Kaihua Root Carving [Zhejiang Kaihua Specialty]

What is Kaihua Root Carving? Authentic Zhejiang Kaihua specialty: Kaihua root carving

Content summary:Do you want to know what Kaihua root carving is? This article is a detailed introduction toZhejiang Kaihua specialty - Kaihua Root Carving. It was compiled and edited by the editorial team of China Specialty Network after reviewing and collecting relevant information on Kaihua Root Carving. The full text takes about 5 minutes to read, mainly including the basic introduction of Kaihua Root Carving and how the history of Kaihua Root Carving originated? The production method of Kaihua root carving, etc

Basic Introduction to Kaihua Root Carving

Root carving is one of the traditional carving arts of the Han ethnic group. It is an artistic creation object that takes the self generated and distorted forms of tree roots (including tree trunks, tree nodules, bamboo roots, etc.), and creates artistic images such as characters, animals, and objects through conception, artistic processing, and craftsmanship. Root carving art is a sculptural art that discovers natural beauty and demonstrates creative processing. Root carving craftsmanship emphasizes "three parts artificial, seven parts natural", meaning that in root carving creation, the natural form of the root material should be mainly used to express artistic images, supplemented by artificial processing and decoration. Therefore, root carving is also known as "art of roots" or "root art"

How did the history of Kaihua root carving come about

"Material selection is the first step in root carving production." In the root carving section of Lezhao Art Village in Hefei, experts from the Provincial Collectors Association pointed to a batch of precious root carvings such as boxwood and sandalwood and introduced the production process in detail. Materials must be selected from tree species that are hard, delicate in texture, stable in wood properties, not easily cracked or deformed, not prone to decay, and can be preserved for a long time, such as boxwood, sandalwood, and elm, which are all excellent materials for root art. Dead roots submerged in mud or deeply buried in soil, formed by centuries of carbonization, are almost as hard as fossils and are excellent for root art. The selection criteria for shape can be summarized as four types: rare, strange, ancient, and peculiar. Generally, tree roots that grow in plains have sufficient nutrients, grow quickly, and the wood fibers are relatively loose, making it difficult to form unique shapes. Only roots that grow in harsh environments, such as those grown in the back of the sun or in crevices of cliffs and rocks, and have survived tenaciously through lightning strikes, fire, ant erosion, stone pressure, human trampling, and knife cutting, due to insufficient light, lack of soil, water, and nutrients, do not gradually deform over time. As they age, their quality becomes stronger and their shape becomes more unique and robust, making them ideal materials for root art. Making root carvings is not a simple task, it involves eight steps including degreasing, peeling and cleaning, dehydration and drying, shaping, precision processing, quenching, coloring and painting, and naming. “