Comparison of expression forms between paper-cutting and shadow puppetry
Using points, lines, and surfaces to express objects to achieve a balanced and harmonious picture effect is a common rule of formal beauty in Chinese folk art. Like other folk arts, shadow puppets and paper-cutting follow this ancient and beautiful form principle and are presented to the viewer with their unique artistic language.
Formal beauty is reflected in all aspects of shadow puppet art. First of all, as far as the characters are concerned, the faces of the characters in shadow puppets are mostly carved with positive carvings, and the body and clothing are expressed with negative carvings. Therefore, the faces are mostly composed of simple and bright lines, and the decorative parts of the body and head are decorated with complex and gorgeous patterns. In terms of composition, the size and proportion of the characters roughly follow the principle of the Five Courts, and the head is deliberately exaggerated. In this way, the simplicity of the face and the complexity of the main body form a harmonious visual effect. At the same time, the contrast between curves and straight lines is also reflected in the expression of the overall character lines. Each part of the characters body is generally expressed in a geometrically segmented shape. The body and limbs all present a long linear block shape, and The graceful elements of curves are added to the details of the face and clothing, breaking the rigid geometric structure and adding a delicate and delicate decorative beauty. In addition, the shadow puppet characters’ costumes also show a strong sense of plane decoration. According to different status characteristics, the costumes of characters are decorated with different decorative patterns, such as pine, crane, blessing, longevity flower and other patterns for officials, herringbone armor, fish scale armor, etc. for warriors and monsters, and peonies, mandarin ducks, etc. for girls and young ladies. Butterflies, etc., these patterns are decorated on various parts of the clothes in a repeated and overlapping manner during the decoration process, in order to achieve the decorative purpose of enriching the character image and beautifying the clothes.
Paper-cutting is mostly created within a circular or square frame. Due to certain influences of the production process, paper-cutting is generally cut and carved on paper folded in different ways. Therefore, in paper-cutting, Symmetrical forms often appear, and the images in the picture appear symmetrically up, down, left, and right, showing a sense of balance, harmony, and stability. In other paper-cut works, a single main image is the centerpiece, with decorative auspicious flower and grass patterns or some auxiliary secondary images, and tiny asymmetric points are designed in the symmetrical composition to make the picture appear create a harmonious balanceSense of balance. In addition, the shape, area, and proportion of points, lines, and surfaces in paper-cutting, the transformation of momentum, the priority of lines, the variety of forms, and the ingenuity of composition all contribute to the rhythm and rhythm of paper-cutting art. (Read more related articles: Comparison of spatial expression between paper-cutting and shadow puppets)
