Dough sculptor blends tradition with pop culture
By: By Yang Jun and Liu Boqian
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Dough sculptor blends tradition with pop culture
Chen Yuan handcrafts dough sculptures. [Photo by Zunyi Media Center/For chinadaily.com.cn]
From the legendary general Guan Yu with his long blade to Star Wars icons wielding lightsabers, 37-year-old Chen Yuan from Guizhou province sculpts classic characters to bring dough to life.
As one of the inheritors of Zunyi's dough-sculpting tradition, Chen transforms palm-sized lumps of dough in his studio. Using an array of carving knives, he teases out the faces of mythical beasts.
He kneads jet-black dough until it gleams like satin. Then, with his thumb and forefinger, he pushes, pulls, twists, and rolls — his fingers acting like razor-sharp tools as simple dough becomes vivid human and animal figures.
Dough sculpture of a human figure by Chen Yuan. [Photo by Zunyi Media Center/For chinadaily.com.cn]
Dough sculpting is a time-honored folk art across China. Artists mix wheat flour and other ingredients into a pliable paste, then shape it by hand and with specialized tools.
"Dough art must evolve," Chen insists. He blends modern trends with traditional techniques, moving beyond floral and animal motifs toward a more realistic style. By weaving in pop-culture elements — from anime to film characters — he creates instantly recognizable figures, such as the cinematic hero Nezha.
Dough sculpture of cinematic hero Nezha by Chen Yuan. [Photo by Zunyi Media Center/For chinadaily.com.cn]
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Dough sculpture of a divine beast by Chen Yuan. [Photo by Zunyi Media Center/For chinadaily.com.cn]
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Dough sculpture of a divine beast by Chen Yuan. [Photo by Zunyi Media Center/For chinadaily.com.cn]
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He could make a lot of dough with the dough he handles The proliferation of creative and artistic talent here absolutely amazes me.
Bud Abbott once said the same about his father who worked in a bakery. Bud said he was a great loafer.
Lou Costello said I'll bet you were even bigger loafer.
Well, for the first time that I can remember my articles/seeds have been totally wiped off the Front (Home) Page. Guess I'll have to start posting articles about Trump in order to stay afloat - there's little interest in anything else around here these days.
Whatever the article is about, start it off with "Trump is a grifter."
That should start you off with about 9 votes.
I could start off with hearts or diamonds, clubs or spades provided there's no Trump. But as you know there will never be a way to BRIDGE the gap.
When in doubt, double.
Will post a link to this shortly.
Thank you.