of man and preserving life to pursue the eternal life.

The ancient Greeks through the image of God and human find their ideal world in the most harmonious and the most perfect body. Regarding to the immortal of life, Chinese do not focus on the preservation of physical life, but on the realization of social obligations and responsibilities. Chinese people pay attention to virtue, meritorious and words, the so-called “Three Immortality”. What the run after is the realization of the spirit and the character of the people in the real society, rather than the personal eternality isolated from the social ethics. Before the introduction of Buddhism, the view of religion of the Chinese people was relatively indifferent.

 The sculpture of the idols and the worship is not developed. In terms of Taoism, in the first place, they do not make sculptures. Until the introduction of Buddhism, Taoism was affected and began to build statues. The images of God in early China is rather less and the idolatry atmosphere is not popular, which is the crucial reason of the relatively few numbers of portrait bronze. Among other nations, a prominent position of the image of the person is often gradually developed on the basis of the early God of human form. As for the combination of the natural landscape and the bronze, the Chinese nation has had the awareness of the natural beauty long time ago. Beside, bronzes and paintings have a close relationship.

In terms of social purpose and the function, Chinese bronze is always connected with utilitarian purpose of the society (bronze artworks and architectural decoration bronze) and the needs in the real life as well as religion, patriarchal clan system, ethics, funerals and other purposes. The social utilitarian of a strong sense makes greater development to the commemoratory bronze. The function of the bronze as an aesthetic art has been basically concealed or forgotten. The general bronze often equals to Buddha statue or dolls in the eyes of the public. This will affect and weaken the original social status and role of the bronze, which cannot but a serious obstacle to the development of bronze.

 In fact, the development of Chinese bronze to modern times in the circle arts, its long tradition has been broken. Generally the teaching and creation of the bronze is conduced following the ideas and language of the Western bronze forms. The generation of this kind of result has certain relationship with the point that the over narrow function of the traditional Chinese bronze can not meet the needs of the times.

More monumental bronze stands in the square and in public places of Western countries due to different understanding and requirements for the social function of the bronze. In comparison, Chinese sculptures are more likely to be placed in the caves, temples or the surface or underground of the tomb. Different location of the bronze determines the value of the appreciation and function, which in turn directly affects the habits and ideas of a nation’s study on bronze.

The reduction of the perspective in the two-dimensional space sets off the portrayal of the main image or virtual reflections so that the language shaped by the relief compared with other sculptures, especially bronze owns stronger narrative feature. In the meanwhile, they do not lose the performance of the general bronze. Under the basic creation principle, the relief can fully express the aesthetic thoughts and feelings. Different forms of relief put distinguishing stress on or have adaptability in the expression of arts. Generally speaking, the high relief is easy to be build due to the depth and strong plasticity. Their emotional expression tends to be solemn, calm, serious and grand momentum. Relief by virtue of painting lines of floating clouds and flowing water and the plane composition with various viewpoints pass on calm mood like the light music and the romantic and lyrical tenderness.

The improvement of the art of bronze sculpture increasingly strengthens its relative independence. By contrast, although the relief is more subject to a relation of dependency, ie, the dependence on the flat or wall, its unique performing specialty and abundant modeling tools can not be replaced by other forms of art. And its aesthetic characteristics under the promotion of the revolution of modern art strengthened its relative independence with each passing day. With the dependence and adaptability to the fixed wall, the modern relief is no longer like the classical relief seems so strong, rigid and unshakable. For the modern relief, the wall as the carrier or the environment is free and optional. It therefore has the freedom to develop a vast space.

The cave relief in ancient China can be attributed to the shrine bronze. Depending on the modeling approaches, it is further divided into realistic relief, decorative relief and abstract relief. The degree of relief is close to the bronze sculpture with quite a strong sense of three-dimensional feel. Viewing this kind of relief in a certain distance, you can still feel the presence of the image. Small compression and big ups and downs is a form of circular engravure with strong chiaroscuro and outstanding visual effects. High relief tends to make use of the ups and downs of the three-dimensional space or exaggerated treatment, forming a concentrated sense of spatial depth and a strong visual impact.

Relief art with regard to the building of the shape has a special type of expressiveness and charm. The famous relief on the Arc de Triomphe standing in Charles de Gaulle Square, Paris of France is a masterpiece of high relief. The artist successfully integrate the methods of the treatment of the relief and bronze, fully demonstrating the overlapping and twisting complex hierarchy and giving a strong sense of visual impact that seems to blow against one’s face.

Bas-relief in the degree of relief is closer to painting with a graphic feeling. Their expressions rely mainly on the outer contour with large compression and small fluctuation. It both maintains the plane of an architectural style and has a sense of volume and the ups and downs. Moreover, the bas-relief makes use of the intaglio method and certain light to obtain three-dimensional sense. Sometimes it is the combination of two forms, such as a combination of high relief sculpture, bas-relief, bronze or the three. The three-dimensional feeling is rather obvious.

 It is not primarily relying on the physical space to create a spatial effect, but make more use of the approaches of depicting in the painting as well as the way of perspective or illusion to generate a more abstract space compression, which is conducive to strengthening the attachment of the carrier. The ancient Assyrians of Mesopotamia is probably the artist who is most good at this means of artistic expression. In a series of maps of Assyrian hunting, they made good use of bas-relief approach full of rhythm manifesting vibrant artistic image. Furthermore, the complex dynamic moves represent the inner feelings of people and animals in a better way.

