The basic material of paper-cutting is flat paper, the basic units are lines and blocks, and the basic language symbols are decorative points, lines, and surfaces. In addition, due to the limitations of the material, paper-cutting is not good at expressing multiple levels. The complex picture content and light and shadow effects, as well as the volume, depth and ups and downs of the objects, therefore can only be used to maximize the strengths and avoid weaknesses, and adopt a head-up composition in the composition, that is, the objects and scenes will change from a three-dimensional space image into a two-dimensional space plane image, and boldly use the expressive materials to Making choices, cutting out the complex and simplifying, using concise lines to summarize, making the focus of the picture prominent, and the relationship between black and white to contrast the virtual and the real, so as to enhance the expressive power of the work, and express the objects of the world with a plane perspective, which determines the plane characteristics of paper-cut expression, that is, any image All shapes exist within a specific visual plane. Folk paper-cutting uses an expanded way of thinking, which is extremely arbitrary. Under the creator's scissors, paper cutting becomes a natural and bold creation that has no volume, no space, no regard for perspective, and no regard for proportion. It is a natural and bold creation based on experience and spirituality. In order to express their own ideas, creators can break the objective laws of nature and the limitations of space, and place objects from different time and space on the same plane. This kind of static planarization can express three-dimensional, four-dimensional or even multi-dimensional space, and through dynamic thinking, he can continuously depict the world in his mind. Folk paper-cutting is to use the limitations of paper to make a big fuss, to gallop freely within the limitations, to make the impossible possible, and to simplify the three-dimensional world into a two-dimensional space. Infinite space and infinitely complex shapes are placed on a plane, and the flat outline becomes the basis of paper-cutting. Therefore, the unique expressive power of folk paper-cutting is realized based on the thorough concept of two-dimensional space. Paper-cut creators give full play to their true and pure artistic nature, break the constraints of the objective world, and express the artistic objects in their hearts from multiple angles, directions, and levels.
The compositional thinking of folk paper-cutting is not limited by life routines and subject matter. It creatively organizes several images to create coherence, contrast, and foil. This flat expression method of taking objects enhances the subjectivity, time and space, three-dimensionality and comprehensiveness of paper-cutting, and its ultimate goal is to pursue the integrity of the shape. The psychology of seeking perfection is the foundation of all these. In folk paper-cutting, the foreground and background of the cut objects appear on a plane. The objects do not block or overlap each other. You can see the objects in front of you and completely See the objects behind, thus showing a strong decorative style. Out of simple thoughts, feelings and aesthetic standards, the creator breaks the barriers of realization and uses the method of unifying the inside and outside to comprehensively express the object. For paper-cutting, although the back, top, bottom or interior of a real object cannot be seen, it has inner perception. It is reasonable to not see it, but it is unreasonable not to cut it out.
In addition, the structure and performance of folk paper-cutting are not the simulation or reproduction of a static visual image from a fixed viewpoint, but a dynamic dialectic that fully integrates sensibility and rationality. Chinese folk art does not pursue the sense of depth in perspective, but has the aesthetic discernment of "seeing more and seeing everything". Folk paper-cutting also embodies this aesthetic concept, reflecting the full picture of things in a two-dimensional space.
Paper-cut works using scattered perspective
The composition form of folk paper-cutting completely abandons the concept of "focus" perspective in painting. It not only breaks the limitations of time, space, and proportional relationships, but also It completely leaves the specific location of the natural scenery and uses the formal rules of the primary and secondary images, symmetry and balance to unify the picture. At the same time, folk paper-cutting also has a scatter-type composition method, that is, different materials are independent and do not intersect with each other. Even each object has its own perspective point, and the author can reasonably arrange these different materials in the same in plane. This is unreasonable in reality, but it is also naturally reasonable in paper-cutting.
Folk paper-cutting is not bound by the inherent shapes of natural objects, and is not satisfied with the imitation of appearance. It expresses all objects on a flat surface. At the same time, in order to pursue the integrity and comprehensiveness of the shape, different scenes in different spaces and times are depicted, which fully reflects the creator's exquisite ingenuity and aesthetic desire for perfection. Folk paper-cutting comes from life. The creators of paper-cutting express their understanding and perception of life and nature in the special art form of paper-cutting. It is an expression of their inner emotions. Therefore, this kind of artistic expression focuses on expression. Similar in spirit, not in appearance.
