China News Service, Quanzhou, September 25 (Wu Guanbiao) "Hui'an stone carvings are rooted in the culture of southern Fujian. They are harmonious but different and eclectic, so they can survive thousands of years and are well-known both at home and abroad." Wu Deqiang, a master of Chinese arts and crafts and a master of Huian carving art In his eyes, rooting in the folk and drawing artistic inspiration from the land of southern Fujian is his "creative secret".
Recently, Wu Deqiang's stone carving work "Working Together" won the highest award of Chinese folk literature and art "Shanhua Award Excellent Folk Arts and Crafts Works".
The work creates the labor scene of two Hui'an women with ingenious skills, and portrays the beautiful image of "Hui'an women" as industrious, simple, positive and optimistic, which is breathtaking.
Wu Deqiang instructed his apprentices to carve.
Photo courtesy of the interviewee
Wu Deqiang, who was born in Hui'an County, Quanzhou City, Fujian Province, the "Capital of Chinese Stone Sculpture", has a deep affection for the image of "Huian Women".
"As the saying goes, labor is the most beautiful. When I was a stone sculptor apprentice, I once saw Hui'an women prying stones in a mine. That scene became one of my inspirations for "Working Together"."
Influenced by the Hui'an stone carving art since childhood, Wu Deqiang entered the stone carving factory after graduating from junior high school. He started as an apprentice and forged ahead on the road of carving art for a moment, to today's stone carving art master and intangible inheritor, it has been 36 years , can be described as "sweet and bitter taste all".
The 6th National College Graduates Stone Sculpture Creation Camp.
Photo courtesy of the interviewee
"I often walk by the river without getting wet shoes. When I was an apprentice, I was often hit by a hammer and an iron cone on my hands, and my skin was ripped apart, and I came here after gritting my teeth." When he was young, Wu Deqiang was willing to endure hardship, love to learn, and love to study. Under the tutelage of Jiang Zhijin, a famous stone carving craftsman in southern Fujian, and Hong Shiqing, a famous sculptor, he has gone out of his own way.
The most memorable creation of Wu Deqiang is the sculpture of "People's Scientist Qian Xuesen".
In order to make this 1.96-meter-high white marble statue perfect in both form and spirit, he consulted and analyzed a large number of Qian Xuesen's photos and documents, communicated with Qian Xuesen's former staff, and deeply understood Qian Xuesen's character, academic qualities and outstanding contributions. , and repeated overthrow and redo of the formed works.
"Art is to keep improving. During the creation, because I found a black spot with a diameter of 0.5 cm on the face of the statue, I scrapped 80% of the completed works and re-selected materials for processing." Wu Deqiang said with a smile.
After three years of sharpening a sword, this statue shows Qian Xuesen's wisdom and calm demeanor to the fullest. It was finally donated to Xidian University, and is still talked about by Wu Deqiang to this day.
"This interprets my respect and love for Qian Lao's life-long dedication, and it also reflects the family and national feelings of the Hui'an stone carving industry."
Wu Deqiang's stone sculpture "Work Together".
Photo courtesy of the interviewee
Talking about the inheritance and development of Hui'an stone carvings, Wu Deqiang's tone was a little gratified.
In recent years, Hui'an County has held several international sculpture art expositions, allowing Hui'an stone sculpture to communicate with the world, collide with artistic thinking, greatly expand the influence of Hui'an stone sculpture, and allow more and more young people to choose to learn sculpture and inherit Hui'an stone sculpture. skill.
In addition to his busy creation, Wu Deqiang never forgets the mission of Hui'an stone carving.
He pointed out that with the improvement of the economic level, Hui'an stone carving began to move towards industrialization and scale, and the traditional apprenticeship model was no longer suitable for industrial development.
Therefore, Wu Deqiang cooperated with "Sculpture" magazine, and successively hosted the 5th and 6th National College Graduates Stone Sculpture Creation Camp, innovating the apprenticeship model, so that college graduates with theoretical foundations and Hui'an craftsmen who inherit carving techniques , exchange and learn from each other, realize the integration of theory and practice, and strive to cultivate a group of high-quality inheritors of the new era for Hui'an stone carving.
Under his full teaching, skilled craftsmen who are good at techniques, understand theories, and carve are born one after another, constantly injecting fresh blood into Hui'an stone carvings.
"As the provincial non-genetic inheritor of Hui'an stone carving, it is my duty to pass on and develop the thousand-year-old skill of Hui'an stone carving in the new era. It is my duty to ignite the inheritance of skills with personal fire. Always abide by the original intention of the craftsman." Wu Deqiang said.
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