“There is no equal to the quality of great ceramic art!

Unlike land, it cannot be eroded,

Unlike wine, it cannot be drunk,

Unlike time, it cannot be lost.

It is eternal!”

                                          …..Anonymous

For thousands of years ceramics has played an important role in the development of mankind.  In the beginning, ancient man discovered that clay, hardened by fire, could be formed into vessels to store and carry food and water.   This discovery enabled groups of people to expand their territories because they could take their food and water with them without fear of starving or dying of thirst. 

From those embryonic achievements, societies realized that ceramic vessels could be made even more serviceable by adding a glaze to the ceramic body.  As a result, potteries were developed, and in many cases whole villages were involved in the creation of ceramic vessels.    In the early years of ceramics, limestone caves were used as kilns to fire many vessels at one time, but the production was limited because limestone caves were few and far between.  The innovation of wood fire kilns made the production of ceramic vessels possible in almost any community.  With increased productivity, the value of aesthetics in ceramics became more and more important.  Scholars and members of the aristocracy began to look for finely formed vessels with unique and beautiful decorations.  Pottery was no longer simply functional; it had artistic value as well.  Temmoku and other iron oxide-bearing glazes were developed.  Yet, the fired results of these glazes were illusive because the atmospheric conditions of the kiln were highly complex without specific controls and subject to change along with the increase or decrease of the firing temperature.  In fact, some variations of the temmoku glazes were almost impossible to reproduce because they were “accidents” in the firing.  Naturally, some of these beautiful “accidents” became the most sought after.  Hare’s fur, lizard skin, partridge feather, oil spot, and tea dust were some of the most desirable.  When asked to repeat these glazes, the artists could only shake their heads and say, “We can’t; we don’t know how, only the kiln knows the secret”.

For centuries, these special glaze results eluded the artists and for centuries the requests kept coming.  Many tried accepting the challenge to learn the “secrets of the kiln” to recreate those sought after glazes, many of which were originally created in the Sung dynasty (1127-1279 A.D.).  Today there is one man, Chun Wen Wang, who has achieved spectacular results where others have failed.    Through years and years of studying, extensive research, testing, more research, and retesting, Chun Wen Wang has not only replicated the ancient glazes of the Sung dynasty but has developed a series of glazes of his own unlike any others.  However, the glaze on the ceramic body is only one of the many elements the artist must master.  In fact, ceramic art is probably the most complex of any art medium because the artist must know how to technically control the medium which includes clay and glaze composition, form, kiln firing, and decorating. Thorough knowledge of the process enables the artist to successfully create his own individual artwork.  In our world today, Chun Wen Wang is a master of the ceramic medium.  The beauty of his work speaks for itself and those who truly appreciate ceramic art can only stand in awe of his magnificent creations. 

Chun Wen Wang is a world renowned artist, as well as a highly acclaimed glaze expert, whose ceramic artworks are in the permanent collections of museums all over the world. A partial list includes the British Museum, London, United Kingdom; the Smithsonian Institution Renwick Gallery, in the National Museum of American Art, Washington D.C., U.S.A.; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.; the National Museum of History, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China; the Jingdezhen Ceramic Museum, Jiangxi, Peoples Republic of China; the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, San Francisco, California, U.S.A.; and the American Museum of Ceramic Art in Pomona, California, U.S.A.  He is a genius in his field whose inspiration, innovation and dedication have enabled him to become a world class artist in the field of ceramics.  Chun Wen Wang’s artworks are his legacy for us to enjoy, and are a testimony of his accomplishments for the generations of the future.

David W. Armstrong

Founder, the American Museum of Ceramic Art

http://s7/orignal/4fcaa5bb43f43ffc75e76 

「世上沒有任何東西可與傑出的陶藝作品相比

陶藝品不像土地，不會遭到侵蝕

陶藝品不像酒，不會讓人發醉

陶藝品不像時間，不會流失

陶藝品將永世流傳」

               ……無名

數千年來，陶藝一直是人類發展史中重要的一部分。一開始時，古人發現，黏土在用火燒硬後，可以變成盛裝水和食物的器皿。這項發現讓若干社群得以開疆闢土，因為他們現在可以隨身攜帶水和食物，不用再擔心挨餓或缺水致死。

有了初步成果之後，人們繼而發現如果在陶器上加一層釉，陶製品會更易於使用。於是，人們開始製造陶器，很多時候是全村動員參與創造陶器。陶藝發展之初，使用石灰岩洞穴作為燒窯。但這種方式無法大量生產陶器，因為石灰岩洞穴相當稀少。等到發明了以木柴生火的窯之後，幾乎任何一個部落都可生產陶器了。在產量上升後，陶製品的美觀就愈顯重要。學者和貴族開始尋求形狀優美且帶有漂亮獨特裝飾的器皿。陶器不再只是實用品，更有了藝術價值。人們也開發出天目釉和其他帶氧化鐵的釉料。但燒出的成品卻無品質不一，因為窯內環境複雜多變，燒成溫度的高低會影響成品的結果。事實上，某些種類的天目釉幾乎是無法再複製的，因為它們是燒成過程中意外的成果。這些美麗的意外自然成為眾人競相收藏的目標。兔毫釉、蜥皮釉、雀羽釉、鷓鴣斑、油滴、和茶灰等是最受歡迎的。如果有人要藝術家們再燒出這些釉色，他們會搖搖頭：「我們做不到，我們不知道該怎麼做，只有窯知道其中奧秘。」

數百年來，人們不斷要求重現這些特殊釉面，這難倒了藝術家。許多藝術家決定接受挑戰，想辦法解開窯的秘密，試圖重現這些搶手的釉面；這些釉很多都是宋代(1127-1279 A.D.)首創的作品。今日，在其他人宣告失敗之際，終於有一個人成功達成這個目標，他就是王俊文。經過多年反覆的研究和實驗，王俊文不但成功複製了宋代古釉，也研發了一系列獨一無二的釉品。但是，在藝術家必須操控的項目中，陶器表面的釉只其中之一。陶藝可說是所有藝術中最困難一種，因為藝術家不光在技術上要能掌控黏土和釉的組成，還必須兼顧陶器的形狀、燒窯的控制和陶器上的裝飾。如能透徹了解製造過程，藝術家就可以成功做出擁有自己風格的作品。王俊文是當代的陶藝大家。他的作品之美就是明證，他的傑出作品在在讓真正懂得欣賞陶藝的人士嘆為觀止。

王俊文是位享譽世界的藝術家，同時也是一位廣受讚揚的釉彩專家。世界各地許多博物館都將他的作品列為永久珍藏，其中包括了倫敦英國博物館 (The British Museum, London, United Kingdom)、洛杉磯郡立藝術博物館、美國陶藝博物館、華盛頓哥倫比亞特區國立美國藝術博物館中的史密森學會Renwick展覽館 (the Smithsonian Institution Renwick Gallery, in the National Museum of American Art, Washington D.C.)、中華人民共和國江西景德鎮陶藝博物館、加州舊金山亞洲美術博物館，以及加州波姆那美國陶藝藝術博物館。王俊文是個陶藝天才，他的創意、革新及努力讓他成為了世界一流的陶藝家。王俊文的作品不但是當代欣賞的藝術資產，更可流傳後世，見證他的傑出藝術成就。

David W. Armstrong

美國陶藝藝術博物館創館人