Shell carving art (from Baidu Encyclopedia)

There are many kinds of shells, which are wonderful works of nature, with beautiful colors and textures, and some are excellent reflectors. Shell carving is to choose these colorful shells, skillfully use their natural colors, textures and shapes, and carefully carve them into various forms and specifications such as flat paste, semi-relief, inlay and three-dimensional through cutting, turning, polishing and laminating. Shell carving skillfully combines people with the sea. Shell carving is the crystallization of the beauty of the sea and the wisdom of traditional culture, with the natural beauty of shells, the beauty of carving techniques and the beauty of Chinese painting style. Since ancient times, it has recorded the story of man and the sea and conveyed people's yearning and expectation for a better tomorrow.

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The history of shell carving

As far back as 50000 years ago, shells were strung into decorative chains. 5000~6000 years ago, there were many primitive people living in the coastal areas and nearby islands of China. They depend on the ocean for their survival. Now there are many shells piled up in their place. There are more than 20 kinds of shellfish fossils in shells, such as clams, abalone, conch, oyster and jade snail. Many shells have holes, which are obviously used as decorations. During the period of 1987, three groups of animal images made of clam shells were found in the wizard's tomb found in Xishuipo, Puyang, Henan Province.

From Shang Dynasty to Qin Dynasty, there was a kind of shellfish, which was used as currency for a long time after being polished and perforated. This is Babe. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, shells were generally made into necklaces, arm ornaments, waist ornaments and costumes. There are even horse ornaments and car ornaments. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, 30% soldiers in Lu wore shells as pendants with red lines to enhance their military strength.

During the Qin and Han Dynasties, the improvement and popularization of smelting technology opened up a new way for shell carving. Artists use the color of shells to grind a relatively flat shell into thin slices, and then carve simple bird and beast patterns, which are embedded in bronzes, mirrors, screens, tables and chairs for decoration, commonly known as "Luodian". This technology still exists in many areas.

Around the Song and Yuan Dynasties, China folk crafts such as mother-of-pearl inlay and shell paste were very popular. There are various figures, animals, flowers, hanging screens and other furnishings; All kinds of stationery, smoking sets, table lamps and other daily necessities. Gorgeous colors and strange shapes are natural and beautiful.

From liberation to 1970s and 1980s, shell carving workers all over the world, on the basis of inheriting traditional crafts, paid attention to absorbing the advantages of tooth carving, jade carving, wood carving and Chinese painting, and combined with the characteristics of mother-of-pearl inlay technology, successfully developed relief shell carving paintings and various practical handicrafts, thus opening a new page in the history of shell carving technology. A large number of products are exported to earn foreign exchange and sell well in domestic and foreign markets.

Nowadays, because the craft of shell carving is very complicated, it takes a long time to train a shell carving worker, and young people generally lose interest in this traditional craft. The craft of shell carving gradually lost, leading to a shortage of talents, many shell carving factories closed down, old artists changed careers, and the craft of shell carving also fell into a downturn. The state began to rescue a number of traditional handicrafts, including shell carving, to improve the inheritance and continuation of shell carving skills.

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The theme of shell carving

There are many kinds of shells, the big ones are like dustpans and the small ones are like rice grains, with different shapes and colors. A shell can also be ground into many colors. Therefore, there are many kinds of handicrafts and a wide range of subjects. Mainly flowers and birds, figures, landscapes, still life and so on. , crystal clear, simple and elegant, with distinctive decorative and ornamental. The varieties include practical handicrafts such as drinking utensils, smoking utensils, stationery, table lamps, hairpins, bottle inserts, fish tanks, necklaces, jewelry boxes, and various artistic appreciation products such as hanging screens, seat screens, screens and round carvings. Shells can be cut, spliced and pasted, and can also be made into shell carvings. In addition, shell carving can be developed as a tourist souvenir, which is easy to carry and deeply loved by tourists.