At the same time, due to the limitations of paper-cutting technology, it is not suitable to adopt completely realistic techniques. Only techniques that highlight the outline characteristics of the object can be used, and deformation and exaggeration can be used to highlight the characteristics of the object. Therefore, exaggeration and deformation have become one of the most commonly used expression languages ??in paper-cutting. Exaggerated deformation is the fruit of human creative labor and the crystallization of wisdom. Whether it is the painted pottery decoration of the Yangshao culture, the graphic patterns of the bronzes of the Yin and Shang Dynasties, or the stone carving art of the Qin and Han Dynasties, the beauty of artistic exaggeration shows its eternal artistic charm. As a direct carrier of primitive art, paper-cutting has outstanding performance in exaggerated deformation. The performance content of folk paper-cutting mostly comes from real life, and most of it reflects the life and things around working people. However, it is not just a simple and intuitive simulation of the objects to be represented in its works, but an objective expression that transcends reality and uses exaggeration and Metamorphosis is the customary standard of changing the nature, form, etc. of an object to change its natural original shape.
The creators of folk paper-cutting regard paper-cutting as a part of life. The yearning for a better life and the worship of ancient totems are the main contents expressed by folk paper-cutting. To express these themes full of folk customs, beliefs, and philosophy, we can only imagine them subjectively, which makes the image of paper-cutting arbitrary, while depicting inner objects is inseparable from exaggerated artistic language.
The exaggeration of folk paper-cut shapes is a process of organizing and standardizing complex content, rather than an objective description of nature. Therefore, the image in the cutout is more prominent and eye-catching than the prototype. This is determined by the larger historical and cultural background and living environment, and comes from a fulfilling and rich life. At the same time, the process of removing the rough and selecting the essentials from daily life materials, and cutting out the complex and simplifying it, is also the basis of folk paper-cut modeling. Eliminating non-essential things, highlighting the characteristic and characterful parts, and reducing complexity to simple artistic re-creation is an exaggeration of folk paper-cutting. Exaggeration emphasizes the characteristics of an object on the basis of omission, and enlarges, shrinks, elongates, thickens, deforms, etc. the most special parts of the object to make the image more characteristic and artistically charming. In many folk paper-cut works, almost only the eyes can be seen on the characters' faces. In people's minds, eyes are the most expressive, so the creators exaggerate the eyes.
The exaggeration of folk paper-cutting is not only to reflect the characteristics of objects, but also to achieve the purpose of decorative beauty, and to express the creator's spiritual pursuit of life ideals and wishes in the effect of decorative beauty. In order to make the highlighted parts clearer, more concentrated and more eye-catching, some patterns are often added to the objects to achieve the perfect decorative purpose. The desire for beauty has also become one of the exaggerated contents. When representing characters, the clothes of the characters are covered with flowers; when depicting animals, the fur on the animals is exaggerated into a swirl shape, or patterns are directly added to their bodies. This makes the original ordinary image transparent and reflects a strong decorative. Zigzag and crescent shapes are commonly used decorative patterns in folk paper-cutting.
The creative process of folk paper-cutting is a process of evolution and deepening from the "truth" of real life to the "beauty" of art through exaggerated techniques. It is a reflection of the creator's thoughts and feelings, aesthetic psychology and understanding of beauty. The process of pursuit and manifestation. Through long-term observation and understanding of life, and after long-term practice, the creator is well versed in the rules of paper-cutting, and can freely combine balanced, uneven, dense and irregular lines to form wonderful movements and rhythms, adding interest. It enriches the appeal of the image. Representatives include Foshan paper-cutting in Guangdong and folk paper-cutting in Fujian.
Southern style paper-cutting - Foshan paper-cutting
Paper-cutting in Foshan, Guangdong has a long history, originating from the Song Dynasty and flourishing in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Since the Ming Dynasty, Foshan paper-cutting has been mass-produced by specialized industries, and its products are sold within the province, central and southwestern provinces, and exported to Southeast Asian countries.
