艺术麦克风 | 新加坡木刻大师杨昌泰个人专访
“A Signboard is Not Just a Piece of Wood”
“牌匾 绝不仅仅是一块木板”
Tree Art is honored to have Yang Changtai, a Singaporean wood carving master, share his experiences and thoughts on making signboards.
Tree Art这次很荣幸可以邀请杨昌泰先生分享他对制作牌匾的经历和想法。
No matter how advanced technology becomes, it cannot replace the essence of traditional craftsmanship。
即便科技再发达传统手工的情与味无可替代。
Wood carving is a purely handcrafted skill that relies on the unity of heart and hand. Every piece of work is unique and irreplaceable.
木刻是纯手工的技艺，全凭心手合一，每一件作品都是独一无二无法复制。
Yang Changtai is a famous calligrapher from Singapore. He graduated from the top art school in Singapore, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, and currently serves as a senior reviewer for the Singapore Calligraphers’ Association, vice chairman of the Lion City Calligraphy and Seal Carving Association, vice chairman of the Singapore Art Society, director of the Singapore Office of the China Oracle Bone Inscription Research Association, and an artistic consultant for the China Weifang International Art Forest of Steles. He has also been an operator for the International Tombstone Art Exhibition.
杨昌泰，新加坡著名书法家。毕业于新加坡顶尖艺术高校南洋艺术学院，目前为新加坡书法家协会高级评议员、狮城书法篆刻家协会副主席、新加坡美术总会副主席、中华甲骨文学会新加坡办事处主任、中国山东潍坊国际艺术碑林艺术顾问、国际刻字公墓大展运营委员。
From 1985 to the present, he has held nearly 70 solo exhibitions, joint exhibitions, and exchange exhibitions in major cities around the world. He has also served as a judge in numerous calligraphy competitions both at home and abroad.
1985年迄今，在世界各国的大城市先后举行书法个展、联展及交流展不下70场。亦担任过无数次海内外书法比赛的评审。
His works have been highly appreciated by collectors and institutions worldwide, including Singapore’s former President Nathan, the Lerners (Yashilan Cosmetics Co., Ltd.), Mr. Loh Wing Siew (Jibo Enterprise Director), and Dr. Jialazu (Associate Professor of the Department of History of the Academy of Arts, University of Toronto, Canada); institutions include Dahua Bank, U.S. Yun Express, UNICEF, Singapore National Art Gallery, Singapore National Library, and more.
其作品更受到海内外收藏家和机构所青睐，包括新加坡前任总统纳丹、莱诺夫妇（雅诗兰黛化妆品有限公司）、Loh Wing Siew（吉宝企业董事）、杰拉佐敦副教授（艺术学院历史系，加拿大多伦多大学）；机构包括大华银行、美国运通、联合国儿童基金会、新加坡国家美术馆、新加坡国家图书馆…
What is a Signboard?
The signboard is a continuation of Singapore’s traditional culture, a comprehensive art piece that combines Chinese language, calligraphy, traditional Chinese architecture, carving, and painting. It is rich in ideological, inherited, and artistic value.
什么是牌匾？
牌匾是新加坡传统文化的传承，集汉语言、汉字书法、中式传统建筑、雕刻和绘画于一身的综合艺术作品。其富含思想性、传承性和艺术价值。
Q1
May I ask how you learned this art form?
请问您是如何学习这门艺术？？
Mr. Yang Changtai: I initially studied Chinese language calligraphy. Later, when Japanese people came to Singapore to promote wood carving art, they taught us some techniques. After they pushed us, we continued to explore carving techniques. We carved differently, retaining our ideas in the works. For example, early traditional Chinese signboards would carve characters very smoothly, but we would preserve some knife techniques to make the visual effect look different.
杨昌泰先生：我本身是学汉语言书法的，后来因为日本人来到新加坡去推动这个木刻艺术去教导我们一些技术。经过他们推动后我们就继续钻研木刻技术。我们刻的不一样，我们有保留自己的想法在作品。例如早期中国传统牌匾会把文字刻得很平滑，可是我们会保留一些刀法让整个视觉效果看起来不一样。
Q2
Could you share your experience in making signboards?
请问可以分享您制作牌匾的经历吗？
Mr. Yang Changtai: Signboards were already being made in China before, but when this craft was passed down to Nanyang, it became more Westernized. Signboards also exist in Malacca. However, they used a master-apprentice system, relying on experience to make the boards. In Singapore, it’s different. We study calligraphy and have an aesthetic and technical foundation in it.
