"Stone Appreciation Art and Non-art" in Western Stone Appreciation World

On Western Stone Appreciation —— Art and Non-art of Stone Appreciation

Text/Ma Hongbin

Author: Ma Hongbin

China Ornamental Stone 3

The family is calling this name.

Stone species are matched with white wax stone and tortoise shell stone.

Specification basin length 150cm

Collect Feng Liansheng.

As we all know, although the concept and definition of "ornamental stone" (also known as ornamental stone, strange stone, elegant stone, etc.). ), the concept and definition of "stone appreciation" at least include the following main factors: naturally formed (non-artificially processed) rocks, mineral crystals and paleontological fossils in nature. The field discussed in this paper is limited to the scope of "stone appreciation of rocks naturally formed in nature", excluding the study of mineral crystals and paleontological fossils.

This paper attempts to explore the "art and non-art" in western stone appreciation circles, so as to let readers know more about the research status of western academic stone appreciation theories, thus broadening their horizons and expecting to achieve breakthrough results in the comparative study of eastern and western stone appreciation theories in the future.

The pluralistic views of mainstream stone appreciation circles in the United States: potted plants and water stones are two related art forms, which agree that water stones are an art and that the whole stone appreciation with a base is a work of art; It focuses on the in-depth study of the relationship between culture and art of China's classical stone appreciation; Using modern scientific and technological means to study China's classical stone appreciation and pedestal is influenced by the Japanese view of stone appreciation, which indirectly recognizes that stone appreciation is art.

China Ornamental Stone 3

The western world calls China's classical stone appreciation and China's literati stone "China's Lingshi" or "China's literati stone", while the modern stone is called "Stone" or "Stone Appreciation". The author believes that the mainstream stone appreciation circles in the United States have diversified research on stone appreciation culture and art, which is mainly divided into the following four branches:

Shi Shui is an art, and potted plants and stone water are two related art forms.

According to the English edition of Shi Shui Journal of Shi Shui Association of Europe published in autumn of 2002, a symposium on potted plants and stony water was held in Washington State National Botanical Garden from May 17 to May 19, 2002. The theme of the forum is the art forms related to potted plants and stone water. The purpose of this international seminar is to provide more in-depth information about potted science and water stone art, as well as the history and development of related art forms. Dr. Thomas Elias, Dr. Petedel Tredici, Mr. Bill Valavanis, Mr. Robert D Mowry and Mr. Larry Ragel, directors of the National Botanical Garden of the United States, respectively gave speeches on potted plants: the discovery and introduction of the West, the introduction of Larz Andersen and his potted plants, bonsai, the traditional stone offering in China and the appreciation and development of landscape stones in California. Mr. Hideo Marushima, a historian of potted plants and waterstones, described two artistic forms of potted plants and waterstones. Mr. Arishige Mstsuura said: "There is nothing better than natural stones, but there is an allowable range of artificial processing ... Water stones are naturally formed stones in nature, and beautiful stones (beautiful stones) are those that have not been artificially processed. Therefore, I think stones can be turned into water stones. Moreover, the top of the stone is artificially processed or processed too much, which makes the stone become an artificial product. Between natural stone and artificial stone, there is a kind of stone in between. So I think some stones can cut a certain part, and they should also be cut and processed to look better. " Obviously, some stone appreciators in the United States think that water stone is an art, but unfortunately, they have not conducted in-depth argumentation on whether water stone is a work of art.

China Ornamental Stone 3

Stone appreciation is a work of art as a whole.

Since 1 996, the literati stone collection of American sculpture artist Richard Rosson Bloom has been exhibited in major European and American museums and art galleries such as new york, Boston, Seattle, Zurich and Berlin. 1997 published the research monograph "The World in the World: A Collection of China Scholars' Stones in Bloom, Richard Rosson" (The World in the World: A Collection of Traditional Stone Sacrifices in China, Bloom, Richard Rosson, the same below). This book is a collection of essays written by experts in cultural relics, history, painting, sculpture and geology for this exhibition. This book is considered to represent the recent achievements of western academic circles in studying stone appreciation as an art from an aesthetic point of view. Rosenbloom believes that the strange stone base is a clever combination of culture and nature. "Take away the base, and the strange stone will be restored to a natural object; After Rosenbloom died, he donated several Tibetan stones to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, USA, and they are still displayed in the Asian Pavilion of the museum for visitors to visit.

