New Year's Wood Talk: Starting with the First Oak Portrait

In the early 19th century, the British Romantic painter and engraver James Ward completed a watercolor sketch titled "An Ancient Oak," which is considered the first depiction of a real tree in Western art. Even then, oak was used to make furniture, clocks, and other accessories, and some of these have survived to this day, becoming highly sought-after "Western antique furniture" in the art world. James could hardly have imagined that an acorn, dropped from a tree during the Renaissance, would possess such vitality and endure, embodying his painting for two centuries.

Oak, a common hardwood, has been popular among architects and engineers for centuries. The oak cantilevered joist roof of Westminster Hall in London, England, has been in use since 1393. Many ancient temples in Japan also demonstrate the durability of wood (such as the Todai-ji Temple in Japan, mentioned in the previous tweet). Softwoods are also not to be outdone. The Urnes Stave Church in Norway, built in the 12th century, features warm, aged pine timber, a symbol of early Nordic Christian culture and an indelible contribution to European architecture.

The profound cultural influence of wooden architecture extends beyond Europe. Even more so in China. The Yingxian Wooden Pagoda in Shanxi Province, China's oldest surviving wooden tower, is considered one of the "Three Wonders of the World," along with the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy and the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It's also the tallest existing wooden pavilion-style Buddhist pagoda. The tower utilizes 3,000 cubic meters of red pine lumber, constructed entirely of wood without nails or rivets. 54 different bracket sets are incorporated throughout the tower, earning it the nickname "China's Ancient Bracket Museum."

From Chinese mortise and tenon joints (link here) to North American prefabricated timber structures (2018 issue 3), from the walnut roof of the Shanghai Starbucks Roastery (link here) to the Toronto Tree Tower (2018 issue 4), over the past year, Asia Panels & Furniture magazine has featured numerous architectural and interior design applications and examples of wood elements. Modern timber architecture and traditional timber architecture share a common cultural and humanistic spirit, just as the globally popular New Chinese and Simple European home decor styles inherit the essence of traditional Chinese and European styles. It is through the sculpting of time that wood acquires distinct characteristics and meanings from different eras.