This is a large team from modernism to postmodernism, bringing together many genres, or the main line. They are prone to explore in various forms of extreme diversification, and triumph on the road of anti-tradition. Gauguin, Matisse, Arp and a group of bronze experts in the early 20th century introduced the innovative experiment in the field of painting to the modern relief and stepped the first step for the breakthrough of traditional concept in volume space.

While review the evolution of the art of the world’s relief art, we can say that relief develops constantly in inheritance, reference and revolution. Artists in each region of civilization, of various ethnic groups and in various historical periods have made contributions worthy of remembering to the art construction and exploration. No doubt, all the historical achievement and practical experience from the entire human has laid a solid foundation for the future of the relief art.

Relief is another form of sculpture that can carve the image of ups and downs on a flat surface. It is a form of artistic expression between the carvings and paintings. Space structure of the relief can be three-dimensional but can also in some kind of surface morphology. It can be both attached to a carrier and be relatively independent. Generally, to fit for needs of view from a particular point of view or decorative demands, relief relative to the prominent features of the bronze has two-dimensional or planar features through the compression processing. The difference between the relief and bronze rests with the relatively flat and three-dimensional aspect.

The shape of the space is compression space between the so-called two-dimensional virtual space of the painting and the three-dimensional physical space possessed by the bronze. Compression space limits the free development of the relief space. In the backing of the flat, the physical sense of bronze sculpture is weakened. Adopt and take advantage of the painting and the virtual reality and illusion in painting and perspective science, the relief will achieve the performance objectives. Compared with the bronze sculpture, relief more in accordance with the principle of the painting deals with the relationship between space and form.

However, in the center of the pursuit of the reflection of the aesthetic image, relief and bronze sculpture is exactly the same. What the different forms show is just some kind of physical features. As one of the types of bronze art, the first the relief shows is the general characteristics, that is, its aesthetic effect not only resorts to vision and involves the touch. At the same time, it can very well play the role of the advantages of the art of painting in the composition, subject matter and space processing, showing the content and objects the bronze can not present, such as the events and the backgrounds and the environment of the characters, a continuous narrative plot and transition, the freedom to switch different spatial and temporal perspective, complex and diverse things. The carving and shaping in the plane allows the relief to absorb the technical advantages of the bronze and paintings, to maintain the diversity and diversification in the modus operandi.

On the basis of affirming the realistic bronze of Greek and Roman, they focus on the perspective, anatomy and other scientific arts, resulting in the growing development and prosperity. By the use of linear perspective method of the painting, he made a compelling experiment for the background. In the plane of the two-dimensional space, they use the space illusion of depth to replace the flat decorative effect in the medieval painting or relief. This processing measure of background has become a major feature of Western art in the Renaissance.

After the baptism of the Renaissance, artists in the face great achievements that our predecessors have achieved had to try to carry forward the innovation to surpass the ancestors, in the mid-18th century, the expansion of the industrial revolution in Europe and capital development pushed forward the further prosperity of the Western urban civilization and push ahead the sustainable development of the bronze relief in the architecture, gardens, squares, streets and other aspects. The common feature they have embodied is not only they are good at handling the dynamic rhythm and the ups and downs of the bronze. They can also adapt to the entire relief suitable for the wall. It all broke through the rigid format of classical and stable relief so that in a limited space, the relief is provided with infinite vigor and vitality.

Since the late 19th century, the entire Western world by the influence of civilization has undergone a profound change. Different cultural thoughts surge like a rising wind and scudding clouds. Traditional aesthetic values ​​and perceptions are also challenged. Under the situation of reformation, the relief of a variety of topics has divorced from the main body tend of the decoration in succession and tend to develop independently. The style and form is becoming more diverse day by day. Rodin, the French bronze expert, with its excellent innovation and practice starts the engine of the reformation of the bronze. This thought brought him the landmark of the changes from the classical Western art from to modern art.

Relief throughout the 20th century has made unprecedented development. As the bronze increasingly tends to the independent development and the revolutionary changes, relief also in an independent gesture shows their unique artistic charm and conveys the spiritual connotation of more independent significance. Sam as the painting and bronze, relief art of this period is subject to a number of genres. Symbolism, cubism, futurism, constructivism, surrealism, Dadaism and Pop Art, etc., have had representations in the field of relief.  On the whole, relief art of the last one hundred years presents two major trends. One is to continue to advance along the route of Rodin, generally belonging to the realistic areas.

A number of outstanding bronze experts who have a wide influence actively take part in this course, such as Bu Deer, Mayor, Kohler Hui Maini, and George in the later period. In different historical periods and social atmosphere, they always adhere to the traditional volume and concrete form of bronze. At the same time, according to their own feelings and new ideas they are exposed to, they conduct the exploration of the distinctive modern style. One is to open or find a new path or runs counter.

The material life of human beings often performs in the spiritual side. In ancient times, the original human use the color and lines to express the natural objects they get contact with in the hunter-gatherers livings. They portrayed them in the plane of the painting to express their concern about these things. When people invented line and were prone to preserve and fix these images with the rock and other hard materials. The initial relief was generated. With the accumulation of experience, people discovered the shadow representation. The concern gradually turns from the paining in the plane to the volume of the objects. It is just the concern and the application of a variety of materials achieves the modeling practice of the shape, and further promotes the initial development of relief.

After China entered into the slavery society, the bronze art earned great achievement upon the ritual vessels in the form of decorative art. The point worthy of note is the relief on the bronze of Shang and Zhou Dynasties as decorative patterns. The prosperity of Chinese relief art is mainly represented on the stone sculpture of Han Dynasty, portrait bricks and the Buddha and tombs after Wei and Jin state. The art of stone sculptures of Western Han Dynasty like the one in front of Huo Qubing, an ancient general, also embody the important features of linear. Here, compared to three-dimensional sculptures, the lines are characterized by strong sense of flow.