Foshan paper-cutting can be divided into copper lining, paper lining, copper writing, silver writing, woodcut overprinting, copper chisel, solid color and other categories according to its production materials and methods. It uses local specialty copper foil and silver foil, and uses cutting, carving, chiseling and other techniques to line various colored papers and paint and print various patterns to form paper-cuts with strong colors, splendor and southern characteristics. Foshan paper-cutting has both delicacy and elegance, as well as vigorous and vigorous expression techniques. The materials and techniques are selected according to the needs of use.
In ancient times, paper-cutting was mainly used for decoration of holiday gifts, sacrificial decoration, embroidery and carving patterns, product trademarks, etc. With the development of society, Foshan paper-cutting, on the basis of tradition, has the characteristics of rigorous composition, strong decoration, clear elegance, and splendor, and mostly reflects the life themes of the times. It has created a path of innovation in traditional art. Paper-cutting in my country has More representative in art.
Southern paper-cutting - Zhangpu paper-cutting in Fujian
Paper-cutting in various parts of Fujian has different characteristics. In the mountainous areas such as Nanping and Hua'an, there are many works depicting mountain poultry and domestic animals, which are more sturdy, powerful, honest and simple; in some coastal areas such as southern Fujian and Zhangpu, aquatic animals are often included in the paintings, with detailed and vivid styles; Putian and Xianyou This area is dominated by gift flowers, which tend to be gorgeous and delicate.
Paper-cutting has a wide range of uses: window grilles, door signs, lanterns, ceremonial flowers and embroidery patterns for festivals during the year. Quanzhou artists also use paper-cutting on furniture in buildings to make copies of lacquer paintings. The base plate.
The most distinctive style should be called Putian’s gift flowers. When celebrating birthdays and birthdays, offering sacrifices to gods, ghosts and ancestors, whether it is a gift or an offering, whether it is light or heavy, a bright red paper-cut flower must be given. Even pig heads, pig feet, pig belly, and chicken feet are like this. There is a Chinese proverb that goes, "It is not worth mentioning people's intentions." Gifts must be symbolic behaviors, and the flowers on the gifts should be the symbol of people's feelings, right?
The shape of gift flowers is also interesting. The paper-cut on a chicken foot is called a "phoenix claw flower", and the originally unattractive thing suddenly becomes a phoenix foot with phoenix feet and phoenix toes, decorated with the pattern of "playing peonies". It is more beautiful. The pig's belly is also ugly. The author cut the flower into a fat and oily piglet, which perfectly perfected this gift that was originally "delicious but not pretty". It is even more strange that the words "a mass of color" instead of "a mass of harmony" are written in it, because the garden is filled with visible auspicious clouds. Representatives include Jiangsu Yangzhou paper-cutting and Zhejiang folk paper-cutting.
Jiangsu and Zhejiang school paper-cutting - Yangzhou paper-cutting "Flowers of the Four Seasons"
Cut out in various variations Yangzhou is one of the earliest areas where paper-cutting became popular in my country. Yangzhou paper-cutting has a long history. Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty visited Yangzhou three times, built a villa in the palace, and enjoyed himself as much as he wanted. Every winter, when the flowers and trees in the garden withered and the pond water froze, Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty continued to enjoy the tours. He ordered the maids to imitate folk paper-cutting, cut flowers and leaves with colorful brocade, decorate the branches, hang them on the trees, and cut them into lotus flowers, Water chestnuts, lotus root and other items are removed from the ice in the pool and placed on the water one by one, just like the gorgeous scenery at the turn of spring and summer, which is pleasing to the eye. In the Tang Dynasty, Yangzhou already had the custom of paper-cutting to welcome the spring. On the day of the beginning of spring, people cut paper into flowers, or into spring butterflies, spring coins, or spring flowers, which are hung on the heads of beauties or placed under flowers, and they are joyful to watch. Paper-cuts also have some special uses, such as folk paper-cut figures, paper horses and paper money, etc., which are used to pay homage to ghosts and gods. The great poet Du Fu wrote the poem "Warm soup washes my feet, paper cutting attracts my soul", which refers to this use.
