Li Yan Xun
Since childhood, Li Yan Xun learned from his father, Li Xiao Cong, and followed in his father’s footsteps by studying painting and ceramics. In 2003, Yan Xun was admitted to study at the Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute. After completing one year of university, in the Summer of 2004 Yan Xun dropped out of school in order to set up an independent ceramics studio. In addition to continuing the new fencai (overglaze enamel) process pioneered by his father, Li Yan Xun spent nearly ten years researching the recreation of Jingdezhen Ming and Qing glazes, underglazes and overglazes. This research led to the creation of a set of ceramic fomulas with similar chemistry and characteristics to the Ming and Qing originals. In addition to the familiar colors of traditional ceramics from the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Li Yan Xun added many new varieties of colors and created a new system of materials and application techniques that he has termed "Yan Cai".
Li Yan Xun's painting aesthetic is based on the literati landscape paintings of the Chinese dynasties. The use of ceramic materials and techniques in his paintings are rich and varied, an eclectic range spanning traditional blue and white to the more colorful techniques of wucai, yangcai, fencai, falangcai, and more. Li Yan Xun’s goal is to comprehensively explore and pursue the essence of Chinese ancient ceramic aesthetics. While reflecting the diversity of ceramic decoration techniques, his work integrates the aesthetics of both Chinese literati painting as well as contemporary art into porcelain.
Artist’s Statement
As far back as I can remember, painting has been a part of my life. From as early as the age of four I have clear memories of being guided by my father, learning Chinese painting year after year, and participating in various competitions, both local and international, with good results. After graduating from elementary school, my father suggested that I study Western painting. So for the next seven years I used the annual summer and winter vacations to study Western painting. It was not until I began university that the study of painting came to an end and I turned to the field of ceramics.
I cannot speak of ceramics without mentioning the influence of my parents. Both of my parents worked in the Chaozhou state-owned porcelain factory before I was born, and my father was a senior technician in the porcelain factory. At the end of the 1980’s, my parents left the state-owned factory and started a small number of private ceramic painting workshops in the Chaozhou. These ceramics workshops were my childhood playground.
In 2003 I arrived in Jingdezhen. I was very excited to see this ancient and modern city of ceramics. My life became filled with activity. I began studying ceramic processes such throwing. I searched the countryside for ancient kiln sites, collecting and studying ancient shards. I hung out in folk workshops and studied with the artisans. In the summer of the following year, after much thought, I made the decision to leave the university and set off on my own path.
With the support of my father, I set up a ceramics studio in the eastern suburbs of Jingdezhen. At the beginning, I mainly focused on exploring the integration of Chinese landscape painting with ceramic painting. Chinese painting is a unique type of painting and represents the highest standard of Chinese aesthetics. I spent the first ten years in my studio creating a new type of fencai (overglaze enamels). During this time I created various landscape paintings inspired by the Chinese dynasties.
In 2013, my tenth year in Jingdezhen, I came up with the idea of making my first “new fencai” porcelain exhibition. The basis of this exhibition was the imitation of the important landscape paintings of various Chinese dynasties. My goal was to make a comprehensive study of Chinese landscape paintings transformed by my “new fencai” materials. This exhibition was also meant to be the conclusion of this first stage of my artistic journey.
In the three years during which i prepared for the exhibition I felt a strong sense of satisfaction whenever I finished a work, but I slowly realized that I was getting farther and farther away from the language of ceramics. Porcelain painting is an important part of ceramic art, but when you pursue the technique of traditional painting, the rich and colorful language of ceramics can actually be weakened.
My enthusiasm for and study of ancient ceramics conditioned me to observe contemporary ceramics with a judging eye. This aesthetic consists of four basic levels of assessment, namely: the beauty of the material, the beauty of the sculpture, the beauty of the craft and the beauty of the decoration. To measure the aesthetic value of a work, the order of these four conditions should not be reversed.
In recent years, more and more foreign painters have entered Jingdezhen, and a large number of college students have participated in the porcelain painting industry. The number of porcelain painters is growing rapidly and has even formed a strong new group among ceramic artists. So, before my first exhibition was completed, I chose to leave again, also leaving behind those familiar materials, the “new” fencai, and my familiar ways of painting. I wanted to explore a new road, a method of contemporary ceramic art that could be integrated with ancient Chinese ceramic aesthetics.
Starting in the Yuan Dynasty, Jingdezhen rapidly developed into a unique ceramics center famous throughout the world. It has taken a millennium to establish this ceramic ecosystem. The common characteristics of this ecosystem is that the creators do not make their own materials, and those making materials do not understand how to use them; those pursuing classical antiques are not good at innovation, and the innovators are not familiar with ancient technique; the painters cannot make forms and shapes, while the potters who make forms lack aesthetics. It can be seen that if you create ceramics within this ecosystem, then you only need a designer, not a potter. But this kind of split behavior violates the independent ceramic spirit. The function of the designer is to use whatever resources are available to complete a design. While the function of the potter is to apply creative ideas directly to the materials, using craft techniques and finally firing to complete the work independently of other artisans. How much the ceramic artist participates in each step of the process will directly affect the artistic purity of the work.
In view of my wish to reassess and begin anew my exploration of contemporary ceramic art, after 2013 I began to focus on researching ceramic materials. I have always been especially interested in the glazes of Jingdezhen porcelain from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. From the Ming and Qing Dynasty wucai to fencai, each dynasty has had its own color aesthetic and color system, also materials may run out as the dynasty changes. This problem is in large part due to the poor accuracy of ancient material formulations and the absence of data formation. It is not surprising that the raw materials used are poorly stabilized and of insufficient purity, resulting in the loss of so many enamels. Therefore, I spent six years using relevant chemicals and chemical analyses to carry out experiments on both wucai and fencai overglaze enamels of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and I gradually established a set of standardized glaze data. While working to restore those ancient enamels, I was simultaneously perfecting a number of ancient pigments.
With the successful advancement of my materials research, lately I have also begun to begin again creating traditional porcelain painting varieties, and I have once again embarked on the path of the ancients. Therefore, I am preparing an exhibition of "Arts and Ancient Society", which is a collection of ancient paintings painted on ceramic during this past decade. For my dream of ceramics, this is just a start. Although this step is difficult to achieve, it is truthful and leads me to the next step. There is no end to learning, and the current art of self-awareness is still early.