Through the application of lines of engraving, relief and circular engravure is combined together, which brings people a strong sense of tremendous power, movement and expansion. The stone art in the tomb of Eastern Han Dynasty prominently mirrors the basic outlook of Chinese relief art in this period. Although in terms of content it did not change significantly, but the carving techniques or methods were much more varied. The incised carving or ticking the horizon, or candle on the relief attaches great importance to the processing of linear concave-convex treatment, reflecting the unique Chinese aesthetic and intelligent wit.

In Europe, the powerful Roman Empire echoes each other at a distance with the Chinese Qin and Han dynasties. Rome by virtue of its political and military genius created a vast empire. As inheritance and disseminators of Greek civilization, they stress for practical function and absorb whichever is good from the Greek civilization, then put them to use as they wish. The bronze art of the Romans continued the classical law of the East and Greece. To celebrate the victory and triumph, they built the Arc de Triomphe and the monument. Even more, they spread them all over the relief as decoration.

During the Renaissance period, under the guidance of the humanist thought, that is, the spirit of the times, a different medieval performance art, a new art came into fashion. The artists began to reflect their personal life and social life in the artworks and strived to band the art and life together. Bronze expert understands the world with wisdom.

Think about that people living in the hustle and bustle life can have time to quietly sit down to study art and to learn to appreciate the beauty of the bronze. What a wonderful thing it is! As human earn food through labor, there is a sense of accomplishment. The beauty of the bronze lies in the shape and substance. It is the charm of wisdom that the bronze expert aimed at the study of space and shape. The beauty of the bronze appears in different poses and with different expressions, beautiful and gorgeous. The artistic value contained in the works of ancient masters is universally acknowledged. The form and spirit of charismatic beauty in their works still affect the attitude of people towards art and life.

 The steel and temper of the new language of the bronze does not only present in the form, but also is influenced by the by the thoughts of the art. Whether it is what kind of application of the materials, the generation of new ideas determines the birth of new forms and new language. All skills should come from desire motives of this expression. The attitude towards the bronze should be respect for the academic circle, seeking common ground while reserving differences. Fire and water can also be compatible. In face with the people who repel the differences, we should not totally deny it. We must understand that be kind to others is to treat yourself well. Even if it is purely academic dispute, the flourishing is the spring.

The pleasure, anger, sorrows and joy is always about emotions.  From the basic skills with art knife to the passionate expression with using artistic forms, the bronze can make an address on the unique feeling of experiencing the life. I have already like this way to deliver the approaches of survival, one depending on the ort and a kind of spiritual  expression in the form of art.

It has been more than two years for me to study on bronze. During this period, it has changed my life. Bronze ware has never been a simple definition of art. From the beginning of the ignorance to the love now, I feel bronze can calm people and make them love it from the deep heart with a kind of bitterness and a sort of mystery. I especially feel this way to bronze sculpture. Let us understand and know the bronze so that we can obtain the unique sense of beauty and lessons from the great art.

Since the existence of the people, art has always been an indispensable part of the whole human life. As the primitive ancestors can not give correct interpretation to some phenomenon, the original religion emerged. They use various ways to express their worship to nature and the gods. With the development of the original religion, the original bronze art serves as the embodiment of the ritual and worship and belief or forms of expressions and then develops. The original cave paintings and sculpture initially reveal the original characteristics of the bronze as an art form.

I think this time will not be long. Today, bronze works have stepped into the office and home of wealth class. Perhaps in the next three to five years, bronze works will be poured into the ordinary families. Let us work together to witness the great era of the prosperity of the Chinese bronze sculptures.

To reflect an intangible idea and tangible expression in the form of bronze has delivered to us the spirit we need to inherit and carry forward forever whether in realistic or concise model. We need to provide a platform for contemporary youth artist of bronze so that they can use the nicking took in the hands to carve our heroes. There are a lot of famous celebrities in China who are our proud. To build a bronze statue for them is to make their spirit to be passed on to the future generations.

There is a commonly used term among the modern art studies called the right to speak. In studying the history and the development of bronze, we are often unable to take full advantage of the right to speak for ourselves and say something. Many peculiar shines in historical facts and the specific glory skim over as clouds. It is no wonder the writings by the art historians invariably to regard one’s ink as if it were gold or simply avoid discussion. For the historical images and fragments of memories, we should maintain the clear contour of the bronze in the aftertaste and combing out, otherwise, what it left behind will only be lament.

Every time you leaf through old photos, you will have a feeling that seems to have a conversation with the history and character recorded in the pictures and feels particularly close. Perhaps the likeness of the deceased and history left between black and white can better touch my senses. In the creation of the old statues, the form of stereo old photograph with a sense of the history can embody the images of the celebrities, yet the idea of making bronze sculpture out of them appears vividly in the mind. The composition of the whole bronze statue is formed by the unique framer of the old pictures in accordance with the bench and four old men sitting.

The image of the distinctive features of the four celebrities constitutes a sense of three-dimensional border. The freehand shaping techniques of the Chinese painting are more profound reflecting the characteristics and personality has been shaped. While the bronze statue runs after an earthy sense of history and a sense of division of history with contemporary society.

