The Unity of Man and the Universe
By Yin Jinan
The time scale for measuring contemporary art are less than a hundred years, while the time scale for measuring ceramic art are far more than a thousand or ten thousand years.
The magic power of ceramic art lies in the interaction between the soil and the fire. Fire is a natural element, while the soil comes from the earth. Human beings are the ones who connect the sky and the earth, which is widely believed to be the historical metaphor for primitive ceramic arts. However, today it has been largely forgotten.
Excellent ceramists should resort to the magic powers of the soil and the fire and express spirituality blending the two. They must respect the nature of the soil, realize the enthusiasm of the fire, try to control and release the natural power of them. Excellent ceramists don’t defy the nature and beauty of the soil and the fire, and unify the sky and the earth. The nature of soil and fire should become the prerequisite that the ceramists use to express the temperature of their humanity. The artists should develop humanity to harmonize the sky and the earth.
Gao Zhenyu is such a ceramist.
Winter, 2014, Anyue
