What shape is the clay sculpture in yutian county?

The clay sculptures in yutian county are generally ellipsoidal.

Clay sculpture:

Clay sculpture, commonly known as "painted sculpture", is an ancient and common folk art in China folk tradition. That is, folk handicrafts that shape clay into various images. The production method is to mix a little cotton fiber into the clay, tamp it evenly, knead it into mud blanks with various patterns, dry it in the shade, coat it with base powder, and then color it.

It takes soil as raw material, hand-shaped, or plain or colorful, with figures and animals as the main ones. Clay sculpture is commonly known as "painted sculpture" and "clay play" among the people. Clay sculpture originated in Fengxiang County, Baoji City, and is popular in Shaanxi, Tianjin, Jiangsu, Henan and other places. On May 20, 2006, it was selected into the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list.

According to the national service platform of arts and crafts industry, clay sculpture is to shape all kinds of people and animals with delicate soil. In the Neolithic sites in China, early clay sculptures were unearthed many times, and then they mainly developed in the form of colored sculptures with painted surfaces. The function of clay sculpture can be divided into two categories: religion and folk custom. The former is mainly enshrined in Buddhist temples, while the latter is mostly furnishings and children's toys.

Clay, the basic material of clay sculpture, needs careful preparation. Generally choose some sticky and delicate soil. After being beaten, thrown and rubbed, cotton wool, paper and honey are sometimes added to the soil. The molding of clay sculpture is generally divided into four steps: being a child, turning over the mold, being born, and coloring.

To be a child is to make a prototype, find a good piece of mud, shape an image by carving, molding and kneading, and then modify, polish and dry it. In some places, it needs to be burned to enhance its strength. Turning over the mold is to press the soil on the prototype and print it into a mold. Generally, there are single-piece molds and double-piece molds, and there are also multiple molds.

Bodybuilding is to press the clay figurine blank with a mold. Usually, the mixed mud is rolled into a sheet, then pressed into a mold, then the two molds pressed with mud are closed and pressed, and then a "bottom" is installed, that is, a piece of mud is stuck on the lower part of the clay figurine to make the clay figurine hollow and compact, and a hole is left in the carcass to make the air inside and outside the carcass circulate, so as to avoid damage to the clay tire caused by the change of air pressure in the fetus.

The last process is coloring, which is commonly known as "three-part plastic and seven-part color separation". Generally, a layer of ground color is applied before coloring to keep the surface smooth and easy to absorb the painted color. The painted pigment is versatile, mixed with water gel to enhance color adhesion.