The exquisite cloisonne enamel paintings by Jiading artist Xu Minjie represent a fusion of traditional and modern Chinese culture. [Photo/jiading.gov.cn] |
Cloisonne enamel is an ancient technique for metalwork decoration using glasslike enamel, cut gemstones, glass and other materials. It is known as Jingtailan in Chinese, named after the Jingtai period (1450-56) of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) when it was most popular, while "lan" is the Chinese word for blue.
Xu Minjie, an artist living in Yumin community in Jiading district, Shanghai, is skilled at painting cloisonne enamel on plates. Her inspiration comes from certain traditional Chinese art forms, such as blue and white porcelain, Suzhou embroidery and traditional Chinese painting.
"It usually takes me at least three days to create a simple piece of work. It is a major interest and hobby of mine, which makes it really meaningful to me," according to Xu.
Xu Minjie, an artist living in Yumin community in Jiading district Shanghai, is skilled at painting cloisonne enamel on plates. [Photo/jiading.gov.cn] |