烙画葫芦，千年传承

2023-02-28浙江周晨曲

疯狂英语·新悦读 2023年1期

浙江周晨曲

烙画葫芦，又称烫画葫芦，是以烙痕代替笔墨，在葫芦表面作画的一种艺术表现形式。它不仅是一种中国传统工艺美术品，更是一项非物质文化遗产。

1Niu Chengguo was beyond proud and excited when he knew his handmade gift—a fire-painted bottle gourd (葫芦) had been well received by a special international guest named Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr.

2Niu's bottle gourd works feature elements of plum blossom (梅花), orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum (菊花)—four of the favorite subjects of well-known Chinese painters and calligraphers throughout the course of history. The four plants are famous for their characteristics of a strong will and the ability to overcome hardship.The bottle gourd presented to Samaranch featured orchids,symbolizing wealth,peace,good fortune and goodwill.

3Niu has taken up the gourd art for more than 40 years.The art was named a local intangible heritage by the Beijing government in September, 2021. He learned it from his grandfather. As a child, he watched his grandfather burn patterns with heated pieces of metal,and Niu found it very magical.

4The bottle gourd has long been considered auspicious (吉祥的) by the Chinese. Its shape made it an ideal container in the past. In ancient times, many doctors used bottle gourds to hold medicine and hung them at the front of their clinics.And the gourd has turned into a symbol of traditional Chinese medicine.

5Bottle gourd pyrography (烙画) is the art of decorating gourds by burning a graphic design onto the surface.The technique known as pyrography can be traced back more than 2,200 years to the Qin Dynasty,but it was not until the end of the Ming Dynasty that the art was first applied(运用)to gourds.

6Skilled craftsmen have applied pyrography to turn ordinary bottle gourds into artworks.The first step to making one is to pick a ripe and golden bottle gourd.Then,the artist has to design a creative pattern before applying it. Finally, skilled artists usually take advantage of the natural shape and texture (质地) of the gourd, using a heated tool or wire to burn the designs onto it,which can take on a three-dimensional(立体的)appearance.