In the spring of 1980, people from all walks of life in Yangzhou welcomed the statue of Master Jianzhen back to his hometown to visit relatives. Paper-cutting artists made a paper-cut of "Master Jianzhen", and Mr. Zhao Puchu wrote a poem "Recalling Jiangnan" for it, which has the words "Mingmu" The whole city is filled with songs across the sea, and the divine craftsmanship of paper-cutting and soul-calling" is a line. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Yangzhou paper-cutting enhanced its decorative nature and combined appreciation with practicality. It was used not only for the decoration of women and children, as a base sample for embroidery, to cut shoe flowers, pillow flowers, tablecloth flowers, bedsheet flowers, etc.; it was also used in folk customs. Decorations, such as New Year patterns, festive patterns, front door floral decorations, lantern flowers, dragon boat flowers, fighting incense flowers, etc. With a pair of scissors and a few pieces of rice paper, folk paper-cutting artists can create patterns that symbolize good luck, good luck, longevity, wealth, etc. in various ways and with various meanings. Until the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, there were still many folk artists in Yangzhou making a living by paper-cutting.
After the founding of New China, Yangzhou paper-cutting, like other traditional handicrafts, has received the attention of the party and the government. In 1955, the Folk Craft Society (now Yangzhou Craft Factory) was established in Yangzhou to organize scattered folk artists and arrange good working conditions, which greatly stimulated their creative enthusiasm. The famous old artist Zhang Yongshou is an outstanding representative of Yangzhou paper-cut art. He began to learn art from his father at the age of 12, experienced more than 70 years of art, and created thousands of paper-cuts. His main works include three paper-cut collections: "A Hundred Flowers Bloom" in the 1950s, "A Hundred Chrysanthemums" in the 1970s, and "A Hundred Butterflies Love Flowers" in the 1980s. When the paper-cut collection "A Hundred Flowers Bloom" was published, Comrade Guo Moruo wrote a poem for it: "Yangzhou artist Zhang Yongshou cut out a hundred flowers blooming. Please see the spring and autumn when he cut out, and the east wind spreads all over Jiugai." In 1979, Zhang Yongshou was awarded the national award. The title of Master of Chinese Arts and Crafts.
Today, there are more than 1,000 varieties of Yangzhou paper-cuts, which are sold to dozens of countries and regions, contributing to cultural and artistic exchanges at home and abroad.
Zhejiang and Zhejiang School Paper-cutting - Zhejiang Paper-cutting
"Wulin Fanzhi" records that in the Five Dynasties, "King Wu Yuejian went on an auspicious day... Hundreds of households outside the city did not hang brocades, but all used colored paper. "Cut people and horses to replace them" depicts a grand paper-cut landscape that once appeared in the hometown of Wu and Yue.
The tradition of folk paper-cutting continues to be passed down in the countryside and endures for a long time. Before 1953, investigators once recorded: "Window cutouts can be found in various places in Zhejiang Province, with Yongkang, Pujiang, and Pan'an in Jinhua area, and Yueqing, Pingyang and other places in Wenzhou area having many different styles and uses. ”
From the collected items, most of them are window flowers and lanterns in Jinhua area, fine-grained paper from Yueqing is mainly used to decorate dragon pan lanterns, and “rings” are placed on gifts when giving gifts in Pingyang area. "Potted flowers" are the most distinctive. Secondly, there are local styles of clothes, shoes and hats available in various places.
The common themes are flowers, fruits, birds, animals and fish, while opera stories are the specialty of Yongkang area. Most of the flower-cut patterns are those of the older generation that the women saved when they were girls; some are made by folk craftsmen who painted Buddhist statues, and are then cut by skilled hands. Of course, some skilled hands can make their own samples and cut them out, and they can even cut out a complete set of scripts after watching the play.
Zhejiang opera window grilles are good at capturing typical scenes and plots in the opera, fully reflecting the beauty of the characters' bodies. What is different from opera is that paper-cutting is matched with a suitable background, showing the advantages of a specific artistic language. Zhejiang paper-cut modeling emphasizes large outlines of images, with thin negative lines cut out of the images. The right shade of the negative line can add color to the image structure and the rhythm of the picture. Representatives include Shanxi paper-cutting, Shaanxi folk paper-cutting and Shandong folk paper-cutting.
