ZHUANG JIA(1931 – 2006)
Zhuang Jia was born in Puning, Guangdong Province, in 1931. He graduated from Puning Normal School in 1948, and joined the Peoples Liberation Army in 1949 as a member of a cultural troupe, engaging in fine art activities and theatrical work. He began working as a Shiwan ceramic ar tist in the spring of 1953, trained in the Shiwan ceramic art tradition under the renowned artist Liu Chuan. In the 1960s and 1970s, he visited Eastern Europe and Australia. He also carried out in-depth investigation in towns famous for their ceramic sculptures, such as Chao’an and Fengxi in Guangdong Province, in order to explore the wonder of the local ceramic art traditions. To broaden his theoretical and cultural vision, he strived to expose himself to other forms of artistic expression, as well as the theories and techniques of largescale sculpture.
Zhuang Jia was a careful observer of life, and his observations became a constant source of inspiration for his artistic creations. His works integrate a strong innovative tendency while adhering to Shiwan ceramic traditions. In 1988, Zhuang Jia was granted the title of ‘Master of Chinese Arts and Crafts’. He mainly created portraits of human figures, especially famous for historic and religious figures, scholars, and ladies.