 In the long river of history, human constructed its own art treasures. Ancient civilization has left us with a rich artistic heritage. As a kind of civilized creation, bronze statue is the art in possession of the three-dimensional space. It is a three-dimensional artistic work can be appreciated from any angel. The bronze belongs to the spatial art. It is the only artistic type imitating the similar shape similar as the physical object by the means of the material. Compared with the graphic arts, it has a great deal of freedom and suitability that allows the viewer from different angles to watch. You can from different distances to enjoy the same piece of work without the definition of the viewer’s perspective and distance. The bronze in a unique art form enriches the civilization of mankind in the history. As a visual art, bronze, together with other art forms record and build the evolution and prosperity of the art by its own development.

From the perspective of investment, the investment value of the bronze works is gradually manifested. In the auction market of past two years, the bronze investment has made first appearance. Bronze is becoming one of the major auctions and its value for collection is more and more impressive.

In the auction of the fall of 2006, it is first time to introduce the plate of bronze works. The arts participate in this auction mostly are the fruits of the famous artistes as well as the works have been awarded many rewards in China. The bronze sculpture of Daughter of the Sea was sold at 180,000 RMB. In addition to this one, another three bronze works at this auction have been purchased by the collectors.

In the special auction of Chinese contemporary art in 2005, the bronze sculpture of Mr. Cai reached the transaction price of HK $ 660,000, creating a highest on record in the international auction market. In 2006, in the autumn auction held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, the bronze sculpture of the famous artist Ju Ming was auctioned off at HK $ 8.296 million by an American private collector.  In the meanwhile, it set up a new record on the contemporary Chinese bronze in the world auction market.

In September 2006, at the summer art auction, the total turnover of the three performances of bronze and places had exceeded 48.65 million RMB combined together, accounting for one-third of the overall turnover. Among the seventeen bronze works, only one failed to be bought. Besides, the auction went for good results.  Of course, compared to developed countries, the Chinese bronze industry just begins and the distance to keep with the mature market of bronze is very far away. The popularity of the bronze in European and American modern art market is very surprising. In 2005, English Sotheby presided over the auction in the New York, the large metal bronze of the cube of 28^th created by the American artist David Smith was sold for $ 23 million. In May 2005, in the auction of Impressionist and Modern Art held at Rockefeller Center, the bronze artwork of Birds in the Sky created by the master, Brancusi made a deal at $ 27,450,000, setting a record of highest price of the bronze auctions.

To interpret the gap from another perspective is great potential for development. The bronze industry in China will soon enter into a period of rapid development. We have seen, inside the bronze circle, many people strive for entry into this historical period. For example, the Bronze Art Exhibition will be held in Shanghai is one of the efforts of the artistes. Mr. Fan Weimin, deputy director and the Secretary-General Mr. Zhang Yu told me that the reason they plan to organize this exhibition and the most important purpose is to promote the development of the bronze market. They want to make a contribution to the prosperity of the Chinese bronze market.

Besides from the long academic definition, Mr. Bai has been involved in several planning project of urban bronze sculpture. He believes that the city planning can help the bronze get rid of the current chaos and abusing situation. In the past, we make bronze piece by piece then a group by a group. In the future, we will build sculpture from a city to another.

However, some have expressed reservations about the view. Professor Chen Yungang, Head of Department of Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts deems that in China, there is almost no city can draw up the sculpture planning and earnestly implement the implementation. One important reason is that China is facing the most rapid process of urbanization. The face of the city itself is still in uncertainty, not to mention the city bronze. I really do not know, which of the city planning can let people see and look at a street floor, a seat, a piece of Square, a certain color clearly and conclusively? When these factors are not determined, the corresponding practical significance of the sculptures planning is greatly reduced.

More insiders shout to the regulation and coordination of the city bronze market. Some experts believe that legislation to public art including the cities bronze is desperately needed. As a form of art closely related to construction and the public environment, the urban sculpture is doomed to be closely linked with urban planning. China’s urban construction and development is very fast, so that planning often can not keep up with changes. The arbitrary feature is too prominent.  In the urban construction, we should use the measure of legislative to solve these problems.

Large space, huge tables and chairs, big shelves arrayed with heavy books … This is the most classic lines in the office of the Chinese entrepreneurs. The past two years, however, have some minor changes. Some entrepreneurs start to place bronze works in their offices.

Due to the nature of work, the author often needs to go into the offices of entrepreneurs and interview them. When asked the reasons of placing bronze works, most answer that is because of personal likes. Due to personal preferences, so the bronze works housed by different people, to some extent, reflect the personal preferences of the collectors, taste or the orientation of aesthetic value. In fact, the offices of the Chinese entrepreneurs began to display the bronze works embodying a social phenomenon: along with the step-by-step prosperity and rejuvenation of the Chinese economy, the demands of people for art began to grow.

From the consumer’s point of view, people began to have the economic strength to purchase bronze art works. The experience of the social development in developed countries shows that when per capita GDP reached $ 5,000, bronze ware market will usher in a period of rapid development. In 2006 China;s GDP was 18.2321 trillion RMB. According to the average exchange rate against the U.S. dollar of last year, China’s GDP of last year was 2.2257 trillion U.S. dollars while per capita is $ 1700. Some developed regions such as Shanghai has already exceeded the point of $ 7000 while Beijing has exceeded $ 6,000, Guangzhou City, even more than 10,000 U.S. dollars. It can be said that the Chinese already has the economic base for the boom of bronze artworks.

For some local government leaders, money is not a problem, but the time for the finished bronze can not wait. Such a situation is common that when the local government is in the mood, they will find us and ask us to come up with the finished bronze product in six months or even two or three months. This is simply not in compliance with the laws of artistic creation. It is too impetuous and too utilitarian. Professor Cao Chunsheng, the bronze expert, said.

