湖南民间雕塑艺术的渊源与特征

郭文光

In autumn of 1993, archaeologists discovered the earliest two articles of ceramics of over 10,000 years old and three drops of rice in Yuchan Rock in Dao County, Hunan. When pithecanthropus began to master usage of fire, the ancients knew usage of fire; modern understood grind to create fire, fire has become the inseparable partner of human civilized improvement. Except for used for illumination, creating heat, cooking food and burning straws and weeds, people also discovered earth could be carved after barbecued. Since burning clay into thing and water filling pottery, human began the most original sculpture.

In late 1970's to 1990's, a large quantity of elegant, high carving leveled, various technique of expression and age-old pottery were unearthed, many of which were earlier than Yangyao ancient painted pottery in Central Plains and most of which weren't known by people, even professional sculpture workers.

The bronze, " Square Zun with the design of four sheep heads on four sides", was the most representative ware in Hunan sculpture style with a whole unit of circular engravure, high relief and chevee, which naturally and perfectly formed an elegant, exquisite and luxuriant bronze work of art.

Wooden sculpture is easy to corrode thanks to long times, so it's very difficult to see wooden sculpture of primitive society. Now we can see large quantities of boards with carved flowers, bamboo carving and stone carving for buildings, etc in Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China. As for rich families, their gate posts, door cases, lattice windows, tables, chairs, basin frames were carved with flowers and phoenixes, and frame beds and sedans, even close stools were carved with pattern.

一、原始陶的发现

1993年秋，考古工作者在湘南道县玉蟾岩发现了我国最早超一万多年的二件陶器和三粒水稻。陶器为尖底深腹大口罐，胎厚1cm的夹粗砂褐陶，夹石英颗粒0.5cm，器物内外都拍印有近似纺织状的纹饰，显示出火候低的原始性质。与“受编织物敷泥焙烧后可以盛水的启发而发明了陶器”的推论相合。

当猿人开始掌握用火、古人懂得用火、新人懂得磨擦取火开始，火成为了人类文明进步最不可分离的伴侣。火除了照明取暖，熟食火耕之外，人们还发现泥土在烧烤后的可塑性，自从把湿泥烧制成盛物和水的陶器，人类就开始了最原始的雕塑活动了。

随着历史的发展，制陶逐步采用泥片塑成型法，器形不规范并多样化，纹饰多用绳纹，距今7000多年的长沙南郊大塘出土的白陶双耳罐上，以褐彩满绘水波纹、窗棂纹、花瓣纹、树冠及凤鸟纹饰。线条准确流畅，结构完整，布局疏密有致。沅水上流黔阳高庙出土的折肩兽面纹和凤鸟纹陶罐，用细蓖点组成极具夸张和想象力的兽面纹图案，对称精确而规整。石门皂市下层出土的红陶七芒太阳纹圆形器则用镂空与地纹相结合的表现手法。这三个不同地点出土的分别为彩绘、阴刻和镂空加底纹的装饰手法，表明在7000多年前的湖南民间艺人，不但能够熟练地掌握各种器物的制作，已具备相当高的装饰能力和水平，并在造型和审美观念上具有自己的独特见解。

在距今5000年左右的屈家岭文化龚陶的领先位置被磨光精细、造型规范、胎体极薄的黑陶和灰陶取代。……