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Pottery in China dates back to prehistoric times. Ceramics appeared in the Han Dynasty, flourished during Tang and achieved new heights in the Song Dynasty. Renowned Song kilns such as Ding, Ru, Guan, Ge and Jun, are the epitome of design, skill and techniques of Chinese pottery. The exceptional quality of Chinese ceramics is unprecedented. Porcelain, also commonly known as ‘china’, is a household term worldwide.


The Art of Ceramics - The Works of Mr. Gao Feng

Tang and Song Dynasty are two pinnacles in the development of Chinese ceramics. Today, Mr. Gao Feng who modestly refers to himself as a potter, is a master of his craft. His work is the embodiment of the two dynasties which incorporates the essence of Chinese tradition, culture and spirit.

With the guidance and apprenticeship of his father, Gao Feng explored the essence and root of Chinese aesthetics. Apart from mastering traditional techniques, his creations transcends the past, present and future. His pieces are elegant, subtle, contemplative, graceful, lustrous, and epitomises simplicity in pattern, form and colours, echoing past masterpieces and manifest an aura of Zen.

All creations stems from the heart. In this hectic world, Gao Feng is able to maintain a sense of purity, serenity and restraint in his work. In his hands, clay turn into works of art imbued with the beauty of nature. It is a contemplation of the heart, beauty for all to behold.

In 2006, Chi Lin Nunnery held an exhibition of his works in Nan Lian Garden’s Xiang Hai Xuan Multi-purpose Hall and was well received by the public. This is an excerpt of his works from the exhibition.

Dunhuang Impression - colour-glazed calyx-shape lamp

Zibo  1982

Mouth diameter 120mm  Height 42mm  Foot diameter 40mm

In 1982, the renovation of the laboratory of Department of Ceramic Art at the Central Academy of Arts and Design was completed. This was the unit I worked for. The department used coloured glazes produced by Zibo Artistic Ceramics Factory in Shandong as materials for academic practice, so I was sent to learn how to apply coloured glazes. During my one-month stay at the factory, I managed to understand various applications of coloured glaze, and made a few dozen vessels by using the new jiggering techniques I learned in Guangxi. This small calyx-shape lamp has a black base glaze in partridge feather patterns, showing gorgeous flows of Malachite and citrus red, reminding me of the vivid impression I had of Dunhuang when admiring the book illustrations of the fantastic colourful Dunhuang murals and painted sculptures of the Tang Dynasty.

Glazed pottery bowl with swirl design

Beijing  1985

Mouth diameter 113mm  Height 80mm  Foot diameter 56mm

In 1985, our workshop was assigned a task to explore localisation of ceramic raw materials, i.e. to acquire materials locally. We tried looking for local materials through different channels, such as material associated with coal from Mentougou, clay lumps from sandbanks, and fireclay from Changping, for jiggering and firing tests. Unfortunately, all results were unsatisfactory, and the materials were set aside. For daily jiggering practice, I mixed part of the dirt, which underwent sun drying, clay washing, filtering and kneading processes. I also tried firing some of the finished clay bodies at different temperatures, and finally discovered a very narrow temperature range that could resolve the glaze application problems. This bowl was made by firing at 1150°C in an electric kiln.

Duo-chrome glazed pottery bowl

Beijing  1986

Mouth diameter 122mm  Height 62mm  Foot diameter 51mm

Marked with “Tea Pottery by Feng”, the body of this vessel is made from lumps of clay from a sandbank, and had earth-yellow and grass-green glazes applied, before firing at 1300°C in an electric kiln.

Valley - Ash glazed bowl with butterfly motif

Beijng  1988

Mouth diameter 153mm  Height 63mm  Foot diameter 85mm

From the ancient ceramic ware of the Tang, Song and Five Dynasties, we can witness how potters made use of paper cutting techniques for decoration. A typical example is the making of Tenmoku tea bowls with paper cutting patterns by Jizhou Kiln in the Song Dynasty. Splendid and varied, this type of ceramic ware is world renowned, providing invaluable evidence and clues for people to explore the art of folk paper cutting patterns. I started by studying antiques, and tried using paper cutting patterns during the production of ceramic ware. This bowl, made by sticking paper-cut butterfly patterns onto the ceramic body, applying colours, removing the paper cuts, applying ash glaze after drying, and finishing by high-temperature firing, presents a wonderful natural scene of flowers and butterflies in a valley.