Northern style paper-cutting - Shanxi paper-cutting
Folk paper-cutting is a very common mass art in Shanxi. Old ladies over fifty and simple and handsome girls often use a Use small scissors or carving knives to bend naturally and move flexibly to cut out and carve patterns on paper to decorate your life. On the occasion of the New Year, when you walk into a village courtyard in northwestern Shanxi and see the yellow mounds in the distance and the gray cave dwellings in front of you, it seems that the colors here are too monotonous. However, if you look at the colorful grilles and patterns on the windows, the door papers fluttering in the wind, and the colorful paper flowers with auspicious meanings in cupboards, grain stores, stables, etc., you will definitely admire them from the bottom of your heart. It seems to feel the strong breath of life. Yes, paper-cutting is such a folk art form that takes root among the people, is closely related to people's lives, and adds color and joy to thousands of households. In rural areas in the old days, people often regarded paper-cutting skills as a sign of their daughter-in-law's dexterity or clumsiness. Rural women naturally became the folk inheritors of paper-cutting craftsmanship.
Paper-cutting is an important folk activity, and the rich folklore phenomena provide a broad world for paper-cutting to run freely. Folk paper-cutting is closely integrated with local customs and habits, contains the basic qualities of national spirit and national psychology, and is an integral part of traditional national culture. Jufan's seasons, residence, clothing, birth and adulthood, weddings, funerals, and birthday feasts are all reflected in the paper-cutting.
Take the seasons of the year as an example. At the beginning of the first lunar month, every family hangs spring streamers and puts up window grilles, creating a festive atmosphere. On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, lanterns are held, and paper cuttings are put on the lanterns to make them more colorful and attractive. During the Qingming Festival in March, paper cuts should be placed on the offerings to express feelings of respect for the ancestors. During the Dragon Boat Festival in May, cut and paste the "Five Poisons" to avoid the epidemic. On July 7th, the Qiao Qiao Festival, girls gather together to cut patterns and compete in wisdom. On September 9th, the Double Ninth Festival, the Double Ninth Flag is cut and engraved to symbolize climbing higher step by step. On October 1st, the Cold Farm Festival, people in northern Shanxi use five-color paper to cut into cold clothes, or make them into garments, hats, shoes, and quilts in various styles, and burn them in front of the door or in the cemetery to express the living's grief for the deceased.
Let’s look at weddings and funerals. When getting married, red words "Double Happiness" are affixed on both sides of the door. In southern Shanxi, large-scale paper-cuts such as "Fish Popping Lotus", "Kilin Sending Son", "Mandarin Duck Playing in the Water" and other dowries are also used to decorate the dowry. The embroidery on pillows and handkerchiefs is also made from paper-cut patterns. The paper flags, money trees, gold and silver mountains, cars and horses used in the funeral procession are all made of paper cut and paste. Although these very ordinary paper-cut works are not as luxurious and brilliant as pearls and jade, they involve everyone's heart and accompany the lives of thousands of households, and have a heart-stirring artistic charm.
The themes of folk paper-cutting are mostly characters, animals, plants and flowers. What is valuable is that it can use common things in life to form allegorical artistic pictures through homophony, symbolism and other techniques.
For example, "Dragon and Phoenix Presenting Auspiciousness" and "Phoenix Playing with Peonies" symbolize the happiness and sanctity of marriage. "Bangs Playing with Golden Toad" symbolizes the sincerity of love. "Persimmon and Ruyi" means good luck, peace and happiness in all seasons. "The Magpie Climbs the Branch" means that joy will bloom on the brows and happy events will fill the door. The decorative pattern on the fat pig's body is composed of a group of piglets, which is a metaphor for "having many children". A new daughter-in-law holds a baby in her arms, which means "getting a child" and so on. In the world of paper-cutting art, skilled folk craftsmen can use their imagination to depict ideal things, conveying the spirit through form, expressing cleverness, novelty and beauty.