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The making of shell carving

The key to shell carving is to use art according to materials. The so-called "material" is the finished product of materials provided by nature that are shaped according to the situation and then piled, stacked, connected and glued. Folk artists use shells very skillfully: saw the spotted shells into scarred trunks; Shells with spiral threads are cut into ladies' buns; Make leaves with scallops and shells; Use the red color of conch and chicken heart snail as maple leaf. There are also grapes that are purple in the inner layer of shells, and dresses are the layered expression of Jiangbei. Really can't. I just dyed it transparent. There are as many forms of expression and composition as there are in Chinese painting. After mounting, it is colorful and the group paintings of natural shellfish will never fade.

Shell carving crafts are complicated to make. High-quality shell carving crafts are often mounted, and some are equipped with bases, which have high artistic ornamental value. Shell carving often requires a lot of manpower and material resources. A shell carving painting weighing only a few tens of kilograms sometimes needs to consume one or two tons of raw materials, and it can only be completed after two or three months of meticulous carving. The manufacturing steps of shell carving are as follows:

1, design mode. Design the pattern of shell carving on the map.

2. Cutting and carving. Carving and cutting shell raw materials. This is the basic preparation stage of shell carving crafts.

3. it's stuck. According to the design and the effect of the previous demonstration, one-time gluing, generally using universal glue.

Step 4 drill holes. Due to the need of modeling, the connection between materials only depends on bonding, and the strength is often not enough. It is necessary to use a connector (usually steel wire) and select a drill with a suitable caliber to drill holes.

Step 5 polish. Before and after gluing, the work needs to be polished and adjusted.

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The origin of shell carving

There are shell carvings in many coastal areas. The main producing areas are Dalian in Liaoning, Luda, Qingdao in Shandong, Beihai in Guangxi, Lufeng in Guangdong and Lianyungang in Jiangsu.

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Zhu di Bei Diao boutique

Dalian shell carving:

Dalian is the birthplace of China shell carving, known as the cradle of shell carving technology, and its products are exported to more than 50 countries and regions. Shell sculptors in Dalian use local shells as raw materials, and according to the color and shape characteristics of each shell, they use traditional carving techniques and traditional Chinese painting composition forms to produce embossed shell sculptures of flowers, birds, landscapes and figures, which are vivid and lifelike.

Dalian shell carving craftsmen are very good at using the color of shells, not only skillfully using the color of shell skin, but also using various latent colors of shells. In this way, various natural colors of shells can be used to carve shells of various landscapes, flowers, birds and figures. Many excellent works of Dalian Shell Carving were exhibited at the International Expo and won prizes. In the national competition of the same industry, the shell carving of Dalian Shell Carving Factory has been among the best for many times.

Qingdao shell carving:

Qingdao shell carving was developed on the basis of Luodian in the early 1960s. 1962, Qingdao shell carving handicraft factory was established, and began to make professional shell carving, constantly summing up experience, which made Qingdao shell carving develop rapidly. There are various techniques of shell carving in Qingdao, such as mixing, pasting, spelling, sticking and painting. Drawing lessons from wood, jade, tooth carving, Chinese painting and other techniques, it is colorful, distinct and unique.

There are nearly 1,000 varieties of seven series of shell carving products in Qingdao, which won the "Tianma" Gold Award and the national "Hundred Flowers Award" Silver Cup Award (the highest award), and ranked second in the national shell carving industry appraisal with 1982. At present, Qingdao shell carvings are exported to more than 40 countries and regions in the world.

Shell carving in Qinhuangdao:

The shell carving paintings in Qinhuangdao are made by artists using the natural colors, textures and shapes of shells, after cutting, polishing and inlaying. Their craft is fine and their molds are exquisite. Shells are cut and ground, some as thin as cicada wings, some as small as rice grains, some as thin as hair, and some as bright as pearls. Over the years, local shell carving artists have been constantly innovating. On the basis of traditional snail inlay technology, they absorbed the advantages of many technologies and formed their own unique style. They carved all kinds of interesting relief paintings, which are simple, vigorous, natural, free and poetic.

