Punching mud sheets, body tubes, body slapping tubes, ribbed lines...... A perfect handmade purple clay pot from clay to firing is inseparable from high-quality mud and suitable tools, and it is inseparable from the artist's delicate hands. Sang Songjie, a craftsman from Changning who has learned purple sand skills since childhood, has been immersed in the study of this traditional art for many years, and has completed the transformation of countless purple sand mud materials into works of art with one hand.
Sang Songjie is from Yixing, the capital of purple sand, and his father Sang Libing is a master of arts and crafts in Jiangsu Province, under the influence of his father, Sang Songjie has shown a strong interest in traditional arts. When he was a child, his favorite thing to do was to sit on his father's lap and watch his father make the purple clay pot intently, and sometimes he would cry when he was not allowed to watch. Sang Songjie's mother, Zhu Yaqin, recalled with a smile, "Seeing that he likes Zisha, we have been very supportive all the way, and he has also lived up to expectations to show his talent, compared with our older generation of traditional artists, he has a unique sense of innovation among young people." ”
In order to better learn and inherit the art of purple sand, Sang Songjie chose to major in art and design in college, and he believes that in today's era, the development of traditional culture needs to keep pace with the times. "There are things in the university that we can't learn in the private sector, such as drawing and modelling software, which can help us do a lot of work. "In the past, when we created a work, we used to sketch the shapes we conceived in advance on paper, but now through the drawing tools of the computer, we can draw the patterns and models we want more accurately." ”
From hearing and seeing to seeking art in a down-to-earth manner, from diligent study and hard practice to small achievements, Sang Songjie has never stopped the research and innovation of purple sand, and the "post-90s" began to consider a problem when he entered his 30s, he wanted to go outside to break through, learn more about the genre, and learn more styles. In 2022, it happened that his senior brother, Wu Baoping, a master artist of Shanghai Arts and Crafts who is also a craftsman in Changning, was studying purple sand carving and needed an art director who understood purple sand production.
"Although Yixing is the capital of purple sand, both in terms of raw materials and artistic inheritance are at the top level in China, Shanghai also has its own advantages compared with it, on the one hand, as an international big city, purple clay pots and artists from all over the country gather in Shanghai, where I can get in touch with various genres of art style. "On the other hand, as the inheritor of traditional culture, I also hope to bring the art of purple sand to more people, and if you want to carry forward traditional culture, Shanghai is one of the most suitable places." ”
In his spare time, Sang Songjie likes to shoot some short teaching videos of homemade purple clay pots, and also likes to give lessons to others, especially for public welfare undertakings to help the disabled. "Teaching others is the best way to pass on culture, and it gives me a great sense of fulfillment to see these people with disabilities acquire a skill and think that in the future they might be able to use it to achieve their dreams," he says. ”
With the continuous improvement of Zisha's attainments, Sang Songjie's traditional cultural inheritance road is also getting broader and broader, he has been hired as an instructor by many universities in China, and has served as a volunteer in many art conservation associations and museums. His work "Pastoral Fragrance" won the gold medal in the 6th "Earth Award" ceramic works competition held by the China Light Industry Federation and the China Ceramic Industry Association, and he himself has won many awards and titles such as "Jiangsu Young Artist Brand Innovation Figure Award" and "Jiangsu Outstanding Communist Youth League Member".
"My current job title is as a craft artist, and the next step is to work towards a senior arts and crafts artist, and follow in the footsteps of my father and brother to improve myself step by step. When it comes to future plans, Sang Songjie said that he hopes to take advantage of his young desire to see more and learn more in Shanghai, practice the basic skills more solidly, innovate on the basis of tradition, and have the opportunity to hold some personal art exhibitions, so that more people can understand Zisha art and contribute to the spread of traditional culture.
The picture is from the interviewees
Written by Kong Jianhong
Editor: Li Bingqian
Editor-in-charge: Gao Qin
*Please indicate the source of the reprint from "Shanghai Changning"
If you like it, just like it
Welcome to leave a comment and interact with "Ningning".
Give me another little flower that is "watching"~