Basic Characteristics of Ancient Chinese Sculpture

The basic characteristics of ancient Chinese sculpture can be summarized into the following six points:

Ⅰ. Diverse Themes

The themes of ancient Chinese sculpture are rich and varied, encompassing figures, animals (including fictional animals), natural landscapes, historical stories, myths and legends, life scenes, music, dance, and theater. Unlike Western sculpture, which often focuses on human figures, animal imagery holds a significant proportion in ancient Chinese sculpture, particularly during the pre-Qin, Qin, and Han dynasties, where the artistic achievements of animal sculptures even surpassed those of human figures. Furthermore, incorporating natural landscapes into sculpture is also a pioneering feat of ancient Chinese sculpture.

Ⅱ. Societal Utilitarianism

Ancient Chinese sculpture is often closely linked to people's practical life needs and societal utilitarian purposes such as religion, patriarchal clans, ethics, and funerals, embodying a strong societal utilitarianism.

Ⅲ. Created Mostly by Unknowns

In ancient China, sculptors and sculptural theories did not attain an independent aesthetic status. Compared to painters (especially literati painters), sculptors faced cultural status disparities and were regarded as craftsmen, not esteemed by literati scholars. This traditional mindset led to the ancient Chinese sculptural tradition primarily being transmitted among folk craftsmen.

Ⅳ. Interconnectivity between Sculpture and Painting

Ancient Chinese sculpture and painting share interconnectivity in their expressive forms. The Chinese people did not emphasize the distinctions between sculpture and painting in terms of expressive forms. Ancient Chinese sculpture often exhibited many identical or similar factors to painting in terms of expressive forms.

Color

Ancient Chinese sculpture emphasizes "decoration" (coloring sculptures) and has preserved this characteristic over time. In the sculptural arts of ancient civilizations worldwide, early sculptures were generally colored. In ancient Egypt, Babylon, Greece, India, and others, coloring sculptures was very common. However, the sculptural arts of these civilizations later underwent changes in the use of color. The use of color became an important distinction between painting and sculpture in the West. The tradition of “decoration”(coloring sculptures) has been preserved for a long time in the history of Chinese sculpture.

Line

Line is one of the primary expressive means in Chinese painting. Compared to Western painting, Chinese painting emphasizes changes in lines and ink colors more. Western painting, on the other hand, focuses more on changes in color, light, and shadow. The interconnectivity between Chinese sculpture and painting is also manifested in the importance of lines as one of the expressive means in sculpture. Nearly all excellent ancient Chinese sculptures embody this characteristic.

Vividness

Moreover, both Chinese figure sculpture and painting emphasize capturing the inner spirit of the depicted individuals, i.e., vividness, which can also be seen as manifestations of the interconnectivity between sculpture and painting.

V. Freehand Expression

Ancient Chinese sculpture emphasizes freehand expression, focusing on uncovering and representing the inherent beauty of the subject. Sculptures do not strive for meticulous likeness in appearance but rather emphasize the portrayal of the subject's inner spirit and emotions. When depicting human figures, emphasis is often placed on the rendering of the head, with particular attention to facial expressions, especially the eyes, to make the works more vivid and enriched; the depiction of the body is relatively simplified. Additionally, nude figures are rarely seen in ancient Chinese sculpture, forming a stark contrast with Western sculpture.

VI. Diversity and Flexibility in Representation and Technique

In Western sculpture, round sculptures occupy an important position. In contrast, ancient Chinese sculpture exhibits more flexible and diverse characteristics in spatial form. Although there are round sculptures in ancient China, a considerable portion of them focus more on their frontal looks, with many statues in caves and temples often leaning against walls, without being examined from every angle.

In terms of sculptural materials, Western sculpture primarily uses stone and metal materials, while Chinese sculpture boasts greater diversity, with clay sculptures and woodcarvings particularly prominent. Especially painted clay sculptures, as representatives of ancient Chinese sculpture, feature unique craftsmanship and finished products that can remain intact for centuries, making significant contributions to world sculptural art.

Woodcarving is also well-developed in China, closely related to the widespread use of wood in architecture and daily life. Furthermore, the materials used in Chinese craft sculptures are extensive, such as bamboo roots, tree roots, fruit pits, coal jade, etc., which are rare in the history of world sculpture.

To achieve specific artistic effects, ancient Chinese sculptors boldly innovated and were not confined to one style in their representation techniques. They flexibly employed various techniques such as round sculpture, relief, openwork carving, and line engraving, as well as the combination of carving and painting, demonstrating an exceptionally free and flexible artistic style. This spirit of exploration and innovation is precisely the charm of ancient Chinese sculptural art.

Portions of this article are based on information from History of Ancient Chinese Sculpture by Sun Zhenhua, published by China Youth Publishing Group in 2011.