Ash glazed marbleware pottery bowl

Beijing  1988

Mouth diameter 152mm  Height 75mm  Foot diameter 57mm

The bottom of this vessel is marked “Pottery made by Er Gao”. During a period when I was subject to certain restrictions, I managed to observe the relationships and interactions between right and wrong, black and white, east and west, up and down, yin and yang. I made this bowl to simulate these relationships, and finally understood and gained an idea through differentiation of yellow and brown, and made an observation as a whole.

Iron-red glazed tea bowl

Beijing  1988

Mouth diameter 153mm  Height 60mm  Foot diameter 55mm

The bottom of this vessel is marked “Pottery made by Er Gao”. In 1988, I occasionally obtained some iron-red glaze, so I applied it to a ceramic body made from cyan clay with high iron content, and finished by firing at a temperature of 1250°C. It made an exceptional case, as the glaze has a different aroma to others’ works.

Skip-cut pattern glazed pottery bowl overlaid with marbleware clay

Beijing  1989

Mouth diameter 160mm  Height 51mm  Foot diameter 50mm

The ring of this vessel's foot bears a commemorative mark: “Made by Gao Feng in Beijing in August 1989”. This vessel was made with a marbleware overlaying method that was commonly used by potters in the Tang Dynasty, by fixing four-colour marbleware pieces to a red ceramic plate, beating it until a dense circular clay disk was formed, and then patting the clay on the male mould of the bowl to form a semifinished bowl-shape body; then semi-dry carving to refine the shape, adding a skip cut weave pattern to the outer wall, applying earth yellow glaze to create a floral effect on the inner wall, earth yellow glaze sprayed onto the surface; and finishing this elegant bowl by slow, thorough firing at a temperature of 1160°C.

River flows - Brown ash glazed bowl with flowing slip pattern

Yixing 1993

Mouth diameter 196mm  Height 67mm  Foot diameter 59mm

This vessel has a hidden mark under the glaze: “Made by Gao Feng at Bianzhuang Village, Dingshan, on 29 April 1993”. Yixing is by the bank of Lake Taihu, where the ripples, light and shadows and gorgeous colours provide a feast for my eyes. I flexibly applied an ancient method using a flowing marbleware pattern for decorating the inner wall of the bowl, smeared the outer wall with high-iron clay, applied thin earth-coloured glaze to the outer surface and copper ash glaze to the inner surface, and finished by firing at a temperature of 1290°C. I tried to use ceramics as a language to present a vision of this watery town and home of pottery.

Reunification - Platter with skip-cut bauhinia leaf pattern

Guangzhou  1997

Mouth diameter 293mm  Height 62mm  Foot diameter 138mm

The bottom of this vessel has a commemorative mark: “A bauhinia leaf-patterned vessel by potter Gao Feng to celebrate Hong Kong’s reunification with the motherland in 1997”. As the whole nation was celebrating Hong Kong’s return to China, Gao Feng made this platter during his visit to Xiaogang, Guangzhou. The body of this vessel was formed with ceramic clay from Gangyao in Longtang, Qingyuan; decorated with leaf patterns of bauhinia, the city flower of Hong Kong, and vortex patterns using colours from Beijing. It then underwent semi-dry carving, skip cutting on the outer surface, and dyeing, before the bisque firing process at 800°C. White glaze was applied all over the half finished vessel, and the item was completed by firing with a 1290°C carbonising flame, so to become a commemorative work for celebrating this major event for the Chinese people.

October - Red porcelain bowl

Guangzhou  1997

Mouth diameter 159mm  Height 64mm  Foot diameter 43mm

When Gao Feng was visiting Guangzhou, he saw the stunning scene of fire-red blossoming kapok as the sun set over the Pearl River. He mixed copper powder with porcelain clay, then employed the processes of jiggering, semi-dry carving and celadon glaze application, and completed the work by firing with a 1280°C carbonising flame. Marked with the Chinese character “Feng”, this bowl made with new techniques reflects Guangzhou's red-hot atmosphere.