The relationship between "tradition" and "modernity" is an endless topic in today's art field, and pottery is not convenient. However, in many discussions about the transformation of ceramic art from "tradition" to "modernity", a very important issue, namely the function of ceramic art, has been neglected. It is not only related to the function and value of ceramics, but also related to the role of ceramics in the whole cultural system and the social orientation of ceramists. Only by putting it right, "What is modern ceramic art for?" Such a question is not just "What does modern ceramic art look like?" I think ceramic art can really move from "tradition" to "modernity".
China's traditional ceramic art is attached to ceramic art, and "being as practical and beautiful as possible" has long restricted the development of contemporary China ceramic art. Under this concept, pottery can only belong to arts and crafts, and its functions are only practical and ornamental. In this case, the intelligence of ceramists is more limited by "making utensils" and can only be explored in the field of pursuing design and formal beauty. Pottery artists are also closer to craftsmen and cannot integrate into the trend of modern art.
The function of modern ceramic art lies in that it expands the artistic attributes of primitive ceramic art, so that ceramists can gallop in their own aesthetic and value criticism fields without being restricted by "making utensils". He can not only continue to do something in the original design field, but also give full play to his artistic nature and make valuable cultural criticism on reality, thus setting foot in many artistic fields such as sculpture and installation. It enriches itself and supplements other art categories, thus enriching the foyer of visual art.
Therefore, no matter how traditional pottery develops, it is bound by "utensils". In the development of modern ceramic art, the first thing we should do in understanding is to transfer the functional theory, so as to get rid of the dependence on "objects" and fixed shapes and truly move towards a broader world. This gap can be solved by changing the concept, and its existence is also the driving force for the continuous development of contemporary ceramic art.
Limitations of communication and acceptance
After the reform and opening up, especially in the middle and late 1980s, many schools of modern art entered China like a storm. Although China people at that time did not appreciate it, and some even felt disgusted, they objectively acknowledged the rationality of its existence and approached them conceptually. Modern ceramic art has not caught up with that trend, and it seems that it has missed the golden age from the perspective of communication. Judging from the current situation, many people in the industry also pointed out that modern ceramic art has a good foundation only in a few porcelain producing areas and cities, such as Jingdezhen, Guangzhou, Shanghai and other places. However, on the surface, its mass base is quite weak, and it has not cultivated a large-scale ceramic art appreciation group, which is not conducive to the development of modern ceramic art. We also notice that the daily-use ceramics and fine-art ceramics industries in China are not prosperous at present, so even in many traditional and profound porcelain fields, people's interest in ceramic art is weakening, which is very worrying.
On the other hand, the introduction of modern ceramic art in the media and newspapers is sporadic, not to mention special ceramic publications. At present, some ceramic studios are responsible for communication, but their role has not been taken seriously. People of insight pointed out that the premise of the overall development of a country's ceramic industry is to mobilize the power of the people, and a rising tide lifts all boats.
From the receiver's point of view, China people certainly don't lack feelings for ceramics, but they really can't talk about feelings for modern ceramic art, because most people's views on ceramic art are stuck in traditional concepts. Coupled with poor communication, it is naturally difficult to mobilize the taste of the audience.
However, we should see that modern ceramic art and modern art movement are interlinked in spirit, and it is only a matter of time before people accept modern ceramic art.
Theory is divorced from practice.
The disconnection between theory and practice has become a very prominent problem in modern ceramic art. Xia, a ceramist, said, "A group of people from Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts invited an art critic from Central Academy of Fine Arts to comment on modern ceramic art.. He can comment on modern ceramic art with modern artistic concepts and modern philosophy. But I don't think this is enough. " He pointed out that it is difficult to form modern ceramic critics because China's modern ceramic art is underdeveloped, and he thinks theorists are very needed. The author once found a book called Modern Ceramic Art in the library of the Central Academy of Fine Arts. In fact, the ceramics in the book are only ceramics made by modern "living people". It can be seen that modern ceramic art is quite scarce in theory, and the books that can be found to introduce modern ceramic art are also quite few and informal.
It seems that the disconnection between modern ceramic practice and theory will become a headache for quite some time. Theoretical talents are in urgent need of training, so many ceramists put forward to do some theoretical research while practicing, which can be described as helpless.
In addition, there are some problems in the creation system, sales system and creation concept of modern ceramic art. Fortunately, from the words of contemporary ceramists, we can all appreciate the unique lofty ambition of China intellectuals, which is "a long way to go, and I will go up and down".
Although modern China ceramic art has a long way to go, with the development of China's economy, there will be a brilliant tomorrow!