Tseng Ming-Nan Craft House Introduction
"All day without studying, just making these clay works, is that how you're going to make a living in the future?" The mother, anxious to start cooking, scolded when she saw the whole stove filled with Tseng Ming-nan's "clay sculptures." Unexpectedly, her words proved true. After holding various jobs, Tseng Ming-nan ultimately chose pottery as his lifelong career. Wang-an Island in Penghu features beautiful stone weirs and rare green turtles. From Tian-tai Mountain, one can overlook the azure coastline. At sunset, sitting at Huazhai to watch the sunset, the sunlight creates a broad golden pathway that spreads all the way to the horizon, making one feel irresistibly drawn to follow that golden road towards the setting sun. This is how the author experiences the beauty of Wang-an as a traveler. However, for Tseng Ming-nan, who was born in Wang-an, his birthplace seems like a destiny; women farm, and men go to sea to fish, which appears to be an inherited necessity. Children from Wang-an usually need to leave their hometown to attend school in Magong. Leaving the nest before being ready signifies unbearable loneliness and helplessness for a seven-year-old child, leading many children, including Tseng Ming-nan, to drop out due to homesickness. "I dropped out of elementary school in the third grade to be a cowherd for two years, sometimes fishing with my father or helping my mother in the fields." At the age of twelve, Tseng Ming-nan took a boat with his mother to Kaohsiung, where he saw the hustle and bustle of the city and the world beyond Wang-an. "In Penghu, we used oil lamps at night; the first time I saw electric lights, I was excitedly counting street lamps with my hand raised, then I saw cars, trains, wide roads, and big ships... it felt like I had landed on the moon; it was so shocking!" Tseng Ming-nan reminisces about his feelings over fifty years ago, still sounding excited. After learning about the outside world, Tseng Ming-nan no longer wanted to be a shepherd. He realized that only by studying could he escape his fate. Having always loved labor classes, he initially wanted to major in Fine Arts in college but couldn’t make it, so he turned to the Army Management School (the predecessor of the National Defense Management College). After serving in the military, he encountered the establishment of the evening division at the National University of Arts (now National Taiwan University of Arts), allowing him to return to the field of art as he had wished. More than a decade later, he traveled to the UK to earn a Master’s degree in art. Tseng Ming-nan understands that competing with ancient artisans is extraordinarily difficult; therefore, at the onset of his creations, he delved deeply into Chinese pottery, starting from tradition, based on the Han and Tang dynasties, to find unique segments within. After investing significant time and finances, he finally innovated a vivid red iron glaze, establishing a distinctive and personal style. The term "Dingzhou flower porcelain carving red jade" refers to the iron red glaze praised by the great Chinese writer Su Dongpo. Tseng Ming-nan's "Iron Red Jar" showcases a bright red that gradually expands into pale yellow and white, inscribed with cursive script in the white area, presenting small net-like cracks resembling cicada wings and a gloss that exemplifies the fusion of classical and modern styles. "Traces of Time" employs glazing techniques and kiln firing methods to create corroded textures, conveying the marks of bygone years. "Lady" is another piece that expresses cursive lines in pottery. The figure of the woman with her head bowed embodies the modesty and gentleness of Chinese femininity, with flowing lines that simplify the complexity into an elegant portrayal of ancient woman's grace. The overall work embodies an essence of tranquility and meditation. The pottery characteristics of the Han and Tang dynasties are "thick and powerful," embodying "rigidity and flexibility." Thus, Tseng Ming-nan's "Sapphire Glazed Vase" reflects ancient styles in its form, showcasing a solid and rustic quality. The calm blue transitions upward into rust red and sapphire blue, with gradated hues revealing crystalline patterns that radiate a brilliance akin to sapphires. Science, technology, and art are the three elements of pottery. Tseng Ming-nan states: "Glaze formulas can be calculated with equations, but the temperature of the kiln fire, the timing of firing, the proper balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide, and the thickness of the glaze all need to be precisely managed to showcase the artistry of the creation." His piece "Chicken" uses iron red glaze to express the chicken's head, while the back is styled in jade-like white porcelain, and the abdomen features stone-like textures highlighting the beauty of the earth's raw nature. A single piece exhibits three different tones and textures, showcasing Tseng Ming-nan's exceptional skills in technique and creativity. The Taiwanese pronunciation of "chicken" is "jia," reminding Tseng Ming-nan of the preciousness of "home" due to his early experiences studying away from home. "Family ethics are an inherent tradition in Chinese culture, encompassing cultural connotations." Additionally, Tseng Ming-nan had once pleaded with his mother for a dog as a pet, to which she replied, "We hardly have food for ourselves; what will the dog eat?" Thus, he ended up keeping a chick as a pet. Chickens, therefore, became regular subjects in his works, such as "Family Portrait," depicting a rooster and hen accompanied by three chicks, with Tseng Ming-nan using hand molding to present rocky textures that highlight the unadorned beauty of clay. In the 1990s, Tseng Ming-nan dedicated himself to creating pottery plates, using copper as a coloring agent and producing rich colors like red, blue, purple, and green through reduction firing. For instance, "Figures" is a piece painted with sapphire glaze on pottery, expanding the strokes of calligraphy into an ink wash style. The calligraphy lines reveal the facial features of characters, while the background features hues that evoke the essence of splashed ink landscapes. The contrasting colors of purple and white on the face further enhance the mysterious atmosphere of the woman. Having once navigated life without a compass, relying solely on experience and the courage of fishermen, following his father into the vast sea, Tseng Ming-nan gained the confidence to challenge himself. Regarding his pottery works, which he believes possess "heaven-sent skills," Tseng Ming-nan hopes that one day, his name will be remembered in the annals of art history. (Text and images originate from the National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute)"
