Jiang......The Ancient Art of Sculpture

Jiang shown with Emerald Lady: the Bronze, the first sculpture cast in the United States based on Jiang's work.

Just as the translation of a painting into a graphic demands an understanding of the assets and limits of the medium, so does the evolution of a painting into a sculpture. Depth and volume are added, and spatial relationships are altered. Jiang's bronzes are three-dimensional interpretations of a dazzling array of mythic icons and wild creatures.

In his works on canvas and paper, Jiang followed the precepts of the artists who illustrated the Buddhist caves of Dunhuang; notably, free-flowing, linear treatments of form that in no way attempted to impose a third dimension on a two-dimensional medium. Subsequently, his flat images are complexly layered and interwoven. In taking his compositions to bronze, Jiang, in effect, has separated the layers and simplified the forms. His super-saturated palette evolved into subdued patinas or the warm glow of 23K gold leaf. The medium has expanded Jiang's visual repertoire by, in essence, bringing still images to life.

There is a dynamic evident in sculptures that can only be intimated in paintings and graphics; the sense of suspended movement, of vitality temporarily in abeyance, that will resume once a viewer has left the scene. The Tang Dynasty Horse rears, arching its neck. Golden Tiger crouches upon the rocks, readying to leap. Swirling silks arc in the hands of the Ribbon Dancer, as she executes an extravagant step. The sinuous coils of the great dragon ripple in a protective embrace of the beautiful Dragon Bride. The Black Horse prances, tail and mane streaming, carrying the divine energy of the Mother Goddess forward. Black panthers bound and snarl, fierce guardians and transport for the serene Mountain Ghost.

With paintings and graphics, sight is the sole gateway to the viewer's mind and heart. Sculpture adds the sense of touch, and expands sight; in that the art can be viewed from a multitude of perspectives. With Jiang's work, the medium may change, but as the saying goes, "the song remains the same." The narrative and symbolism of his paintings, while simplified in bronze, remain visible. It is in the details; small elements of decoration, or forms within forms; that one finds the flesh to wrap around the bones of a tale.

In creating his sculptures, Jiang opted for a casting method that has been utilized by artists for centuries. Known as the "lost-wax" process, it originated in China in 220 B.C., during the Han Dynasty. To this day, the methodology has remained virtually unchanged.

After firing the ceramic mold and burning out the wax the mold is filled with molten bronze.

The initial sculpture is done in clay, which sometimes is referred to as a maquette. A rubber mold is then made from the original. Molten wax is poured into the mold and allowed to cool. Next, the wax "sculpture" is removed from the mold. Several layers of liquid ceramic are applied, and left to dry.

The ceramic mold, after drying, is fired in a kiln, baking the mold and burning out the wax. It is from this step in the process; when the mold is hollowed out; that the term lost-wax is derived. All that remains is to pour the metal into the cast.

Like many sculptors, Jiang prefers bronze over all other metal alloys for its hardness and its transmutability. It is a blend of 85 percent copper, 5 percent lead, 5 percent tin, and 5 percent zinc, heated to 2100 degrees Fahrenheit to achieve a molten state. Once the bronze has cooled, the ceramic mold is carefully removed. Any remaining pieces of ceramic still attached to the sculpture are cleaned away with a high-pressure spray of ultra fine glass particles

Hand-finishing after the patina has been applied.

The final steps to finishing a bronze are chasing and patination. In chasing, the "gates" (the tubes used for draining away the hot wax) are cut away, and the chased sections are blended into the casting.

Jiang uses hot patinas to color his work; a treatment that combines oxides and heat. As it is applied, the patina chemically interacts with the bronze, causing the color to merge with the metal and become a permanent part of the sculpture.

For Jiang, form is everything, a philosophy as evident in his sculptures as in his paintings. Form is exalted through a story that is related by solely visual means. It is a vast wellspring that Jiang draws from for his images; the mythology, culture, and wildlife of an ancient civilization built upon a vast, complex, and exotic continent. And as diverse as his subjects are, they share characteristics on two fronts: they are invariably compelling and inevitably beautiful.

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