For the time being, as many parts of the country determine the program of bronze sculpture, they tend to adopt the approach of tender offer. However, as a work of art, the bronze is hard to quantify for considerations. Many of the problems are in charge by the leaders, which makes that the tender corruption, unfair trade and local protection have occurred from time to time. Bidding turns out to be a project. Many of the truly famous artists do not want to participate in such a farce. In turn, it restricts the final standard of the bronze in the final step.

During the interview, a number of bronze experts invariably criticize “the willing of the boss” in the current work of bronze sculpture. Some leaders or officials base on personal likes and dislikes, personal integrity and aesthetic awareness as well as their own preference to customize the bronze works. Li Xiangqun, professor of Tsinghua University of the Academy of Fine Arts and Beijing People’s Congress made such a comment.

Not a few bronze experts have had a bitter sorrow and grief experience about their bronze works. This is truly involuntary and out of their control. A variety of non-creative factors directly got involved in the creation tend to result in a compromising bronze sculpture that is neither fish nor fowl. Professor Hu Xijia of Shandong Institute of Arts once mentioned that the willing of the officials dominates the design of the bronze works. The artistic characteristics of the artists can not be reflected in the production. In the production, they can only carry on the work as a project.  

The layman commands the experts, so that the real bronze expert falls into a passive implementation of the craftsman. Some cities bronze itself is not build in accordance with the cost of production, nor constructed in line with the normal duty cycle. The required duration for the production of a piece of urban bronze might be three months. Some government will only give a month’s time. Coupled with the limited level of parts of the construction unit, shoddy work and the generation of the junk sculpture could not be easier.

More people inside the industry calls for legislative means to regulate and coordinate the market of urban sculpture. Professor Bai Yi thought that the all kinds of the problems exited in domestic sculptures construction should be solved through the measures strengthen the city bronze planning. The so-called planning of urban bronze is the sculpture of global image combinations, that is, on the basis of the overall urban planning, through a comprehensive analysis, study of urban history and culture, economic structure, resources and various social customs, cultural landscape and urban character quality after a comprehensive and systematic meditation, the idea of ​​creative design, it will form the integrated planning system of science, culture, ecology and the development.

Accompanied by is the emergence of a large number of bronze garbage. From the big city like Beijing and Shanghai to small county town, you can see the sculptures everywhere. As if overnight, the sculptures are going to take all spaces. But there is less quality bronze but poorer works. Over ninety percent of the urban bronze did not play the role to beautify the city role, but turns out to be the visual garbage that can not be erased. An unnamed famous bronze sculptor made such comments.

It is estimated that the country each year new urban bronze has been as far away as 10,000 or even more. Anyhow, due to the lack of effective statistics and management, no one can give accurate figures of how many bronze sculptures have been built. A few years ago, the street of sculpture in the Changping District of Beijing is full of garbage that so far makes many industry experts hold the garbage. These sculptures are now all dismantled.

Disorderly development and blind construction is the situation of the city bronze. Faced with the problems exposed by the current city bronze, Professor Cao Chunsheng was worried. The access management of the market of the creative staff is rather chaotic. Blind imitation and plagiarism becomes a common practice. Mr. Cao insisted that the urban bronze is neither a backyard art, nor a job that any one is capable of.

In September 1993, the Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Construction jointly issued the regulations on the construction management approaches of the urban bronze. The design and the construction of any bronze will be born on by the expert who holds a qualification certificate for the design of creative urban bronze. Between the period of 1987 and 2002, the National Sculpture Committee had awarded a total of 931 qualifications.

Yet, various factors led to this provision that has never been truly implemented. The reality of the situation is that market access is quite confusing. A large number of people without professional quality are doing the job of creations. Some contractors, civil mason and art lovers driven by the interest undertake the project of the urban bronze everywhere. In some cities, there is even the phenomenon that the surgeon of Street Office personally takes the responsibility of the creation.

In the arts circle of China, a saying spreads from mouth to moth.    The two most chaos professionals are calligraphy and bronzes. Now anyone wants to join in this industry. The one who is originally engaged in painting, designing and architecture is now to do sculptures. The uneven quality of employees, coupled with blind imitation and plagiarism makes many parts of the bronze sculptures look monotonous. Not to mention the personality. Horse and lion is the most common theme. Rocket and atomic structure now is the symbol of technology. There are at least four places erecting the sculpture of Yellow River Mother. Abstract art was in vogue in the previous years. As a result, in the front of the entrance of many township governments have put up the so-called abstract art consisted of a ball and a few streamer. In the cities like Nanjing and Guangzhou, it went so far that there are sets of bronze balls and ribbons in different sizes. You can assemble them as you like.

Now is it art or simple project? Many bronze sculptures are now turned to be the image engineering and performance engineering of the officials. This is one of the reasons that the current level of the sculpture is not high. It is understood that if hand on the bronze tasks to the formal institutions or bronze experts, it will take at least a year for make a piece of complete finished product from the early planning, assessment, design of small draft, the program modifications and spends at least 10 million RMB. If ask someone civil like the so-called company and engineering team to do, a few months are enough to build a complete product, which will only cost one or two million RMB.

The art of teaching should be emphasized on the law. On this basis, the students can be sublimated and improved. Based on the understanding, we can have deeper feelings of the object. During the teaching, good gardener should be aware that tree seedlings need watering and which tree seedlings need what kind of fertilizer to the prevailing circumstances. Teach students in accordance of their aptitude so that each of them were grown different and grew up to become useful. In order to solve the problem of feeling in the basic exercises of the bronze, we can ask the students have a choice with a professional eye to see objects, grasp the feeling of what they want and make their choice boldly.

