Taste of African sculpture carved into the soul

The artist replied: 'We are not carving artworks but souls. The soul does not have a fixed appearance. With its understanding of the world and life, it sculpts its own image. 'So it's not unusual to find two identical woodcarvings in Africa. Artists sculpt tangible things that can melt invisible perceptions and spiritual states in the process of carving. Watching African woodcarvings does not depend on whether or not the sculpture is realistic, but sees a spirit and an emotion through the shape of the woodcarving. Therefore, each piece of African wood carving carries a sustenance. This is the true connotation of African wood carving. Because of this, the African wood carving theme is often cold and quiet, allowing people to broaden their imagination space in tranquility and meditating on the meaning of wood carving. As the German philosopher Schopenhauer believes, the inner character of a person is more fully revealed when he is quiet than when he is being treated. Therefore, ideal sculptures are almost indifferent to expressions and gestures, even expressionless sculptures. The image, with its unconventional and independent attitude, is so calm. ”

“The art of woodcarving is somewhat similar to the ice sculpture in China. Under the simple tools, it is amazing to sculpt a beautiful piece of art. A skilled craftsman can use a whole piece of wood to sculpt a bed. The carving on the bed is very beautiful.” Africa Art is very freehand, it is to express personal spirit, will and beyond reality. Liu Zhirong's understanding of the soul of the carving art was due to his local field visits and his deep understanding of the arts. What really moved him and was willing to be humane is the work of the three monkeys.

“In a wood carving shop in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon, I saw three monkeys of different shapes on the base of wooden carvings. I could not help stopping myself: one with both hands and eyes, one with both hands and mouth, one with both hands and ears. I stood here. A few minutes before the wood carvings, they managed to understand what it meant, and the owner quietly walked up to me and explained: 'This wood carving reflects our philosophy of life.' The spiritual realm represented by African wood carvings is unfathomable, so Then he listened patiently to the owner and blinked, meaning that some things should not be seen.Everyone has their own privacy and violates the privacy of others, it will create conflicts and undermine the harmony of life. The words should not be said.The proverb should not be said.The brash words should not be said, and the words of provocation must not be said.The Bible warns the people that filthy words are not to be exported.The ear should mean something should not be heard. Should not listen, the rumors should not be heard, and lies should not be heard.People who want to do something must have their own values ​​of life, what they think is correct. , We must unswervingly stay here, must not others, and drift. "African sculpture in some of the moral and Confucianism has the same purpose, carved into vector art and philosophy produce resonance.

Difficult Taobao Road The life of people living in African villages and small towns is much less primitive, and the independent people living in the woods still maintain a primitive life style. “The food that the local people often eat is called 'Sara'. It is actually a corn paste with a lot of spices. It looks like a very appetizing beef. The taste is very weird.” It's wonderful to be like an exotic trip. The owner of Zolashim told reporters that every time a bargain is made, it is a difficult journey. “There are many workshop-style factories in Africa, but there are also markets, but people have very high demands on the quality of art. Artists and sculptors are often the customers of the store. Our selection of goods is increasingly refined, but we cannot find it in the market but we have to highlight the art. In the workshop of the craftsmen, we have to find good goods. Many of the art workshops we are going to go shopping for are one family living on the wilderness, surrounded by wilderness and trees, and the transportation is inconvenient."

The road to finding these works of art is undoubtedly difficult. “In recent years, the security in some parts of Africa has become worse and worse, and it is difficult to guarantee security. When we arrive at the home of a craftsman, it’s hard to see people for a few hours. We’ve changed from going twice a year. Go once a year.” The unexpected incident made the road even harder. A trip to Africa a few years ago still left shopkeepers with a hard time. “In the summer of 2003, we went to Africa and departed from Calare, the capital city of Zimbabwe, and went to a craftsman to buy goods. The distance was about 1300 kilometers. A local acquaintance called the driver and guide. The two punctures on the way were the original one day. On the journey, we walked for two days, waiting for 4 hours after the first puncture, waiting for a car and borrowing a tire from others.After walking through the road, another child was explode and the journey was completely disrupted. On the first night we stayed in a hotel and we were going back to the hotel before it was dark before we got the goods.As a result, it was dark before we reached the home of the craftsman. For security reasons, we were afraid of this time. As I continued to go, I could only drive the car into the woods on the roadside. The weather was hot, mosquitoes were biting, and my body was wrapped in clothes. It was so overnight. Not how to sleep was not afraid. On the one hand, I was worried about animal attacks. On the other hand, there was fear of robbery because the two suitcases were full of money.” The shop owner's bright face underneath the photo on the inside of the store, with a heart of jealousy, the trolley box stood behind him. Under the sunlight, the shopkeeper could not hide his tired face. The background was the dense forest on both sides of the road.