The genre and format of Shanxi folk paper-cutting are adapted to the local folk customs and practical needs. The most common one is window grille, its size is determined according to the shape of the window pane. For example, the window formats in northern Shanxi include diamond, round, polygonal and other styles, and the window grilles also vary with the windows. The smaller ones are delicate and clever, full of childishness; the larger ones have four-corner, hexagonal, and octagonal "round flowers" that echo each other. Simple and elegant. In Xinzhou area, when celebrating the Spring Festival or planning a wedding, "window decorations" must be posted, that is, cut out persimmons, Ruyi, peonies, bergamot, lotus, osmanthus, sheng, etc., to wish the new daughter-in-law to be good at female beauty, have a child soon, and be happy.
Generally speaking, the style of Shanxi folk paper-cutting has the characteristics of rough, majestic, concise and simple in the northern region. However, due to differences in regional environment, living customs, and aesthetic concepts, paper-cutting varies from place to place. For example, the paper-cuts in southern Shanxi, central Shanxi, southeastern Shanxi, northwestern Shanxi, and Luliang mountainous areas are mostly monochrome paper-cuts with a simple and rough style. The dyed paper-cutting popular in Yanbei area is graceful, elegant and magnificent, especially represented by "Guangling Window Decoration". Jincheng Magnetic Paper-cutting adds scientific and technological elements to my country's 1,500-year-old paper-cutting culture, making it more fashionable and widely used, embodying the value of scientific and technological progress.
People compare life to an evergreen tree. Then, we say that the art under the scissors is the flowers and fruits on the evergreen tree. Folk paper-cutting is rooted in and spread among the people. It is native to the country, has an earthy fragrance and earthy color, and always exudes the fragrance of art.
——Guangling Paper-cut
"Guangling Window Decoration" is famous for its realistic shape, exquisite carving and bright colors. Its raw material is a single snow-white rice paper, and its tools are several carving knives of varying sizes with oblique blades. The procedure is to carve out the finished paper-cut product with a knife, and then dot and color it. Folk craftsmen pay great attention to knife carving and coloring techniques. They use simple tools and mainly use negative carving, supplemented by positive carving. They can carve many finished products in just a few minutes. When coloring, use good white wine to mix the color. For darker colors, add a small amount of alum. This will not only make the color bright and watery, but also ensure that the paper-cut can be stored for a long time. Guangling paper-cutting has won a reputation for its exquisite skills. It has been sold to France, the United States, Japan, Poland and other countries, and has become a cherished work of art by overseas friends.
——MAGNETIC PAPER-CUT
Jincheng paper-cutting, represented by magnetic paper-cutting, is unique in the country.
Magnetic paper-cutting can be adsorbed to magnetic photo frames, magnetic scrolls, magnetic writing boards by its own magnetism, and can also be adsorbed to iron objects such as refrigerators, security doors, cars, filing cabinets, and pencil boxes. Spray a little water or wash it clean and attach it to glass or other smooth surfaces. Magnetic paper-cutting can more fully reflect the open-carving characteristics of paper-cutting and the air-permeability effect of paper-cutting.
Magnetic paper-cutting is the inheritance and development of the art of paper-cutting. The contribution of magnetic paper-cutting to paper-cutting is reflected in: 1. Magnetic paper-cutting expands the paper-cutting market; 2. Magnetic paper-cutting enriches the theory of paper-cutting; 3. Magnetic paper-cutting enhances the artistic expression of paper-cutting, with innovations in artistic creation techniques and artistic expression techniques. More diversity.
Magnetic paper-cutting is a utility model patent (Patent No.: ZL 200420067151.0), which was granted by the People's Republic of China and the State Intellectual Property Office on August 17, 2005.
The magnetic paper-cutting patent adds scientific and technological elements to my country's 1,500-year-old paper-cutting culture, making it more fashionable and widely used, embodying the value of scientific and technological progress
Northern style paper-cutting - Shaanxi folk paper-cutting
From south to north in Shaanxi, especially the Loess Plateau and the 800-mile Qinchuan River, red and green paper-cutting can be seen everywhere. The ancient shapes, rough styles, interesting meanings, diverse forms, and superb skills occupy a very important position in Shaanxi and national folk art.