On the other hand, we should teach them with a pair of eyes not wearing the framework. We must be good at finding the characteristics of the object and a beautiful place. Only this may make sense of fresh outlooks. It is progress to ensure that both professional glasses, but also took a piece of glasses. It seems contradictory, but essentially, they are complementary to each other to make up.

In the bronze shape, no doubt, expressive techniques have an important role in expression of the bronze, Rodin, Moore, Giacomelli and these masterpieces are amazing surface treatments, which often makes beginners fascinating. It is easy to stay on the handsome surface of the masterpieces, rather than make deep-seated efforts. So, a lot of people for some time use a small knife in the surface of the bronze stained with mud, the clay surface will be rendering with decorative garden points. Some people pick up the large mud to pursue the mud taste.  

I think a special taste for the pursuit of the surface is not bad, but leave the basic shapes to talk about the surface treatment is of no practical significance. Whether the surface is smooth or rough, they can embody the basic feeling. The manifested teaching purposes are basically reached. For example, we see a pair of bronze legs, we are able to express and distinguish the tension of supporting the leg and a sense of relaxation standing up. The shape of the legs is successfully. As to the way of the expression of the surface, they are the natural feelings shown in the shape of the bronze.

To leave this point to talk about surface treatment is putting the cart before the horse. With the skin gone, what can the hair adhere to? It is even far away from the basic purpose of the training. Seize the body also equals to seize the nature of the basic language of the bronze. To put the absolute point, where there is no body, there is no bronze. Seize it can often play a multiplier effect. Therefore, the teaching and learning of the bronze should cause great attention, and work hard to understand and grasp it.

During the interview more than one hour, Professor Cao Chunsheng repeatedly used the words like disorder or impropriety to express his dissatisfaction with the current status of domestic cities bronze. Cao Chunsheng, now 70 years old, in the early years was under the tutelage of the bronze dean, Mr. Liu Kaiqu who is the current Central Academy of Fine Arts, Professor and Director of the Arts Council of National Sculpture Committee. Talking about the overall situation of the domestic urban bronze, the reviews of the aged bronze experts are like this. There are lots of good works, but more works stay in the level of not very good, or even very bad. Bronze works of such kinds are municipal solid wastes.

As a matter of fact, such a sharp criticism did not only come from Cao Chunsheng. In recent years, the development of the city bronze in the country can be described as vigorous. However, with the springing up sculptures around various regions, the criticism similar to visual garbage, city can be heard without end. A group of data referenced mostly by the media is that Shanghai has done a census on the city bronze. The results show that mediocre works account for 80% while the good and the poor takes up 10% respectively. No wonder some commented that you might find a piece of rare works in the midst of piles trash.

What the numerous numbers of the bronze works have brought about is inevitable demolition and rebuilding.  City bronze in a foreign country to be known as public art, the rise in China started from the 1980s. The establishment of the National Urban Bronze Planning Group in 1982 and organization of the National Urban Bronze design exhibition in 1984 laid the foundation for the development of China’s urban bronze.

It seems to the director of the National Sculpture Commission Office of Planning and Research Center, the development of the urban bronze in the 1980s could say basic health. The people involved in this cause at that time are primary old artists, who were just freed from the repression of the Cultural Revolution and a number of professional teachers and students in art institutions. In the whole country, there were only several hundred people engaged in this cause. The annual number of works was about two thousand. At this period, a group of bronze sculpture appeared that had become boutique and city logo, such as the mother and baby ox in Shenzhen and Yellow River Mother in Lanzhou.

After 1990, the economic development and urbanization process accelerated, which led the development of the city bronze into golden years. Place to place had unprecedented enthusiasm for the city bronze. The hot market had given an impetus to a large number of businesses and individuals to participate in this project. Bronze Company and the hometown of bronze have emerged in succession. Especially in recent years, the government exploited the theme parks of sculpture in a large scale scope and focused on the construction of corridor, landscape, coastline, Square, Avenue, etc., which has become one of the priorities of city government.

 In the face of finished product, we should feel an impulse out of power, space and invisible gas pressure to the bronze as well. When such an inside and outside force reaches the maximum, to a new psychological equilibrium, we call it full volume. To do this, we must always care about the feelings around us. A piece of paper (although the electric thickness) and a brick because of its own surface is flat, so in the feeling, they do not have the force of the washed out, while o the ball have the feeling that washed out from the center. If we put this feeling into the bronze body, it is not free to destroy the body’s own round kernel with low connection. If you can make big shape, while another does not destroy the body, you can enrich it. The bronze must be inevitably lively and engaging. Although the body is shown in the physical form, but we still have to go through inspection to feel the test of the invisible ruler.

  In the front, we make some explorations about parts of the basic physical laws. Does it mean having some knowledge of the basic shapes has hit the mark? The answer is no. If we take the human body as articles, each of the body is not only the word. To make articles open and moving to each word, we should link the words in the general outline. This is the overall significance of the shape. Bronze should have a reasonable dynamic, outward impulse to volume, expressive images, and the perfect combination of unique artistic feeling and artistic performance.

China’s famous bronze expert Mr. Tian You compare the relationship between overall and basic form to the string of candied fruit. If there is no overall root stick, of course, we do not know how to string candied fruit. This requires us to seriously study the anatomical structure of law and remember each body section. There are no scattered pills of any secret. The traditional remedy can make people sleep in the morning to understand how to observe the body and how to shape the bronze. Large mud stage in the process of human bronze is to represent the principal structure on a vivid form of language in the overall performance.

At this time, it does not require fine and neat, but not dead engraved on a local part. To grasp objects of taste and volume of the right space sense, the workers should maintain the overall feeling and relationship firmly in the constant-depth.