Initially, we made customized boards. We would write Chinese calligraphy on a wooden board and then use carving knives to carve. All our works are handmade without relying on any machines. Our handwritten fonts are all our own. We would generally write the requested characters in three or four calligraphy styles and let the client choose the style. Then, we customize according to the size of the wooden board, transferring the characters onto the board before proceeding to the process of carving and coloring.
杨昌泰先生：在很早以前在中国就有人开始制作牌匾，但是这个手艺传承到南洋之后，我们就变得比较洋化。在马六甲也有牌匾。但是他们是师徒制，仅靠经验去制作。在新加坡比较不一样，我们本身就是学书法，有书法的美学和手艺基础。
我们刚开始是做客制化的。把汉语言书法写在木板上，然后再用木刀去雕刻。全部作品都是纯手工制作，不依靠任何机器。我们纯手工连字体都是自己写。一般我们会把人家要求的字用书法写大概三四种然后让他选择样式，之后根据木板的尺寸进行订做，把文字复印到木板上最后进行雕刻和上色的程序。
Q3
What are the characteristics of Singapore’s signboards?
请问新加坡牌匾的特点是什么？
Mr. Yang Changtai: Signboards are generally similar with only minor differences. The characteristics of Singapore’s signboards lie in preserving the essence of calligraphy, the type of wood used, and the choice of colors. The first point is the preservation of the characters on the wooden board. Due to our strong calligraphy foundation, each piece of work can reach up to 98% similarity, with the original at 100%. However, there may be deviations due to the difference between paper and wooden boards because the wood grains on the boards can hinder the characters. The second point is the type of wood used. Singapore differs from China because we use teak wood, which is more durable and suitable for our climate. Lastly, our signboards have a Nanyang style and flavor compared to the traditional black background with gold characters. Malaysians prefer green, so we use green colors.
杨昌泰先生：其实牌匾都是大同小异，没有很大差距。新加坡牌匾的特点是保留书法人的精神面貌、木材和颜色。第一点是文字在木板上不会走样，因为我们有扎实的书法功底所以每一件作品大概可以达到有98%的相似度，本来是有100%的相似度。可是纸张和木板不一样，因为木板有木纹从而会阻挡产生偏差。第二点是木材。我们和中国不一样，由于中国没有柚木，所以采用用的是杉木。新加坡全部牌匾都是用柚木，柚木会比较耐用，适合新加坡的天气。最后一个差异点是
我们的作品有南洋的风格和味道，中国所做的都是黑底金字。但是好像马来人喜欢绿色，所以我们就会涂上绿色。
Q4
How much time is required for the signboard-making process?
请问牌匾制作过程需要多少时间？
Mr. Yang Changtai: Making a standard 45-inch signboard requires at least one month. The process is as follows: deciding on the calligraphic style, ordering and sun-drying the wood, waiting for the turn to carve the characters, sanding the characters, and applying color to the board. For more classic signboards, additional days are needed for applying gold foil. Thus, every piece of work is created meticulously.
杨昌泰先生：做一个标准45寸，需要花上至少一个月。制作流程是：制定文字样式给客人看、订购加晒干木材、轮到刻字体、刻好以后还要磨砂纸、最后再上颜料。有些比较经典的牌匾需要再加上贴金箔。光是贴金箔就需要花上额外三四天的时间。所以我们的每一件作品都是慢工出细活。
Q5
Do you have any plans for preserving and promoting this cultural craft?
您对保留以及传承这门文化工艺有什么计划吗？
Mr. Yang Changtai: To be honest, not many people are currently interested in this craft, as Singapore is becoming more Westernized, and most signboards now use English. However, we are making efforts to preserve this cultural craft. I conduct interest classes, and if people show interest, I will teach them. If they want to pursue this professionally in the future, I will do my best to nurture them.
In addition, we often maintain overseas connections with countries like China, Korea, and Japan. We have a common association called Woodcarving Customization. We regularly hold art exhibitions to promote signboards and help more people understand them.
杨昌泰先生：说实话现在比较少有人对这门手艺有兴趣。因为现在新加坡洋化，很多招牌都已经不是英文了。所以现在对这个手艺有兴趣的人很少。但是我们有在努力保留这门文化工艺。我有开一些兴趣班，只要有人有兴趣我会教，日后他们想要往专业方向，我也会尽力培养。
在此之外，我们也经常和海外有联系，像中国、韩国、日本。我们有一个共同联系社，叫木刻客制。我们会经常举办一些艺术的展览，让更多人了解牌匾。