Shaanxi paper-cutting is called a "living fossil" by experts because it more completely inherits the ancient shapes and patterns of the Chinese nation, such as fish body and human face, sphinx body and human head, as well as those similar to Zhou culture. "Bun-scratching doll". The "Cow Plowing Picture" is similar to the Han Dynasty portraits. It inherits the Chinese nation’s yin-yang philosophy and the concept of fertility worship. For example, in northern Shaanxi paper-cutting, there are "eagle stepping on rabbit", "snake coiling rabbit", "egret holding fish", "fish playing with lotus", "frog, deer, fish, bird" and so on.
Shaanxi has been the political and cultural center of the Chinese nation since ancient times. The legendary Yellow Emperor was buried in Donglingqiao Mountain in Shaanxi, and has been found in Banpo, Lintong, Jiangzhai, and Beishouling of Baoji in Xi'an. The Yangshao Cultural Site of 5,000 years ago. Thirteen dynasties including Zhou, Qin, Han and Tang all established their capitals in Shaanxi, leaving behind rich folk cultural heritage.
Shaanxi paper-cutting, this folk art form has a long history. Among the paper-cutting arts with different styles and characteristics across the country, the ancient and simple Shaanxi paper-cutting is loved by people for its unique charm. The main forms of Shaanxi paper-cutting include window kiln ceiling flowers, kang surround flowers, door paintings, hanging curtains, pillow flowers, table skirt flowers, shoe flowers, double wedding flowers, clothing decoration flowers, shrine appliqués, etc. Various forms and rich content. Window grilles are the most common. Every Spring Festival, no matter where in the countryside, the windows are covered with white paper and window grilles cut from red paper are pasted to celebrate the New Year. Shaanxi's window grilles have two aspects: one is to inherit tradition, and the other is to be close to life and reflect reality at a close range. There are human activities, flowers, birds, fish and insects, birds and animals, folk stories and legends, etc. The shape is rigorous and full of folk flavor. Shaanxi paper-cuts are mostly made by peasant women and are characterized by simplicity, roughness, conciseness and clarity. The paper-cuts they create are full of rich earthy flavor and strong emotional color, without any artificiality, and have simple folk customs. On the one hand, they are influenced by folk culture, and on the other hand, they observe and understand life carefully and embody the wisdom of ordinary working people. They have everything at hand, and express their feelings about life through bold and rich imagination and paper-cutting. and understanding of beauty.
Among the Shaanxi paper-cut art, folk paper-cut in northern Shaanxi is the first to be recommended. Due to the traffic congestion and remoteness of this area for nearly a hundred years, it is difficult for foreign culture to be introduced. However, the ancient culture and art have been inherited by farm women and passed down from generation to generation. For example, some paper-cuts inherit the style of portrait stones from the Han Dynasty, with extremely simple and full outlines. Vivid and imaginative. For example, the "Melon Seed Doll" posted on the door of a farmhouse during the Spring Festival has its limbs cut out of paper and its head replaced with melon seeds. Since the authors are all farmers, with a wide range of people and different ages, the themes of paper-cutting are rich and colorful. Vegetables, flowers and trees, grazing and textiles, weddings and funerals, folklore, etc. are the objects represented by the elderly author. Guanzhong paper-cutting is deeply loved by people for its beautiful shape, detailed and lifelike style. There are fewer people in southern Shaanxi paper-cutting, which is characterized by exaggeration yet subtlety, and meticulousness hiding true feelings.
Paper-cutting is a culture created by women. In northern Shaanxi, there was a custom of "looking for a wife who is skillful." The dexterity is watching paper cutting and embroidery. There is a saying that "look at the window first and then the curtain". Looking at the window means looking at the cut window grilles, while looking at the door curtain means looking at the embroidery skills. It is generally believed that a woman who is good at cutting flowers must be smart, and the babies she will give birth to will naturally be smart as well. Nowadays, in rural areas of northern Shaanxi, anyone who can cut flowers is still respected by the whole village. Every twelfth lunar month, women and aunts learn to cut flowers together, and if they show up in a good way, they compete with each other to do the same. In the first month of the year, women visit each other to see who has the best window grilles and who has the most skillful hands.
Shaanxi paper-cutting has various forms, the first is single-color paper-cutting, the second is colored paper collage-cutting, the third is pointillism paper-cutting, the fourth is dyeing paper-cutting, the fifth is paper-plastic window grilles, and the sixth is paper-cutting.
