An artistic analysis of Xiaogan carving and paper-cutting
1. The composition is plump, simple and beautiful
The Xiaogan carved paper-cuts are beautiful in shape, simple and generous, slightly different from the freehand and bold northern paper-cuts, with a single theme, and are more delicate and lifelike. A work generally has multiple themes, a rich composition, and a profound artistic conception. When appreciating it, It often takes careful thinking and careful imagination to understand the authors intention, which is thought-provoking. For example, the traditional square pillow flower paper-cut "Qilin Sends a Child" was cut by the working women of Xiaogan to make it full of glory. It is unique, rich in composition and symmetrical. A child rides on a unicorn, with phoenixes flying above his head and auspicious clouds floating beside him. , mixed with the word "Wan", which represents happiness and longevity, implying the coming of happiness and longevity. At the foot of the unicorn are two trees and blooming flowers. There are also two birds standing on the branches and chirping. The famous "Magpie Announces Spring" is also decorated around it. Many flowers, birds, insects, fish, etc. are used to highlight the theme and deepen the meaning. The whole work creates a poetic and picturesque atmosphere, allowing viewers to enjoy the beauty. At the same time, it also expresses the theme of "spring brings happiness to the world, and Kirin brings children to the door." These paper-cut patterns with similar themes have been enduring for many years and are popular. Loved by people, it has been passed down from generation to generation, and it has become a masterpiece among Xiaogan carved paper-cuts today.
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2. The lines are round, slender and exquisite
The lines of Xiaogan carved paper-cuts are comfortable, refined and smooth, with alternating lines and surfaces, dense and dense, and the interplay of yin and yang. The effect of the work is simple and elegant, delicate and expressive, beautiful and exquisite. Compared with the northern and southern paper-cuts, the northern paper-cuts are rough and exaggerated, powerful and concise. The style of Xiaogan carved paper-cutting is different from that of northern paper-cutting. It is exquisite and translucent, slender and beautiful, rich in imagination, using objects to compare with the heart, using shapes to convey emotions, bold summary, complete form, emphasizing both physical and spiritual resemblance, and focusing on spirituality. For example, the traditional auspicious paper-cut work "Dragon and Phoenix Presenting Auspiciousness" has a shape outside the picture and a scenery within the shape. The lines are stretched and rounded, and the contrast between yin and yang is clear. The concise lines are decorated with slenderness. The exquisite carving makes people feel refreshed, that is, there are flowers within flowers. There is fineness in the roughness, balance and symmetry, and consistency between reality and reality. The entire work has a symmetrical pattern on the outside. Inside, dragons and phoenixes dance and play with fireballs. The auspicious clouds around the dragon body and the peonies next to the phoenix combine movement and stillness, full of affection, to form a perfect and vivid picture of dragons flying and phoenixes.dance scene.
3. Fluent and precise sword skills
Xiaogan carved paper-cutting is a craft production method mainly based on "carving". It is slightly different from cutting flowers with scissors. Instead, it is made by placing the paper on a special wax plate with a homemade small carving knife. It can be carved ten times at a time. Yu Zhang is commonly known as "carved flower", also known as "engraved flower" and "cut flower". Therefore, during the carving process, great emphasis is placed on knife skills to reflect the skill of the knife. The specific key points are: knife making must be precise, knife holding must be tight, knife control must be correct, knife cutting must be accurate, knife handling must be flexible, knife movement must be steady, knife breaking must be strict, knife sharpening must be fast, and hot knife must be flat. As the senior artists summarized: "The stems are like flowers, the leaves are round, the stamens are prominent, and the cutting skills are strict. The eyes of insects and birds must be careful, and the knife skills are fluent to see the function." Among them, the rigorous breaking skills are a very important feature of Xiaogan carved paper-cutting, and also A rare expression form of paper-cutting in other places, it evolved on the basis of the traditional hollowing technique. This expression technique is both concise and vivid. It is called "Po Gong" in Xiaogan, also called "opening" or "combing knife". ", which mainly expresses the body of a dragon, the feathers of a phoenix, the stamens of a flower, the scales of a fish, etc., such as "Double Dragons Playing with Pearls", "Danfeng Chaoyang", "A Hundred Flowers Blooming", "Carp Jumping over the Dragon Gate" and other paper-cut works , the images of dragons, phoenixes, flower pistils, carps, etc. all use the expression technique of broken knives to express their local characteristics lifelike and lifelike, with unique effects and pleasing to the eye.