An in-depth study on the relationship between China's classical stone appreciation culture and art

According to Ding's Introduction to Ancient Stone Appreciation in China (Sanlian Bookstore, September 2002), he made an in-depth study of classical stone appreciation in China and modern stone appreciation in the western world. He believes that "there is an art" has profoundly influenced the long history of painting, sculpture, gardens and arts and crafts in China, but it has also stood out in the western art world and caused a strong shock. It's Classical Stone Appreciation in China. The in-depth study of China's classical stone appreciation in culture, history, age, classification, appreciation, sculpture, function and geology by the mainstream stone appreciation circles in the United States not only pushed the understanding of China's classical stone appreciation to an unprecedented depth and breadth, but also brought brand-new enlightenment to the stone appreciation and art research in the international stone appreciation circles.

China Ornamental Stone 3

The research on the relationship between China's classical stone appreciation culture and art by American stone appreciation circles mainly includes the following aspects:

First, "stone appreciation in art" and stone appreciation as a culture.

According to Ding's "Introduction", 1985, the first exhibition with the theme of appreciating China's classical stones was held in New York State. The subtitle of this exhibition is "Rock in Art", not "Rock as Art". The paper "Core of Energy, Bone of the Earth" by john hay, an American art historian, represents the early western academic research on China's classical stone appreciation from the cultural connotation, and discusses the important role of stone appreciation in gardens and other art forms.

1995, Mr. john hay published the article "Sino-Japanese Rock Culture: Meaning and Context". Based on the different religious systems of East and West, China and Japan, the cultural connotation of classical stone appreciation is re-expounded through comparison. In this study, the author regards stone appreciation as a cultural phenomenon. Therefore, it can be said that American stone appreciators regard "stone appreciation in art" and stone appreciation as culture.

Secondly, the artistic form with suggestive ability and the abstract expressive significance of modern art.

There are also American stone appreciators who think that stone appreciation is "an artistic form with suggestive ability and abstract expression of modern artistic significance", such as 1997, and Claudia B. Rown, an American scholar, wrote in her paper "The Rock and the Invariant Land of China Scholars: Some Seen from Paintings" ("China Humanities Stone and Its Eternal Theme: My Views on Paintings").

Robert D Mowry's article "China Literati Stone: An Overview" holds that the so-called literati stone, which is mainly composed of Lingbi stone and quartz stone, is full of abstract and expressive modern artistic significance.

Thirdly, the relationship between "nature" and "artificiality" in China's classical stone appreciation.

In his paper "The Position of China Art: The History of Rock Display Pedestal" ("The Basis of China Art: The History of Several Human Stone Exhibitions"), Jan Stuart comprehensively expounded the important role of pedestal in stone appreciation for the first time, and pedestal became an accessory and unique work of art for stone appreciation. Artist Richard Rosson Bloom (1940-2000) emphasized in "An Artist's Collection" that it is an indisputable fact that stone appreciation has been carved. He deeply discussed the relationship between "nature" and "artificiality" in stone appreciation, and extended the controversial artistic creation until auguste rodin to the evaluation of China's classical stone appreciation.

China Ornamental Stone 3

Fourthly, using modern scientific and technological means to study the classical stone appreciation and pedestal in China.

Using modern scientific and technological means to test China's classical stone appreciation and pedestal is probably the first study by Americans. For example, Eugene Farrell of Harvard University and others used scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), electron probe analysis energy dispersion spectrum (EMPA-EDS) and Fourier transform spectrum (FT-IR) to study China's classical stone appreciation, which proved that there were many methods of carving, polishing and coloring. However, it is often difficult to accurately distinguish the traces of nature and human actions. Allen Jay Kaufman's stable isotope analysis also shows that the carbon-oxygen ratio of Lingbi stone and quartz stone is quite different. Comparatively speaking, lingbi stone may have only one source, while quartz stone may have multiple sources. The study of China's classical stone appreciation technology by American stone appreciation circles is helpful to distinguish man-made and natural stone appreciation, so as to understand the historical stone appreciation culture and art and its evolution.

Influenced by the Japanese concept of stone appreciation, they indirectly admit that stone appreciation is art.

According to the introduction of American stone appreciators Peter Allardi and alan walker in Overview of Stone Appreciating in the Contemporary World, the book "Art of Ornamental Stone in Japan" by Japanese immigrant bonsai master Yuji Yoshimura and American scholar Vince Covello was published in 1 984, which was considered as an introductory book for stone appreciating in the West and influenced the West. It can be considered that it has influenced some western stone appreciators to indirectly admit that ornamental stones are art.

