Tseng Ming-nan - House of Crafts Introduction
"Spending all day without studying and just making these clay figurines, are you planning to rely on them for a living in the future?" His mother, in a hurry to cook, was furious when she saw the stove filled with Tseng Ming-nan's "mud sculptures." Unexpectedly, her words came true; after trying various jobs, Tseng Ming-nan eventually chose ceramics as his lifelong career. Wang-an Island in Penghu boasts beautiful stone weirs and rare green sea turtles. From Tiantai Mountain, one can gaze at the azure coastline. As the sun sets, sitting in Huazhai to watch the sunset, the sunlight spills down a broad golden avenue stretching to the horizon, mesmerizingly inviting one to follow that golden road towards the setting sun. This is the beauty of Wang-an as seen by the author as a traveler. But for Tseng Ming-nan, born in Wang-an, his birthplace seemed like a fate: women farmed, men went to sea to fish, which appeared to be an inherited norm. Children from Wang-an often have to leave home to attend elementary school in Magong. Leaving the nest at such a young age, at just seven, meant facing loneliness and helplessness, leading many children to drop out due to homesickness; Tseng Ming-nan was no exception. "I dropped out in the third grade to work as a cowherd for two years, sometimes fishing with my father or helping my mother in the fields." At the age of twelve, he accompanied his mother by boat to Kaohsiung, where he saw the bustling city, glimpsing a world beyond Wang-an. "In the past, Penghu used oil lamps at night. The first time I saw electric lights, I was so excited that I raised my hand to count the streetlights. I also saw cars, trains, wide roads, and large ships... It felt like I had landed on the moon; it was so shocking!" Tseng Ming-nan excitedly recalls his feelings from over fifty years ago. After learning about the outside world, Tseng Ming-nan no longer wanted to be a cowherd. He realized that studying was the only way to escape his fate. He had always enjoyed labor classes and wished to enroll in an art department for university entrance exams, but his wish didn't come true. He then studied at the Army Management School (the predecessor of the National Defense Management College). After his military service, he just happened to find a nighttime program at the National Taiwan University of Arts (now Taiwan University of Arts) and was finally able to return to the field of art. After over a decade, he even went to the UK to obtain a Master's degree in fine arts. Tseng Ming-nan knows how difficult it is to compete with the ancients, so at the beginning of his creation, he conducted in-depth research on Chinese ceramics. He started from tradition, based on Han and Tang dynasties, and sought out rarely seen elements within it. After investing considerable time and money, he finally innovated a bright red iron red glaze, establishing a distinctive personal style. "Decadent red porcelain" was the phrase used by the great Chinese literati Su Dongpo to praise iron red glaze. Tseng Ming-nan's "Iron Red Jar" unfolds a brilliant red that gradually merges into pale yellow and white, with cursive script written on the white parts, presenting delicate net-like cracks and luster resembling cicada wings, showcasing a blend of classical and modern styles. "Traces of Time" utilizes glazing techniques and kiln firing to create a texture that conveys the marks of years gone by. "Gentlewoman" is another work that expresses cursive lines through ceramics. The image of a modest woman represents the gentle demeanor of Chinese women, with flowing lines and the removal of concrete details, minimally shaping the radiance of ancient women. The overall work embodies tranquility and a meditative spirit. Ceramics from the Han and Tang dynasties are characterized by their "heavy and forceful" design, embodying a balance of strength and gentleness. Thus, Tseng Ming-nan's "Sapphire Glaze Vase," in terms of shape, also carries the ancient style, exuding a rich and rustic aura. The deep blue rises into rust red and sapphire blue, with a gradient of colors revealing crystalline patterns that emit a brilliance akin to sapphires. Science, technology, and art are the three elements of ceramics. Tseng Ming-nan explains that glazes can be formulated through mathematical equations, but the temperature of the kiln, the time of firing, and the amounts of oxygen and carbon dioxide, along with the thickness of the glaze, all need to be properly controlled to showcase the artistry of creation. His work "Chicken" features a chicken's head in iron red glaze, while its back uses a jade-green glaze resembling white jade, and the abdomen highlights the natural beauty of the earth with rocky textures. A piece that displays three different colors and textures simultaneously reflects Tseng Ming-nan's exceptional skills in technique, glaze, and creativity. The Taiwanese pronunciation of "chicken" is "home." His experiences of leaving home to seek education instilled in him the value of "home." "Family ethics are an inherent tradition in China, carrying cultural connotations." In addition, when he was young, Tseng Ming-nan asked his mother to raise a dog as a pet, to which she responded, "If there’s no food for people, what will the dog eat?" So he settled on a chick as a pet. Thus, chickens became frequent subjects in his works. For example, "Family Portrait" depicts a rooster, a hen, and three chicks, presented with hand-sculpted textures that highlight the rustic beauty of the clay. In the 1990s, Tseng Ming-nan dedicated himself to creating ceramic plates, using copper as a colorant to produce rich colors of red, blue, purple, and green. For instance, "Figures" is a ceramic plate painted with sapphire glaze, where cursive strokes extend into an ink-wash style. In the piece, the lines of calligraphy define the features of the figures, while the background reproduces the effect of ink-splashing landscapes. The contrasting colors of purple and white on the face further enhance the mysterious aura of the woman. Lacking a compass to guide his direction, he relied on experience and the courage of a fisherman, following his father into the vast ocean to fish. This life experience instilled in Tseng Ming-nan a confidence in self-challenge. Regarding his ceramics, which he believes are crafted "by chance," Tseng Ming-nan hopes that one day he will be remembered in art history." (Text and images from the National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute)
