"Dialog" Between Two Art Masters

XINHUA News Hangzhou Nov.19 2009
 

On Nov.19, Mr.Zhu Bingren,China Industrial Art Master, and representative of Dali artworks exhibitor shaked hands before bronze sculpture "Dali in my mind".

The same day, 350 pieces of Dali's artworks from Dali Museum and France Stella Foundation and more than 100 pieces of bronze sculptures created by Mr. Zhu Bingren were on show at "Hangzhou West Lake Art Exhibition". Two exhibitors made a "Great Talk Show Cross Easten and Westen" about art differences, confluence, innovation and breakthrough.
 

Introduction: Salvador Dali

Dali (Spanish pronunciation: [da?li]) was a skilled draftsman, best known for the striking and bizarre images in his surrealist work. His painterly skills are often attributed to the influence of Renaissance masters. His best-known work, The Persistence of Memory, was completed in 1931. Dali's expansive artistic repertoire includes film, sculpture, and photography, in collaboration with a range of artists in a variety of media.

Dali attributed his "love of everything that is gilded and excessive, my passion for luxury and my love of oriental clothes" to a self-styled "Arab lineage," claiming that his ancestors were descended from the Moors.

Dali was highly imaginative, and also had an affinity for partaking in unusual and grandiose behavior, in order to draw attention to himself. This sometimes irked those who loved his art as much as it annoyed his critics, since his eccentric manner sometimes drew more public attention than his artwork.

Introduction: Zhu Bingren, Chinese Bronze Art Master 
 
The descendant of a long line of bronze craftsmen, Zhu Bingren's exquisite skills were passed down from his ancestors. Now when he utilises these skills at an artistic level, he combines them with modern technology to create new national Chinese treasures.

65-year-old Zhu Bingren was born in east China's Shaoxing City, an ancient place with deep cultural connections. His great grandfather started a bronze and copper workshop, eventually turning it into a family business. This time-honoured family tradition has been passed down over two hundred years. Zhu Bingren is the fourth generation craftsman in his family.

"I grew up amid the sounds of bronze and copper being hammered, so I have a special passion for bronze and copper. Compared to iron and gold, bronze is the more noble and rational kind of metal. To me, it means steady, warm and eternal."

Zhu learned Chinese culture, and knew bronze to be an emblem of riches. In Chinese history, bronze containers were most commonly used in holy ceremonies. Bronze cups, bowls and mirrors were also necessary for new couples. As a result, the bronze-making industry was highly developed in this part of China. But it's also limited as a daily craft.

After learning the basic skills from his father, Zhu Bingren thought the business needed to be changed. Starting from the 1980s, he read a great deal of books on metal manufacturing, architecture designing, and folk handcrafts. After that, he worked in different fields such as building, landscaping, fine arts and chemical engineering. His endless efforts not only produced great knowledge, but also transformed him from a craftsman into a master.

He began creating bronze and copper sculptures, carvings and even buildings. Around the year 2000, he successively rebuilt two pagodas by the side of the West Lake in east China's Hangzhou City with bronze and copper tiles, pillars, beams and ceilings, all displaying his exquisite craftsmanship and the beauty of the materials he used.

However, it was a controversial solution to the reconstruction. Many experts disagreed with Zhu Bingren's claims that copper could be applied to buildings. But Zhu proved those were only preconceptions.

"When it comes to buildings, most people would take it for granted that it's made of bricks or wood, especially in ancient architecture. In fact, bronze and copper have been used in many constructions throughout history. They last a long time. They are corrosion-proof. They are good at supporting. So they work well."

After that, Zhu Bingren established a standard system for China's copper architecture industry. He also designed different forms of copper buildings.

"I keep readjusting the standard and the content. Now I apply copper techniques to building pavilions, bridges, and boats. My range is becoming wider."

In 2006, a fire occurred when Zhu Bingren was building another pagoda. The accident didn't dampen Zhu's enthusiasm. Instead, it provided important inspiration.

"I found that burnt-off copper demonstrated amazing colours and shapes. Every piece was different and unique. So I kept some of the relics and turned them into artwork. It became another avenue for my expression after that. I investigated how I could control their shape after firing them. It's amazing."

Now Zhu Bingren's works have been collected in China's National Museum. Critics say they are good combinations of modern art and the liberal style of traditional Chinese culture. In Hangzhou, Zhu has even built his own bronze art museum. For bronze enthusiasts, it's a dream world where the art of bronze is extended beyond ordinary imagination.