An exhibition of excellent craftsmanship in Luoyang
On the 10th, 11th and 12th of April I had the honor of representing the excellence of traditional majolica from Faenza in Luoyang , China.
Thanks to an initiative of Eco Certificationi SpA of Faenza, following a request by the authorities of the province of Henan in China , a wonderful exhibition of Faenza’s ceramics was set up at the prestigious Museum of Luoyang, a city of about 7 million inhabitants.
The exhibition was organized as part of the celebrations of the 32nd edition of the Festival Of Peonies , a high-profile event that every year attracts thousands of visitors to Luoyang . It was attended by important representatives of Italian institutions : the Embassy of Italy in Beijing, the Italo-Chinese Research Center ” Luoyang Sino-Italian Science Park “, the Polytechnic of Turin , and the company Eco Certificationi SpA of Faenza.
Painting on majolica arouses great enthusiasm in China
Besides the exhibition of several traditional ceramics of Faenza (all of very high-quality) Eco Certificationi SpA, in collaboration with CNA of Faenza, has made my presence possible!
For three days I was able to make a practical demonstration of painting on majolica, in front of hundreds of curious visitors , expert Chinese potters , as well as local authorities.
They all showed great interest and enthusiasm for the event : I was always surrounded by many people , overwhelmed by questions and I was the target of hundreds of photos that quickly were shared through social networks and newspapers.
I decided to paint a plate in Raffaellesco style, to show how the traditional majolica from Faenza requires a high precision both in designing and in painting with fine brush strokes.
At the end of the third day, I dedicated the plate to the city of Luoyang, which welcomed us warmly as guests of honor.
Ceramics : an international language
In addition, to pay homage to the Peony , the flower symbol of China that blooms in April in the many gardens of Luoyang (to admire its blossoming they arrive from very far away!) I painted some plates with Peonies of different colors. It was enough to lay a couple of strokes that everyone recognized their beloved flower !
The plates that I painted will be fired by Guo Aihe , an important local ceramic artist (he exhibited at the Expo in Shanghai in 2010) . We visited his workshop and showroom, and he wanted to meet us in person. In fact, Luoyang has an ancient tradition of pottery, whose best-known technique is called ” tri-colored glazed pottery of the Tang Dynasty .” At the Museum there are several beautiful examples of this craftsmanship.
I can definitely say that this trip to China has been a personal and professional exceptional experience. The recognition I received by the organizers , the authorities, and by all the visitors is a confirmation that the high-quality craftsmanship speaks a universal language that overcomes geographical, linguistic and cultural barriers.
