A brief introduction to Chinese folk paper-cut shapes
The shape of paper-cutting should be considered from three aspects. The first is the folk paper-cutting shape, and the second is the modern paper-cutting shape. The third is the concreteness and detail of paper-cutting.
First, folk paper-cut modeling. Before studying folk paper-cut modeling, let’s first take a look at the origin and meaning of the word “totem”. The word "totem" was originally a dialect word of the Ojibwa people among the American Indians, and its meaning can be directly interpreted as "relatives." A clear explanation is: people regard certain animals, plants or other objects as symbols or symbols of their own nation, and believe that such animals, plants or objects have some kind of blood relationship with themselves, then this animal, plant or object is called As a "totem". Why should we explain the word "totem" first? Because the shape of folk paper-cutting comes from the worship of "totem" in the first place. Whether it is the shapes of primitive myths and legends, the shapes of the desire for auspiciousness and happiness, or the shapes of beliefs in reproduction and life, they all contain some element of totem worship. People worship the birthday star, thinking he can bring longevity to people; people worship Zhong Kui, thinking he can drive away ghosts and ward off evil spirits, etc. It is precisely because of these worships that the folk paper-cut patterns have an endless source.
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Folk paper-cutting has the following characteristics in terms of styling: 1. Practical characteristics. Different shapes must be designed for different uses. The size of the pattern and light transmission factors must be taken into consideration for window grilles and hanging paper. to the factors of firmness and ventilation, etc.; 2. General characteristics, folk paper-cutting generally focuses on the candid expression of inner artistic conception and emotions. When shaping the image, it is often not a direct copy of the visual impression, but based on ones own intentions and purposes. , the transformation of the impression itself, the result of standardization; third, the characteristics of randomness, folk paper-cutting has less ideological color when creating images, they are more based on time, place, material, mutual borrowing, and no modification. It uses a casual approach to show the natural and simple essence of the object, and is full of strong ideological elements.
Second, modern paper-cut modeling. Modern paper-cut modeling is basically realistic. itIt is required that the perspective relationship, proportion relationship, light and dark relationship, hierarchical relationship, etc. must be explained in place and clearly. Such as Japanese scenery paper-cutting, Fu Zuoren familys modern paper-cutting, noble military paper-cutting, etc. In addition, on the basis of realism, some modern paper-cuts have also been stylized, such as Wang Weihais Thousand Butterflies paper-cuts, Li Sas decorative paper-cuts and window grilles, etc.
Among the styles of modern paper-cutting, some are mainly freehand, but this freehand style is essentially different from the conceptual style of folk paper-cutting. Although this style is also highly generalized, this generalization is not It is as random as folk paper-cutting, but after careful consideration, typical and representative shapes are selected to express the authors thoughts.
Third, the concreteness and details of the paper-cut shapes. The concreteness of the paper-cut shapes means that the shapes must be designed in place during the paper-cut creation process, and there should be no ambiguous shapes. More attention should be paid to the details of modeling. For example, when horses, donkeys and other animals appear alone, they will roll on the ground to relieve their itching. When two horses or donkeys are together, they will have a telepathic connection. They bite each other with their teeth to relieve the itching. In fact, the problem of detailed modeling exists in many forms of painting. If the details are not handled well, the design of the entire work will end in failure.
This situation can be seen in many famous ancient painters, such as Dai Peng, a master of painting in the Tang Dynasty, whose works such as "Bullfighting Picture" and "Returning to the Shepherd" are regarded as peerless masterpieces. "Record of Famous Paintings of the Tang Dynasty" said that in his paintings of cows, he could "bring out the beauty of their wild muscles and bones". His "Bullfighting Picture" was collected by Du Chushi. One day, Du Chushi took the painting out to dry. A shepherd boy passing by pointed at the painting and said: When cows fight, their strength is in their horns and their tails are sandwiched between their two strands. In the painting, the cows tail is raised and shaking. Obviously this was a mistake caused by Dai Pengs lack of careful observation. Yan Liben was a master of painting in the Tang Dynasty. His brushwork was vigorous and powerful, and he was especially fond of portraits of workers and figures. His famous painting "Picture of Zhaojun" was ridiculed by those who knew it because of one detail distortion. A woman wearing a male hat appears in this painting. The curtain hat began in the Sui Dynasty, which is hundreds of years different from the Han Dynasty figures in the painting.
Coincidentally, Zhang Sengzhen, a great painter of the Liang Dynasty in the Southern Dynasties who studied under Yan Liben, also made mistakes in his writing. Zhang Senglian, together with Gu Kaizhi, Lu Tanwei and Wu Daozi, are known as the four great painters in ancient times and are good at painting figures. He drew a picture called "The Second Shu Picture of Qun Gongzu"). The soldiers following him in the picture were wearing straw sandals, which made a joke. The ancestors were high-ranking officials and nobles who lived in the capital. The scholars and common people in the capital all wore cloth shoes, while straw sandals were popular in Jiangnan.
The flowers and animals painted by Huang Quan, a famous painter from Shu during the Five Dynasties, are very vivid. One day, Huang Quanxin drew a flying bird with his head and claws straightened. This painting caused controversy. Some people pointed out that when a bird flies, its claws are retracted when its head is extended; others thought that Huang Quan is a master of bird painting, so how could he make a mistake? Everyone went outside to watch the birds flying in the sky, and sure enough, no bird has its claws straightened out. Zhao Huizong of the Song Dynasty was a politicianA failed emperor and a talented painter. He created the original "thin gold calligraphy" and became one of the masters of calligraphy. He was exquisite in figures, flowers and birds, especially outstanding in flower and bird paintings, and became a graceful and luxurious royal "courtyard" by himself. One of his famous paintings, "Auspicious Crane Picture", shows a group of cranes flying high in the sky with skillful techniques, which is amazing. However, some studies have found that cranes always stretch their necks straight forward when flying, but the crane in the painting has its neck bent.
In a paper-cut work, if the details are not thoughtful, the whole work may lose its color due to small details.