Hainan shell carving:

Hainan shell carving has reached a high level in Ming Dynasty, and gradually combined with ancient coconut carving to form a unique artistic style. Hainan shell carvings are mostly inlaid with coconut carvings or used as bases. The bright shell carving is in sharp contrast with the quaint coconut carving, with classical and elegant tone, exquisite conception, unique artistic style and strong Hainan ethnic color.

Hainan shell carving attracts more and more attention and love with its unique style and strong national flavor. At present, Hainan Shell Carving has won numerous awards at the annual meeting of Boao Forum for Asia and some craft fairs in Macau, Shenyang, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Beijing and Shanghai, becoming a new shell carving brand.

North Sea Shell Sculpture:

Beihai shell carving painting is a kind of handicraft with shells and conchs as raw materials, which is carved, polished and pasted. The composition of Beihai shell carving draws lessons from the style of Chinese painting and strong oriental artistic conception. Themes are divided into figures, flowers and birds, and landscapes. The products have 15 specifications, and 1600 varieties. Shell carving is the best, such as peony, rose, chrysanthemum, hibiscus and so on.

After the 1970s and 1980s, shell carving in Beihai gradually declined. In recent years, with the development of tourism and the efforts of the local government, shell carving in Beihai has re-emerged after entering the 2 1 century, and shell carving handicrafts sell well in domestic and foreign markets. In 2007, Smooth sailing, a large shell sculpture by Beihai Hengxing Shell Carving, won the gold medal at the 42nd International Tourism Products and Crafts Expo held in Chongqing. ?

Beihai shell carving painting is a traditional national handicraft in Guangxi with a long history. It is a treasure in China's cultural treasure house, bearing ancient culture and embodying modern civilization. It is an important carrier to understand and publicize Beihai and a "business card" for Beihai. Shell carving painting is an elegant work of art created by artists skillfully using the natural color, texture and shape of shells and after careful design, carving and stacking. Shell carving painting combines the charm of Chinese painting, the ethereal spirit of embroidery, the texture of jade carving and the luster of pearls, and has a high and unique artistic appreciation. Because it is made of the essence of the sun and the moon, it is a shell with aura and treasure. It was used as money in ancient times, indicating that there are shells in the painting and treasures in the room. Folklore believes that it can ward off evil spirits and hide treasures, and it is a thing of the town house.

Beihai shell carving painting, a kind of handicraft with traditional and local characteristics, is deeply loved by people who understand "treasure". The Great Hall of the People in Beijing, the Capital International Airport, the Ministry of Commerce and other major venues are decorated with North Sea shell carvings. Beihai Shell Carving won the Gold Award and Silver Award in the "golden phoenix" Innovative Product Design Grand Prix held by China Arts and Crafts Association in 2007 and 2008, and won the "Hundred Flowers Award" Silver Award, the highest award of arts and crafts in China in 2008. It has been given to the leaders of other countries as a national gift many times.

Does luminous pearl shell carving bring good economic benefits?

A kind of handicraft called "luminous pearl shell carving painting", with the beautiful landscape of Chaohu Lake as the material, is unique in the field of dazzling handicrafts with its quaint and clever artistic charm, and is favored by tourists.

Wang Renhua, the founder of "Luminous Pearl Shell Carving Painting" and the director of Yuanshan Craft Factory in Juchao District, has been refined from the pearl shells cultured in Chaohu Lake since 2000 through the processes of selection, cleaning, cutting, polishing and inlaying. Pearl oyster has the characteristics of natural color, jade texture, crystal clear, strong three-dimensional sense and never fading, and the picture is vivid and vivid. "Luminous pearl carving and painting" has brought great economic and social benefits to Yuanshan Craft Factory.