Feature: American ceramist brings new vitality to ancient Chinese kiln

Marc Leuthold receives an interview with Xinhua at his studio in Quyang County, north China's Hebei Province, Nov. 20, 2024. (Xinhua/Zou Shangbo)

SHIJIAZHUANG, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- Enchanted by the beauty of white Chinese porcelain, Marc Leuthold has spent the past two months creating contemporary artworks via both local clay and firing methods in Quyang, a county in north China's Hebei Province with over a thousand years of ceramics-making history.

Leuthold, an elected lifetime member of the International Academy of Ceramics and a retired professor from the State University of New York, has over the years been invited to around 20 Chinese cities to exhibit, lecture and exchange ideas. He also worked full-time at an art institute in Shanghai from 2018 to 2023.

"When I came to China for the first time in 2007, I saw how booming everything was. There were opportunities everywhere and people wanted me to do all sorts of exciting things. If I had been younger, I'm sure I would have stayed," recalled the 62-year-old in an interview with Xinhua.

This September, upon his arrival in Quyang, the American ceramist felt thrilled.

The county is home to the Ding kiln, one of the five most famous ancient ceramic kilns which flourished in China's Song Dynasty (960-1279). Quality white ceramics produced by the Ding kiln enjoyed fame for being "white as jade, thin as paper and sounding like a bell."

"My first experience with Ding porcelain was as a child. My father collected a very beautiful Ding bowl, and I never will forget it," he said. "I think Ding ware is the most refined and most elegant of the Song Dynasty ceramic cultures."

Since ancient times, Chinese artisans have been using turntables to shape and polish wet clay -- hoping to produce delicate ceramic ware like vases, bottles and bowls.

Although made of Ding clay and featuring the same ivory-white glaze, Leuthold's creations are unique among rows of works, since their shapes are completely different from traditional Ding porcelain items.

"The artistry in his works inspires us a lot," said Pang Yonghui, a Chinese arts and crafts master and representative inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of the Ding porcelain firing technique.

According to Pang, Leuthold's way of dealing with wet clay is much bolder. Leuthold takes a lump of clay, throws it on the ground until it becomes a sheet about 5 mm thick, and then uses a utility knife to draw the base, before printing patterns and forming a symbolic shape such as a mountain, river or the sun through folding, tearing and laminating.

"By inviting foreign ceramists with multicultural backgrounds to express themselves through traditional Ding clay and firing methods, we hope to embrace the ancient art with modern aesthetics," Pang added.

So far, Pang's company has invited nearly 50 artists from Japan, the Republic of Korea, the United States, Canada and other countries to create art in Quyang.

"One thing that I admire about China is that there's a balance," noted Leuthold, pointing out that both contemporary and traditional cultures are supported and considered essential.

As Leuthold said: "Art and culture have the potential to create a bridge of understanding which may help people from different cultures work together," with his cultural journey to Quyang clearly benefiting both the U.S. and Chinese sides.

The local porcelain industry has drawn new inspiration from this encounter with a Western way of thinking and doing things. Leuthold, meanwhile, has also continuously innovated with the help of traditional Chinese culture.

Leuthold plans to stay in Quyang until mid-December. However, his exploration of ancient Chinese porcelain culture will not stop once he leaves this county.

Next February, he is scheduled to travel to the city of Longquan in east China's Zhejiang Province -- where another famous ancient kiln produces green-glazed porcelain.

"I've studied that ceramic culture a lot. Their materials are different, and their glazes are different. I would make something completely different from these. That's interesting to me," said Leuthold.

Marc Leuthold carves on the clay of Ding kiln at his studio in Quyang County, north China's Hebei Province, Nov. 20, 2024. (Xinhua/Zou Shangbo)