A Study Of The Form Design Of The Bronze Wine Vessel Of Erlitou Culture

Form and function are two key factors of modern art design. The famous remark"Form Follows Function"by the great American architect Louis H. Sullivan has the following implications: first, form derives from function; second, form is subordinated to function; third, form expresses function. On one hand, form determines function; on the other hand, function must be expressed by form, that is by specific image and the proper form. The integration of form and function constitutes the fundamental concept of the functional beauty of man-made subjects. Proper functional form is not only a good form, it is also considered as a form of functional beauty by ancient Chinese people."Qi Yi Xiang Zhi"is the working principle of traditional Chinese handicraft art."Qi"is the function of the subject;"Xiang"is the form of the item; and"Zhi"refers to the courtesy in ancient China. The combination of"Qi, Xiang, Zhi"and demands of people's life reflects the quintessence of handicraft art in ancient China, and discloses the basic guiding ideology of ancient implements design.Erlitou Culture is the culture of Chinese bronze vessel. The period of Erlitou Culture is the time of the Chinese courtesy formation. The bronze wine vessel of the Erlitou Culture is the earliest bronze vessel found in China by now. The study of the bronze wine vessel of the Erlitou Culture can help us understand the technological development of Chinese bronze vessel handicraft art, and know that the bronze wine vessels of the Erlitou Culture are not only vessels of courtesy but also the vessels of the noble in common use, thus finding the proper combination of"Qi, Xiang, Zhi"in the process of casting.The present study makes a discussion from the perspective of art design in three aspects: first, the function and form design of the bronze vessel of the Erlitou Culture, which analyses the expressions of courtesy of Erlitou Culture in wine vessels as well as the relation between form and function; second, the study of the casting techniques of bronze wine vessels. The casting techniques affect the change of the form of the vessels, and the beautification of form promotes the development of the techniques; third, the combination relation of the wines vessels, which mainly discusses the functional effect of the bronze wine vessels of Erlitou Culture in courtesy, and makes some new explorations of the practical functions of the early bronze vessels from the perspective of form design.The study of the bronze vessels of Erlitou Culture deepens our understanding of the traditional casting techniques and the meaning of"Qi Yi Xiang Zhi"in traditional art design.