Remarkably, those works can not only accurately express the position and proportions of the features of the face but also produce some unique expressions. They are, without dispute, the origins of formative arts even if the techniques are coarse.
An important archaeological discovery was made in the early 1980s. It was a piece of painted pottery from the Hongshan culture and a piece of painted pottery of a goddess figure. After 1979, archaeologists started large-scale excavations of the Hongshan culture in western Liaoning Province. The goodness temple, the large altar and stone graves were discovered gradually. Radiocarbon dating puts those relics at more than 5,000 years of age. A batch of small pottery figurines of pregnant women was unearthed in the Hongshan culture site in 1982. The proportions and physiological features of the pregnant women are accurate. Although the head and feet of one piece are mutilated, the body and legs show the craftsman’s capability. The protruding abdomen and slightly bent knees in particular make a deep impression. This figurine is suggestive of the “Venus of Willendorf” unearthed in Austria. Relatively speaking, figurines of pregnant women from the Hongshan culture are simple in expression and technique. Regardless of whether they come from the Western or Eastern worlds, statues of pregnant women are closely connected to childbearing worship. Another important masterpiece of the Hongshan culture is a clay sculpture known as “Goddess Head Sculpture.” The life-size sculpture is 22.5cm in height and vivid in shape. The features of the face are clear, especially the bright and piercing eyes. This sculpture is full of mystic religious content.
Pottery animal sculptures
Animal images are another key subject of primitive sculptures. This includes images of pigs, dogs, sheep, birds and fish. They are widely used in the Hemudu culture in Zhejiang Province. Such animals were common in everyday life. The sculptures are simple in technique and give an impression of simplicity and intelligence.
Some of these sculptures are not static but have a dynamic beauty of movement. Such techniques are not very practical and the sculptures are very vivid. It matches the rules of ancient Chinese formative arts, which lasted for several thousand years. These rules regard “vividness” and “impressionistic style” as the highest standard, above the faithful reproduction of shapes.
The animal shapes are often combined with the various article shapes. At the time of forging animal shapes, craftsman retained the practical functions of the articles. For example, an eagle-shaped zun vessel, unearthed from a tomb of a mature woman in Taipingzhuang, Huaxian County, Shaanxi Province, belongs to the later works of the Miaodigou type. The shape of the eagle is simple but solid. Its awe-inspiring look is overwhelming from all aspects.
Although some pottery wares are not made in imitation of animal images visually, people often associate them with them. For instance, a piece of three-foot pottery gui belongs to the Longshan culture. Although not in imitation of any animal image, it is suggestive of birds with their heads turned upward. These pieces are rich in abstract features and embody great formative capability in an abstract and integrative way.
According to a recent archeological discovery, the earliest piece of Chinese sculpture is an 8,000-year-old dragon-shaped stone sculpture. The dragon is around 20m in length. It was unearthed during the 1990s (see China Cultural Relics News, 19 March 1995). As an art form, stone sculpture is a primitive religious art form. Besides shapes made from piles of stones, there are also sculptures made of arrangements of shells. For example, dragon and tiger-shaped shell arrangements were unearthed in 1987 on both sides of a dead person for whom the tomb was built in Xishuipo, Puyang, Henan Province. The lifesize shell arrangements belong to the Yangshao culture and show the majesty and power of the dead man.
Jade sculptures in primitive times
Since primitive times, Chinese have enriched their aesthetic experience of beauty using jade. Jade attracts people’s attention for its excellent quality and its unique features. The qualities of jade were gradually combined with various shapes. People first developed an understanding of circle and square shapes while creating jade articles. They then started experimenting with lines as understanding of shape and outlines grew. The use of curves, in particular, is unique to primitive jade articles.
Chinese jade sculptures deal with religion, politics, utility and even morality. The first artistic peak of Chinese jade sculpture emerged in primitive times and was demonstrated by the Hongshan, Liangzhu, Dawenkou and Longshan cultures. The Hongshan culture is particularly worthy of mention. Some simple and abstract dragon-shaped jade sculptures from the Hongshan culture are impressive and suggestive of the imagination of primitive sculptors and the brilliant capacity to abstract. There are also some human faces made of jade with holes on the top to run a cord through and use them as amulets.
Many jade articles have been unearthed from the Liangzhu culture site dating back about 4,000 years in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. Among them is a jade cong (a cubic article with a round hole in center) and jade cicada with animal-face patterns. For instance, a piece of unearthed jade cong is designed with animal-face patterns on all sides with each line between 0.1–0.2 mm in thickness.
Mature design images of animal faces show the cultural features of the Shang and Zhou dynasties and illustrate their cultural heritage and development.