Mastering the intricate skill of lacquer carving
Chen Yinran draws a draft before carving on lacquer with knives.
Craftsman Chen Yinran is chiseling out his own realm in lacquer carving. The 27-year-old was recently announced as an inheritor of Shanghai-style lacquer carving, a decorative handicraft listed in the eighth batch of Songjiang intangible cultural heritages.
The centuries-old hand skill that dates back about 7,000 years uses a range of tools to carve patterns onto an already finished thickly lacquered piece, before decorating it further with color, gold leaf and other materials. With its smooth lines, vivid images and splendid colors, lacquer carving is also recognized as an art form.
"I'm so obsessed with this handicraft, and it's never boring for me," Chen said.
In 2014, he was admitted into the Shanghai Art & Design Academy and studied lacquer carving under the guidance of the master Wang Xiaoming, an artist of lacquer carving for more than 40 years.
Although many of his classmates quit halfway, Chen persisted and enjoys the fun of carving, engraving and sculpting the lacquer.
Chen Yinran works in his studio.
"It's a dangerous skill because lacquer can 'bite' people," he said with a big laugh. When he first began carving, he had an allergy and his finger swelled immediately due to his incorrect technique. His teacher Wang taught him how to deal with the swelling and what medicines to use.
Carving lacquer ware entails a complicated manufacturing process. One starts with a wooden board, which is flat and finely polished. The board is coated with many layers of lacquer, until it reaches the required thickness. The lacquer must be given time to dry naturally and harden completely before an engraver begins carving.
Chen first draws a draft, whether he be portraying landscapes, human figures, flowers, birds or other subjects. He then works with the carving knives he makes and sharpens himself for their different artistic purposes.
"After the carving is completed, we choose different techniques based on what art effects we want to achieve," he said.
Lacquer carving is a comprehensive craft that requires a variety of materials to present different artistic expressions. For example, gold leaf, a widely used material in lacquer carving, can add splendor and magnificence to the art piece. Though it has only a single color, it still provides great contrast in brightness due to changing light, and its rich layers are highly ornamental.
Gold leaf is often used in lacquer carving to add grandeur and splendor to the piece.
In 2018, two of Chen's lacquer carving pieces won Baihua Awards at the 19th China Arts and Crafts Masters Works and Handicrafts Expo, a top prize for a Chinese artisan.
"This was an honor for me, but at the same time I feel an obligation to carry this traditional art forward," Chen said.
In recent years, he has collaborated with the Shihudang Cultural and Sports Center in Songjiang to set up hobby groups and hold lacquer carving events. "I hope through these activities, the craftsmanship can be better protected, and more people can join in," he said.