 What we should see in the course of the clay of shaping the bronze and what should not look at. When you reach the point what to do to grasp the object of the intrinsic relationship and can be done, you will form a conscious, scientific observation, analysis, the basic ability of the performance of the object.  To neglect of the laws of Arts and Sciences is one-sided. The results tend to deviate from the basic requirements and purposes of art colleges students supplemented by the three bases.

   In life, we have had experience. The very familiar people who very far away from us, even if we do not see the nose, eyes and other details, but as long as he is raising his hand and foot in one action, we will be able at once to recognize him. This is each person’s unique action and big body, big relationship at work. If we are quite a distance away from the stage drama, you may not be able to hear lines, but we can on the basis of the actor’s movements to determine the overall story, which also prove that the overall dynamic of the movement is the total expression of the human body.

The static movement of the human body is the prelude to the next move. Each new dynamic is corresponding changes in the shape at the time that time he places the object of psychological state. Outstanding master Michelangelo in the Renaissance in the human use a strong sense of personal characteristics significantly changes the nature of the nude bronze. It changes from a way to achieve the ideal way to a way to express feelings. He created a lot of able-bodied muscular capacity bronze with the combination of the beauty and the capability. These bronzes can show will imbued with a spirit that can conquer mountains and rivers. None of the surging enthusiasm is the classic of the sports body of Michelangelo taking advantage of the motion.  Therefore, every body in the basic training is neither the isolated anatomical symbols, nor the rough bronze violating the laws of human motion and stiffness.

    The human body in space is displayed based on the multiple facets. Correctly to demonstrate this direction, the oriented operations are bound to be more expressive. Bronze is the physical space. When it is completed at the show, the author can not require the audience’s perspective and line of sight. Therefore, in the processing of treatment, we should fully take into account the perception of different angles. We can find evidence in the many successes and bronze works. For example, the Greek bronzes. In order to express the human ideal of quiet beauty, most of the artists model the human into four directions with head and chest, chest and pelvis, the pelvis, connecting the thigh and calf to the formation of four dimensions. Michelangelo in Renaissance in order to convey the feelings of revolt and restlessness in the body, he reversed the body processing into two strong directions. Basic practice and every kind of job have different emphases, but we should also focus on the direction full emotion and expression.

Because the human body can not be displayed in front of us in a simple cube, so in the process of the bronze production, the complex-oriented relationships will often destroy the shape of the inherent volume. So, how to recognize the inherent volume? For example, in an open space, we need to build a new house. The house occupied part of the open space. The human body occupied space in its own volume. When making the bronze, it requires the artistes from time to time to concern about the human body’s integrity. Of course, to make the bronze human, they also should pay attention to the physical sensation and psychological feeling.

When shaping the bronze objects, you holding on to a few large shapes. Remember that the human body is consisted of a pretext, chest, pelvis, leg, and arm is to remember the whole body. Then you can produce bronze human. More importantly, you should learn to give up. If you can observe the small changes in starting the shape of the bronze, the subtle turns should not be overlooked. The results must be picking up the sesame seeds but lose watermelon. So we should finish the bronze in gaining and abandoning the minor details.

At the end of the Mount Baoding stone, there are several of well-preserved bronze statues, which did not complete the protective deities. The uncompleted legs and pelvis are shaped in rectangular cylinder. The chest above is broad basic form. The head is nearing the completion was carefully carved. Every time I stood in front of several bronze statues, I was deeply shocked by the physical understanding of the senior artists. If we say that the modern architect has been producing building as the bronze, they entitle the understanding and beauty into the body, and then we should regard the large body of the bronze as a construction point of view.

 The details of the human body are like the doors and windows in the house. If there is not a house, we would not install windows and doors. This understanding will enable us grasp the depth form in shaping the concept easily. The sense of the construction will make us have a more complete and firm body. The bronze will be fuller of vitality. For basic form, our ancestors have left us with a lot of valuable wealth. In the fold art, people put the head in the basic shape of the image A, the applicant, by country, field, etc.  These understandings to observe the human body is not always tangled up in details. During the bronze training, when did you learn to give up, then the horizons will be broader. The ability to take initiative to grasp the object is also enhanced. The shaping ability can get a qualitative leap.

After a period of training, it is easier to grasp the shape of the model. But the vividness and vitality of the human body is exactly unfolded in the campaign. The human body in motion will inevitably produce a reverse, squeezed, stretched, and shortened phenomenon. When the head is in reverse, it can produce before and after the pitch, around the pitch, turning right or left trajectory. The corresponding neck will change. Especially the sternocleidomastoid muscle along with the torsional motion will have significantly elongated and squeezed state in appearance.

The other parts of the power of the body will produce more or less the volume-oriented action, and head changes associated withered. Understanding the movement and mastering the law of motion will give our students a new challenge.

When the beginners see a shape, they often see some points and the outer contour line. Through a period of study, they will be able to see the surface composed by a line. At this time he should have made great progress than the early period.  But can see only the surface is not enough. What is the body in the space in the end?  In short, it is the in full possession of the space.

 Any points, lines or surfaces attached to this volume are only part of this volume. Based on this point, we do clay sculpture starting from to grasp the basic shape in the space through complex shapes. We treat the subject in a simply way rather than look and build what we have to look. This kind of methods of observation and recognition is like a cube placed in our hands. We should first see the close relationship in space, length, width and thickness, instead of just 12 lines the six sides. In this way, we can seize the essence of the body.