Northern Shaanxi mainly uses monochromatic paper-cutting, with simple and plain shapes, focusing on exaggeration and deformation, inheriting the ancient aesthetic taste and modeling concepts. The content is mostly based on animals, flowers and plants. It is said that the sage Confucius taught the world but left out northern Shaanxi. Therefore, the temperament of the people in northern Shaanxi was not as moderate as that of the people in Guanzhong, so they were extremely creative and expressed their joys, anger, sorrows and joys vividly and happily, so they had extremely strong personalities. In Jingbian, Anbian and Dingbian in northern Shaanxi, people cut paper on three sides. Paper-cutting has become another style, delicate and delicate, small and exquisite, small and large, and precise depiction. The "lele" produced is as thin as a needle tip, and the cut thread is as thin as a hair. It is different from Yan'an Sui, rough paper cutting, and different from the craftsmanship and realism of Jiangnan. According to research, Sanbian was originally an important border town. The imperial court often sent southern generals to guard here. They lived here with their families and brought with them the folk culture of the water town, which was combined with the local ancient folk art to create a unique Cut paper on three sides.
Because of the better economic foundation in disparate areas, the forms of paper-cutting have become diverse. Monochrome, pointillism, collage, paper sculpture and other forms are used with each other. The content is mainly opera characters, flowers and birds. Animals are often added with cultural symbols such as music, chess, calligraphy and painting, eight treasures, etc., which have strong characteristics of the Central Plains culture. Ku Shulan is a master of folk collage paper-cutting in Xunyi County. She is in her eighties and is a master of paper-cutting art named by the Shaanxi Provincial Department of Culture. She developed collage paper-cutting to the extreme, which amazed experts and scholars. Taiwan Hansheng published a large album for Ku Shulan. CCTV and Shaanxi TV filmed feature films for reporting. The paper-cut paper-cuts created by Luo Zhanhua, an old man from Heyang County, take the shapes of the characters from dramas and portray the characters' moves in a lifelike manner. The single-color paper-cutting of Weibei is influenced by its shadow puppet shape, while the single-color paper-cutting of Xifu is influenced by wooden New Year paintings, which shows the profound cultural heritage of the Central Plains.
Shandong folk paper-cutting can be roughly divided into two categories in terms of style. One is the rough and bold style of the Bohai Bay area, which is in the same vein as the paper-cutting of other provinces in the Yellow River Basin. The first type is the more characteristic exquisite paper-cuts in the coastal area of ??Jiaodong, Shandong, which are mainly made of lines and combined with lines and surfaces. It seems to be in the same line with the detailed and intricate style of the portrait stones of the Han Dynasty in Shandong. With its dense decorative methods, it makes the simple and refreshing The appearance is fuller and richer.
In Jiaodong, Shandong Province, women with skillful hands are called "trick people". No matter which village they come from, "trick people" are something that people are proud of. Their flower patterns are often smoked with fireworks on earthen paper and spread everywhere, becoming the flower-cut patterns in villages far and near. The most common use of paper cutting is to decorate windows. Most of the windows in Jiaodong have slender strips, and generally only some small flowers can be pasted on them. The women developed their own creativity and used the method of breaking the whole into parts to cut out the large compositions into strips and then paste them on the windows. Combined to form a complete picture. This kind of paper-cut called "window crossing" is usually affixed to the "window center". There are also "window corner flowers", "window flowers" and "fighting cock flowers" hanging in front of the window that move, forming a series of "lattice culture". In order to adapt to the festive home decoration, paper-cutting is also used for the decoration of walls and ceilings, as well as the decals of utensils.
Among them, paper-cutting is popular in Gaomi, Shandong, and is decorated with paper-cutting from farmhouse doors, windows, roofs to cabinets and wardrobes. The production is generally done without drafting and is cut straight away. Its characteristic is the combination of zigzag patterns and straight lines to form the image.
Shandong paper-cutting has developed from ancient times to the present, and it has increasingly shown its unique aesthetic function. Therefore, folk "artists" pay more attention to the proficiency of skills. The broken and connected lines and the burrs as thin as mosquito feet often make people feel a kind of exquisiteness that is difficult for ordinary people to achieve.