扁笠壶

English working translation

Yixing Pottery and Gu Jingzhou's Collaborative Works

From the 1950s onward, Gu Jingzhou formed close friendships with several professors from art academies, engaging in mutual exchange and discussion. Together they explored the three-dimensional composition of points, lines, and planes in aesthetics, transplanting various formal transformations into the art of Yixing teapot making, seeking aesthetic theories and practical principles through the detailed treatment of their works. The "Bian Deng Hu" (Flat Lamp Teapot) was a product of their collaboration.

The body of the "Deng Hu" resembles two inverted bamboo hats placed rim to rim, with the waist section possessing remarkable tension. The rim line of the lid extends outward while drawing inward, sloping toward the knob and rising in a lamp-like form. The shoulder, lid, and knob share the same angle of inclination, creating a sense of natural ease when viewed. The curved spout and triangular handle echo one another, extending naturally and gracefully. The overall lines of the "Bian Deng Hu" flow smoothly and elegantly, with a form that is simple yet dignified, stable yet restrained, embodying the design concepts of modern ceramic art to an exceptional degree.

The form of the "Bian Deng Hu" was designed by Professor Yu Yaozhong of the Central Academy of Arts and Crafts, and photographs of the work were published in the third issue of Decoration magazine in 1960.