The aesthetic value of Chinese ceramics has been highly appreciated in both the West and China, and ceramic-making has a long history beginning with the Shang dynasty. Despite the prominence of ceramics in the history of Chinese arts, few people today are familiar with the decisive stages in the production process of fine porcelain or pottery.

One man in the Republic of China who has worked extensively in the field with extraordinary success, Wang Hsiu-kung, has discovered a hitherto unknown formula for creating ceramics of brilliant hue and with the tonal expressiveness of Chinese watercolor painting. This achievement has placed him in the forefront of his profession and endeared his work to his countrymen.

According to Chinese legend, there was once a bird so irresistibly attracted to light that it would plunge into fire and disappear in the blaze. Only a very few were able to pass through the fire. Those that did would be reborn again as feathered creatures of unearthly beauty and splendor. The bird was, hence, called the "fire phoenix."

The creation of ceramics of true artistry can be likened to the miraculous transformation in this legend. The day, ever after it has been molded by the potter's wheel and glazed, is still an inchoate, dull form. It is during firing in the kiln that its beauty and color "magically" appear. But if any of the ingredients are impure, the molding uneven, or the glaze applied either too thinly or thickly, the piece will have to be discarded. Only a very few actually pass these tests and become those that we see exhibited in art galleries.

Twenty-five years ago, most of the ceramics produced in Taiwan were crude, uninspired cups, plates, bowls, and other everyday vessels. One of the first companies established with the aim of producing ceramics of artistic value, China Pottery Arts, Inc., invited Mr. Wang to assist in designing new ceramic shapes. Later, he was asked to carry out color experiments, an avocation to which he eventually devoted so much energy that he put his interest in calligraphy aside.

After a period in which he did imitations of classical pottery, Mr. Wang gathered together a circle of his colleagues to discuss how to bring the art of porcelain-making up to contemporary tastes. They decided to bring the expressive qualities of traditional Chinese painting--with its subtle color gradations-- to ceramicware.

At a temperature of 1260℃., pottery becomes porcelain with an ideal fineness, firmness, and nonporosity. However, the colors also change. The common technique used to bypass this problem was to first bake in a kiln after applying a white glaze, and then after cooling to paint a design and re-fire at a lower temperature. But the result of using this method was a lack of subtle tones as well as a definite crudeness in the neat but pattern-like appearance.

This method is called the yu-shang-ts'ai-hui technique Another technique, called yu-hsia-ts'ai-hui, of painting directly on the surface, applying a transparent glaze, and then firing at a very high temperature, has the advantage of allowing the glaze and the clay surface to interact in such a way as to create a feeling of flowing fusion.

Mr. Wang's achievement was to have found a way to apply the yu-hsia technique without the colors changing. He did this by studying Tang-dynasty tri-colored pottery, for which he had an especial interest due to his admiration of its fresh, lively, brilliant colors which heralded breakthroughs in ceramics--such as Ching-hua--of later dynasties.

But the tri-colored pottery figurines of the Tang dynasty (such as horses and vessels) were baked at relatively low temperatures, sometimes below 800℃. Thus they had the shortcomings of pottery as well: permeability to water and high susceptibility to shattering. Also, as lead was used as the primary melding ingredient, the food and wine vessels were dangerous in terms of everyday use.

In order to find a high-temperature glaze with brilliant colors, Mr. Wang spent twenty years experimenting freely with different proportions of clay, calcium, and oxidizing agents--and encountering countless setbacks as well.

In the end, he discovered a glaze that could be applied to an unbaked clay surface at 1230℃., very close to the turning point when pottery becomes porcelain.

"The success or failure in the process of creating ceramics lies in the 'firing.' If the piece has been molded poorly, the glaze applied too thinly or thickly, or if there are any small defects whatsoever, they will appear during the firing process," Mr. Wang states.

He also states categorically that the reason for his success lies in his having tasted defeat so many times. "Only by experimenting with the utmost attention to detail as well as with patience and perseverance can one discover the reasons for one's previous failures. Invaluable experience is thus acquired, and one is rewarded in the long run with success," he explains.

In recent years, Mr. Wang has expanded his range considerably with his paintings on flat, rectangular ceramic surfaces. He has employed both Western air brush as well as traditional Chinese painting techniques on unbaked clay surfaces--afterwards firing at high temperature--to produce works which have been exhibited both at home and abroad.

(Denny Chiu)

A New Era in Chinese Ceramics.

A New Era in Chinese Ceramics.

A New Era in Chinese Ceramics.

A New Era in Chinese Ceramics.

A New Era in Chinese Ceramics.

A New Era in Chinese Ceramics.

A New Era in Chinese Ceramics.

A New Era in Chinese Ceramics.

A New Era in Chinese Ceramics.

A New Era in Chinese Ceramics.

A New Era in Chinese Ceramics.