Monday, July 16, 2018

Appreciating The Finer Things With Japanese Cloisonne

By Dennis Graham


There are some things in the world that are unique to humanity. While it is often thought that things like murder and homosexuality are exclusively human, they are not. But what is exclusively human is art. Now, there are billions of people who are moving about the planet. These people are divided geographically. Now, this division has fostered unique cultures. Given that art is unique to humanity and that culture makes humans distinct from each other, it follows then that the way art is expressed will differ from one culture to another, like Japanese cloisonne.

Cloisonne is a method for applying art. While the actual terminology has etymological roots in France, the practical examples that most people will think of are anything but. Most of them are East Asian in origin, coming from countries like China and yes, Japan.

Its history in Japan begins in the Meiji era. Back then, the samurai, formerly members of the ruling class akin to the knights of Europe, had fallen far from its pedestal. Many of them were living from paycheck to paycheck, literally since most of their income was a meager subsidy. But one of them decided to do it, through artistic methods. So that samurai then grabbed some enamel from China, and then took the whole thing apart, learning the means through which it was fabricated. Then that samurai started making things of their own and teaching others, leading a boom in the industry and for the country to become a top exporter when it reopened to outside trade less than two decades later.

Cloisonne has a singular use. That would be to make things pretty. Admittedly, a lot of the things that is applied on are well enough without it. It is not as if having pretty flowers on a plate makes the food any more delicious. No, the food will still taster the same. But at least the plate will be prettier.

The way it is done is pretty simple. First, some fine wiring is put on the thing that is to have paint applied on it in order to delineate the areas to be brightened. Then some enamel paste is put on, for the actual coloring. Then it is heated with fire and then polished.

There are still ways for it to be used in the modern day. For example, since the process can be very time consuming, it can be therapeutic. Any person who engages in it is going to have to block the whole world out and focus on it completely.

The materials involved should be easily obtained. The first would be the canvass, so to speak, which is to be made of copper. Then there is the wiring. The last thing will be the enamel paste, in order to facilitate the application of color.

Patience is a virtue. Since this can take time, an artist needs to have a clear schedule. They also need the patience to get through it without blowing a gasket.

The world used to be empty. But then mankind showed up and saw all the vibrancy around it. So it put stone to cave wall and started making art.




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