The human body is composed of many bones, muscles, fat, skin and hair. Careful analysis of each small part is very complex. Plus each model has distinctive life experiences. Occasional illusion of the malformation and color in the appearance will make students feel unable to start, or a patchwork from part to part. They or copy the objects from a line to another sideline. They use numerous contour images to compare with the objects. Or through the tone, they go to find the body in the line, and then think that this is also observed physical method. Of course, the can get a realistic bronze copy. But this copy is only the results of the object compliance to dance away. They dare not go one step beyond the prescribed limit. When you need to be summarized, it is insufficient to improve in casting the real bronze. Of course, the bronze works can not reach the vivid effects. So the imitation only from the surface is no way out. It will eventually lead to the works of mediocrity, and weakening volume, not to mention the artistic appeal.

    Human-specific single body should be the broad sense of the object. The characteristics of the model itself give us inspiration and feelings. On this basis, this feeling is then clearly summarized, so that you will have a more distinctive, strong, clearer feature and in which given the geometry factors. This bronze form is no longer the original natural form, but the re-organization after the abstract and comprehensive feeling. This kind of summary does not respect the objective object because the subjective feelings should be based on objective object-based. Body awareness of the bronze should cherish the feelings, but conceptualization block surface is often the root of the rigid form. Yet the kind of random changes to the bronze is opposed.  After all, the principle of class body exercises should be realistic.

A famous bronze expert once mentioned that, bronze in the ability to express may be less than painting, but it is three-dimensional. You can enjoy the bronze sculpture from different angles. This is far from what the painting can do. He also pointed out that to appreciate the bronze completely rely on the reflection ability of the three-dimensional form. Perhaps this is why bronze sculpture is considered as one of the difficult among all the arts. It is certainly better than that is limited to the flat form and two-dimensional shape of the art.

 More people are much more form-blind than color blindness. Although they can be quite accurate in the sense of understanding of the graphic form to a certain degree, but can make further efforts in the rational and emotional aspects to understand the perfection of form that has occupied the space. When you first heard the phrase form blindness, many people will be surprised, but the facts are such a case. From the physiological structure of the human, they should have in-depth ability to judge. But why is there a saying of form blindness? People who is careful in the observation of life will find that the baby often not catch the things the want to grab.

The reason is that they feeling to the size of the space body length and width are stronger than the feeling of the depth. Out of the living needs, baby will grasp the mother’s breast for milk and seize the toy he is interested. In the subsequent years, his understanding of the depth is strengthened, such as judgment of the length of the ladder to step downstairs. However, when the development of this feeling is able to fill the basic needs for life, it is no longer developed. Anyhow, this kind of feeling of depth for the people engaged in bronze is definitely not enough. He should keep the continuous development of spatial awareness and finish the transition from the plane to the depth, the transition from 2D to 3D.

 The transaction from the plane thinking to thinking in space is the first hurdle that must be a breakthrough. Now that the bronze artistic language occupies a space composed by length, width and depth, the three-dimension, then we must recognize the somatosensory and then grasp it. But it is not overnight will be able to do so. It can be said for many beginners is a quite a painful process. This point is a clear understanding. You can even learn a lot from the person who has engaged in many years the bronze. Though skilled plus feelings, they can produce the human clay. However this kind of bronze be soft and there is no vitality. The fundamental reason is that the human copied bit by bit has a big difference with the results grasping the body in the space.

 Moreover, it expresses the Olympic spirit and humanistic concept of “One World, One Dream”. Experts believe that the Olympic sailing competition theme bronze is not only the most important public art of the Olympic Sailing Center of Qingdao, but also the iconic cultural landscape of the Olympic city as well as a valuable cultural heritage of the Olympic.

This piece of bronze work fully embodies the cultural themes of Olympics and Sailing Boat. The program is conceived ambitious with a far-reaching connotation. The artistic language of bronze is rich and the forms of expression are elegant. The form and scale have a strong artistic appeal and impact. I believe it can achieve the expected effect of the environmental landscape.

Giant soccer bronze stroke a pose in Qinhuangdao. July 12, workers installed a giant soccer bronze. To greet the arrival of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Qinhuangdao City hold the football matches for the 29th Olympic Games at the Qinhuangdao Olympic Center Stadium. It built in the Olympic Sports Center near the green a 15 m diameter stainless steel football. On the sphere is also printed with the pattern of the Olympic rings and Beijing Olympic Games emblem, turning to be a beautiful landscape of Qinhuangdao City,.

 The human clay assignments is the basic courses of bronze teaching aimed at training students to master the ability of modeling of the performance figures. Therefore, how to guide students to observe objects in space, starting from the physical shape object and presenting the overall performance of the object are the three questions that must be resolve. They are relatively independent but closely linked. As a teaching discussion, the author tries to compare the clay exercises training with a chain ring and focus on the subtle points of these links of the chain ring to analyze so as to find one of the laws.

 Freshmen admitted to the Bronze Department in recent years are basically two parts. First is the students in the College High School and the other is the training candidates learning in a variety of art training classless. They have some fundamental knowledge of the sketch. More or less, they try to make some clay. But in general, for the bronze language, they are poorly understood. Paintings and bronzes in the language of art have a lot in common. The basis of sketch has a great help to understand the bronze. Yet paintings, after all, are very different art forms from the bronze. Each of them is characterized with personalized highly artistic language.

 The painting is a flat shape, while the bronze can display the performance of the object in space. The length and width of the objects in the painting does not change, while the depth will have to use the perspective of the principle of performance in a simulated space. Between the body and the body in the bronze is actually displayed in front of us. It does not produce changes in the length, width and depth of three-dimensional. Since entity objects and bronze sculptures are displayed in the space, which requires a beginner to first learn to observe the body in space.