Iron Picture

Iron picture, also called "Wuhu Iron Picture," is a cross between painting and sculpture. It was first created by Tang Tianchi, a blacksmith from Wuhu city of Anhui Province in the mid-17th century. Using an anvil as his inkstone and the hammer as his brush, Tang forged, filed and shaped iron strips and wires into pictures by following the principles of composition of Chinese painting. The art developed by the smith-artist was handed down and cultivated for 300 years.

The iron picture is usually painted black (with or without sheen) forming a clear contrast with the light-colored wall where it hangs. The landscapes, flowers and plants represented in iron appeal to viewers due to their simple yet bold three-dimensional effect rarely found elsewhere.

The craft combines the traditional techniques of Chinese painting and calligraphy, sculpture and paper-cutting. It incorporates iron as the "drawing brush" through smelting, forge drilling and filing, transforming iron into pictures of high artistic value. "Ironing a picture involves hot-etching a picture on a piece of wood using the changes and variations of dark and light to express the artist's thoughts. Making use of the wood grain is a signature technique characteristic of iron pictures that possesses a high aesthetic value.

Following in the footsteps of Tang Tianchi was another celebrated iron picture artisan named Liang Yingda. Subsequently, there were no other particularly outstanding masters although the art was handed down from generation to generation by skillful craftsmen. Today, iron pictures are not only favorite artistic ornaments used by ordinary people but are also displayed at national-level guesthouses or halls, appealing to both refined and popular tastes.