When Did Wood Burning Art Begin?
Wood Burning Art is as old as time itself. It can be seen as far back as the ancient Egyptian culture and appears in pre-history findings of others.
This application for art may be done somewhat differently from place to place and across time, yet it is a natural evolution. Commonly this art is called Pyrography.
Wood burning did not require expansion by trade or introduction from outside sources of other cultures. In this the art is unique.
We do not find a single point or location in history as to where it came from. Rather we can see multiple places where different methods were used to apply wood burning art.
What Is Wood Burning Art?
This art has been called “writing with fire” and is often performed with a heated needle point. The term Pyrography was coined within the Victorian Era and has remained to our present day.
This is a great way to make art with wood that can also be applied to paper and leather.
Pokers and heated needle point tools from fire or electricity have been used to burn words, designs, and art into wood.
Earliest Notable Cultures To Apply Wood Burning
It would be the Han dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD) where wood burning art came into maturity within China. In this time the art was known by another name called Fire Needle Embroidery.
There are a few locations within the world where wood burning reached a significant level of prominence. China is one of these where it stood out among others.
Wu Longfei from Dalad Inner Mongolia is one of the artists today who seeks to keep this traditional art alive. His efforts have gained the attention from media there as he has opened schools for this art and seeks to expand its influence.
Another notable culture where pyrography held significance can be found within the Nazca and Moche civilizations of Peru. The oldest artifacts from these people date to around 700 AD.
While the Nazca and Moche did not have the broad influence of a nation like China, the use of wood burning was quite extensive in their civilization. Its use ranged from boat making, crafting weapons, and daily items like bowls.
Africa has what could be the longest standing use of wood burning as a form of art. The pyrography there reaches back before recorded history and is still used today as a traditional art.
The extent of its use within Africa reaches across many peoples throughout the continent. Due to the extensive timeline and use of the art it may match the degree of influence which China has held.
Within Europe it would be the Middle Ages that would bring wood burning as an art through pyrography. The method used in this time is somewhat different than in other places.
Stoves would be heated where pokers could be inserted. These pokers would heat within the stove and then be removed and used to write with fire onto the wood.
Characteristics Of Older Pyrography Methods Used In Art
The characteristics of pyrography in these older times is different than what is capable today. While pyrography could create art by burning the wood it was limited to creating general shapes.
To give more insight to this, a pencil can create shape by line and then depth by shading. With this contours can be created to give a three dimensional appearance on a two dimensional surface.
This basic principle is called shape within the elements of art and allows for ease of creating contrast.
Early wood burning art could not achieve this as easily. The difficulty to achieving this can be found by the need to control the temperature of the needle.
The Chinese have some of the most detailed and beautiful early pieces where the limitations of the art were pushed. Despite the limitations of that time their art ranks as being among the most impressive.
By comparison to the Middle Ages within Europe, the surviving pieces are more rudimentary and less impressive.
It would require modern means to take wood burning art into a new age where it could render photographic like qualities.
The Beginning Of Modern Wood Burning Art
The beginning of modern wood burning art can be attributed to the Victorian Era. A man by the name of Alfred Smart developed a way to apply a paint in conjunction with using benzoline fumes through a platinum pencil in the late 1800s.
This is the first mechanical and chemical method to produce wood burning art within history. It is also because of his method that tinting and shading could for the first time create detailed contours much like drawing.
The 1880s to the 1920s was a period where wood burning art saw its height in popularity. By the time of the Art Deco period it could be found across North America and Europe.
The new life which came into this trend fit naturally into places like Romania, Hungary, and Poland where this was already a folk art.
It would require harnessing electricity for pyrography in the 20th century to perfect these methods to a science. While there are many tools which can be used for this purpose, some harness the power of cnc mill capability.
The peak to pyrography for our time can be found within laser burning. These machines are numerically controlled such as a cnc mill. The laser can achieve life like photo quality in monochromatic art.
The machines used today can mass produce wood burning art with great speed and accuracy. Yet the broader application across the whole of the art is not limited to panels.
Wood carved sculptures can be greatly enhanced with hand pyrography tools. This tool allows the artist to add depth of color to the form of the art. It is here that I find its most useful purpose and real beauty.
Popularity Of Wood Burning Within Shou Sugi Ban
While Shou Sugi Ban itself is not for burning art into the wood, it has become a very popular means of decoration.
This form of wood burning allows the wood itself to become the art by a charring process. The objective is to bring about a distinct beauty withing the wood grain for home design.
This wood burning art comes from Japan and also reaches back through history. It is another form where a separate culture created a unique process within their time.
Today Shou Sugi Ban is commonly practiced and is in demand around the globe. While its process has again been modified from place to place, the heart behind the art remains true to its origins.
Is Pyrography A Fad Of History Or Art For The Future?
Pyrography may be old in terms of historical art as it reaches back to before recorded history. Today how successful an artist becomes will be dictated by how refined their art is.
The peak of its popularity was now a little more than a hundred years ago. It still remains as a popular art form for many. Likewise it also still holds some popularity among collectors.
We may not be within its golden age yet it will in no way disappear from our world of art. Today it falls into two general categories.
You have those who mass produce cheap wood with more intricate images and attempt to sell at lower costs. Then you have those who use wood burning art for the real purpose it has served for thousands of years.
These artists will often take a wood carving and apply the wood burning to enhance a work of art rather than require the wood burning itself to be the art. This is a very distinct difference between a wood artist or mass produced product by a maker or crafter.
It is an easy art to begin with for teenagers or young adults. Relatively speaking it is safe if all warnings are followed, proper wood is used, and protection is taken with equipment and ventilation.
While this art is more common to find in hobby shops it still is and will forever remain a tool within the wood artists toolkit. As a tool we consider it to be much like a knife or saw blade. It is a tool which fits the task at hand when it is needed.