As Tanizaki described in 'In Praise of Shadows', “darkness is an indispensible element of the beauty of lacquerware. Artisans of old, when they finished their works in lacquer and decorated them in sparkling patterns, must surely have had in mind dark rooms and sought to turn to good effect what feeble light there was.” So, artisans' use of vibrant colors like gold/red on lacquer surfaces comes from an era of dim lighting, and placing such vivid works in modern environments filled with artificial light seems somewhat out of place. Looking at products like folding screens, such as the Large 20th C. Chinese 6 Panel Lacquered Hardstone and Jade Coromandel Screen, which employs complex techniques like plain lacquer, gilding, and inlay, it's likely crafted for officials and affluent elites, a superior piece as Tanizaki describes, meant to be placed in shadows.
In contrast, furniture designer Eileen Gray's folding screen employs black and plain lacquer techniques, reimagining the traditional form and further breaking it down into a foldable structure, facilitating mass production and transportation. By toning down the emphasis on techniques, retaining only the glossy black plain lacquer technique, it aligns more with modern design and craftsmanship contexts. This reminds me of the book's mention of Eastern craftsmen encouraging adherence to tradition to reach ancestral standards, while Westerners are encouraged to break forms and innovate. This work has strong modernity even if it was made 100 years ago. It also has a symbolic style of 1920s when it a period with a preference for sleek, clean lines and simplified forms.
I first saw this piece at the V&A museum on November 22, 2023. At that time, I was attracted by the folding form of the screen and took a shot of it then, but I didn't realize that I would explore lacquer craft 4 months later. Lacquer is usually applied to a wooden base, it also could be coated on the leather, metal, and ceramic. The corresponding tools include the following: Spatula for applying hemp cloth and ground layers (if the surface is coarse, it doesn't need this step), brushes for applying lacquer, scoop for transferring gold powder into sprinkler, tube with mesh for sprinkling gold powder, charcoal and whetstones for polishing, etc.
Applying lacquer craft basically involves colouring this natural paint layer by layer. After brushing one layer - drying one layer - polishing one layer, a shiny mirror effect could be obtained. This is called the basic plain lacquer. During the process, freshly coated lacquer is then left cured in the space where it hardens in the humid atmosphere.
Timeline: 8/Mar-9th/Mar-14th/Mar-17/Mar-8/April
