On The Freehand Brushwork

Yixing Chun Tao, a kind of glaze purple sand originally made in Mid-Ming, is one of the oldest and best ceramic art. It has characteristics in three major aspects including modeling, general appearance and glaze pigment. In pottery field, screen decorations do have distinguishing feature and representativeness. Decorative methods, such as stamps, mud paintings and heaping veins, have inherited from past dynasties. Among them, thumb heaping veins has developed maturely. Figures of heaping veins and applique has been keeping developing since the Ming and Qing, which brings about changes in styles, skills and artistic quality. Some production methods and technologies have a distinctive quality of freehand, showing innovation in deeper thoughts, content, feelings and ideals. Moreover, Chun Tao was initially for daily use, and then developed to be arts and crafts with screen decorations in the wake of people’s spiritual aesthetic improvement. Now it’s totally appreciated as artwork. This paper discussed pottery decorative methods, style characteristics, manufacturing skills and development trends, in order to research the unique contemporary freehand style.