Views of Britain, Germany and their European stone appreciation circles

According to Ding, in 1995, British cultural relics experts Paul Moss and Brian Harkins published the book When People Meet Mountains: Lingyan between China and Japan. This book records 30 pieces of stone appreciation in China, about 30 pieces in Japan, and more than 30 other works related to stone appreciation, and briefly explains the image, type, style and age of stone appreciation. Allardi and alan walker, American stone appreciators, introduced in "Overview of Stone Appreciating in Contemporary World" that the British Museum in London, England "regards two huge China literati stones as part of China's art collection" (see the inaugural issue of "Global Stone Appreciating Bonsai").

According to the publication of "Stone Appreciation Culture" (No.7), Willi Benz Ci Ci, chairman of the German Water Stone Association and vice chairman of the European Stone Appreciation Association, pointed out in the book "Water Stone-Asian Fine Stone Art" that "in many Far Eastern countries, stones with high artistic value have different names." German stone connoisseurs point out that high-value stones can be used as works of art.

Marco Favero, an Italian stone connoisseur, also pointed out: "In Europe, stones are mainly beautiful stones to appreciate as waterstones. I haven't seen any Lingpen stones except a few stones. In any case, in Europe, I can testify that my obsession with water stones has confused me. "

Because of the limited information I have, and because the stone appreciation circles in Britain, Germany and Europe have been involved in stone appreciation culture for a short time, we still know very little about their views on whether stone appreciation is art.

Is China in line with the world or is the world in line with China?

On May 3rd, 2006, "International Stone Appreciation Summit Forum" was held at the 7th China Stone Appreciation Exhibition and International Stone Appreciation Exhibition. Mr. William Ben Ci, Chairman of the European Stone Appreciation Federation, Vice Chairman of the International Stone Appreciation Museum, Vice Chairman of the International Stone Appreciation Collection Federation and Honorary Consultant of the German Stone Appreciation Association, introduced the history, classification and artistic appreciation of European stone appreciation culture at the "Forum". He said that there are two biggest difficulties in European stone appreciation culture: one is that there is no European stone appreciation culture background, and the other is that you don't know Chinese. In Europe, stone appreciation can be divided into four categories: landscape, pictograph, abstraction and color. European stone appreciation is most influenced by the Japanese, and he himself likes landscape stone appreciation best. They later learned that many Japanese cultures and arts (including stone appreciation culture) are rooted in China. The author recalls the "Stone Appreciation Seminar" held in Shanghai on June1997+1October 3/KLOC-0. At that time, Mr. William Ben Ci, vice chairman of the European Stone Appreciation Federation and chairman of the German Stone Appreciation Association, also introduced the water stone culture in Europe, and thought that stone appreciation was still a very young art form in Europe. Unfortunately, the contents of Mr. William Ben Ci's speeches in1June 1997 and1June 1997, and in May 2006 nine years later, have hardly changed much, except that the origin of stone appreciation culture is in China. This also reflects from one side that there is no substantial innovation and breakthrough in academic research in European stone appreciation circles. In contrast, the North American stone appreciation community seems to have made a deeper academic research on stone appreciation.

China Ornamental Stone 3

The name soared

Name attached Yingde Shilang fish bonsai

The specification tree is 45 cm high.

Author Xue Ping

Seeing the decline of Japanese stone appreciation industry, and looking back at the unprecedented active state of China's theoretical research and many theoretical research achievements of China's stone appreciation industry, Mr. Sato Guanshi expressed his feelings that "I fully understand that China is a country with Chinese characters and languages" and "China's attitude of appreciating stones is really aesthetics and philosophy". However, the author once thought that even in China, compared with contemporary mainstream culture, stone appreciation culture is a sub-culture or quasi-mainstream culture between mainstream culture, sub-culture and non-mainstream culture.

The author thinks that stone appreciation is a cultural phenomenon, but it seems that "stone appreciation is art" has not been fully recognized. "Whether stone appreciation is art or not" itself is not important. Different countries and different stone appreciators have different answers. It is important for us to have a correct attitude towards stone appreciation culture and treat it correctly with Scientific Outlook on Development. In the history of Japanese stone appreciation, stone appreciation is not an art, and it is not rented out to exhibition venues. The attitude of "stone appreciation is not a theory" or the practice of taking stone appreciation as a general cultural behavior should not be repeated in contemporary China stone appreciation circles, nor should it happen in contemporary China stone appreciation circles.

We believe that China, as the birthplace of stone appreciation culture, should not be arrogant, nor should it blindly worship foreign things, but should look at the problem from the perspective of scientific development. For the mineral crystal appreciation culture that emphasizes science, it seems understandable to connect with the world; However, for the stone appreciation culture that pays attention to aesthetic artistry, it is not that China wants to connect with the world, but that the world is connecting with China!

Academic exchanges and cooperation between the East and the West will help push the development of stone appreciation culture in China and the world to an unprecedented new historical peak in the 2 1 century!