The artistic roots of Yimeng folk paper-cutting

Yimeng paper-cutting art, Yimeng Han portrait stone, painted pottery and other sister arts, such as shadow puppets, etc., all have archetypal significance in Chinese culture. Many images or abstract symbols already exist in Chinas primitive art, and many weird images can be traced back to the era of mythology and witchcraft. Primitive rock paintings, painted pottery patterns, bronze decorative patterns, etc. From the content point of view, many images in the Han Dynasty stone statues come from ancient Chinese myths and legends, totem worship and folk beliefs; from the form point of view, paper-cut art, Han stone stone art, painted pottery art and shadow puppets and other forms of expression were closely related to each other in the pre-Qin Dynasty. Its origins can be found in the sculptures, decorative patterns and murals of ancestral halls.

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The ancient ancestors had extreme perseverance and fear of heaven and earth, humans and gods, life and death. Witchcraft and witchcraft, as well as the religious functions of writing, were used to decipher these mysteries. It is said that Cangjie wrote the book "The sky rains millet, the ghosts cry at night", which is both mysterious and sacred. The animal patterns on Shang and Zhou bronzes are by no means meaningless mere decorations, but necessary to communicate between heaven and earth. There is an image of "swimming for a tripod" in Han Dynasty portraits, which vividly reflects this concept. The tripod implies the symbolic concept of power. "Aspiring to the top" has become a symbol for later generations to seize state power. Therefore, Chinese painted pottery patterns are a symbol of the aesthetic ideology of the ancestors of the Neolithic Age. The witchcraft beliefs, totem worship and myths and legends of that era were all expressed in the form of abstract patterns and symbols. Han stone sculpture art, paper-cut art, painted pottery art and other sister arts all have certain symbolic connotations of culture. The concepts of beauty, kindness, and auspiciousness are all related to the worship of gods. Han stone sculpture art, painted pottery art, and paper-cut art all retain this concept to some extent. It should be recognized that these are the sources of almost all later art. If you compare paper-cutting art with Yimeng and Han portrait stone art, painted pottery art and other sister arts such as shadow puppets, you will be surprised to find many similarities and even similarities. In terms of content, they all depict human life, such as hunting, farming, chariots and horses, acrobatics, warfare, etc. In terms of techniques, they are all carved on the surface of the utensils, either with Yin lines or Yang lines. The production of bronze patterns is the creation of later Han Dynasty portraits, paper-cut art, painted pottery art and other sister arts such as shadow puppets, etc.Accumulated rich experience in carving. From a vertical perspective, various cultural and artistic forms share the same "blood" relationship. Its just that different eras have the result of the combination of new technologies and art, resulting in various different art categories. Different production materials and similar aesthetic consciousness are expressed in various cultural and artistic forms such as paper-cutting, Han Dynasty stone carving art, painted pottery art and other sister arts such as shadow puppets, etc., which have similar cultural connotations and similar expression techniques. Therefore, various cultural and artistic forms in the Yimeng area, such as Yimeng paper-cut art, Han Dynasty stone carving art, painted pottery art and other sister arts, all have the same artistic origin. Praying for auspiciousness, fearing gods, explaining history, telling legends, and observing moral precepts have become The main contents of Yimeng area paper-cut art, Han stone sculpture art, painted pottery art and other sister arts. Therefore, even if these art forms have been passed down to this day, there are still images showing the heaven, earth, sun and moon, some showing sages and martyrs, commending meritorious virtues, and some dispelling evil spirits. The Yinan Han tomb portrait stones in Yimeng area that survive to this day are just One of the manifestations of these art forms, other art forms such as paper-cutting and shadow puppets have not been preserved due to the difficulty of preserving the materials. During this period, folk beliefs were very different from the official orthodox ideology, so we can only determine its symbolic connotation from the perspective of folk beliefs. In short, we analyze the relationship between the paper-cutting art in Yimeng area and the Han Dynasty portrait stone art, painted pottery art and other sister arts such as shadow puppets, and trace the origin of its image symbolism. We can see that both in terms of content and form, Yimeng paper-cutting is closely related to the Han Dynasty. The emergence of portrait stone art, painted pottery art and other sister arts such as shadow puppets is not accidental, but has its origins in national culture and history.

In addition, other handicrafts in Yimeng area with long historical traditions and broad development prospects have also deeply influenced the art of paper-cut patterns in Yimeng area. For example, the representative Wangjiafangqian in Tainan County was once hailed as the "Hometown of Chinese Sculpture" by the Chinese Ministry of Culture. Those stones sleeping in the mountains and fields, with the jingle of hammers and hammers, and the ticking sound of sweat falling down the dark backs, have become pieces of ingeniously conceived, elegantly shaped, naturally charming, and profoundly connotative. Treasure. The granite in Zhucang Township at the foot of Cangma Mountain in Linmu County is of pure color and quality and is the best material for stone carvings. The carved lions and tigers are of high artistic taste. Xiaoguodong Village in Cangshan County is hailed as the "Hometown of Chinese Clay Sculpture" by the Ministry of Culture. It has a history of making clay toys for more than 130 years. These clay toys are made from clay molds, focusing on exaggerating their shapes. The clay is coated with white powder as the base color, and then colors such as bright red, peach red, yellow-green, purple, etc. are applied, and finally black is used to outline it to achieve a diverse and unified effect. Some backs and bottoms still reveal the true nature of mud, which is unpretentious. Linyi clay toys are mainly made of pink and green, which are warm, bright and lively. The shapes of various opera characters and various animals are lifelike, showing the extraordinary wisdom of the working people.Chuzhuangs "Niu-head Whistle" can play several monotonous tunes. The "five silk whistle" is tied with a pottery whistle with five colored threads of red, yellow, blue, white and black, taking the auspiciousness of the "hundred-year-old lock" worn by the people during the Dragon Boat Festival. Bangchengs woodcarving toys have a long history and come in many styles, including swords, guns, swords and halberds, chariots and horses, birds and beasts, various figures, and hanging lamps, with more than 500 varieties in 7 categories. Those tiger-head clocks, plum-blossom spears, and Longquan swords; those walnut men, horse-drawn carts, and flower baskets carrying eight immortals carry beautiful fairy tales, folk songs, and countless magical legends, creaking through the alleys of the years, passing through generations. human childhood. Gaoqiao Town, Yishui, is hailed as the "Hometown of Chinese Embroidery" by the Chinese Ministry of Culture. The purses hand-embroidered by folk women are embroidered with thousands of needles and threads to express the loyal love of Yimeng women from generation to generation. The tiger shoes handmade by the old lady in the countryside express the hopes of the elders for their future generations. Willow weaving crafts are blooming everywhere in Linmu and Yingnan areas: root carvings using tree roots from Yimeng Mountain and Cangma Mountain are also beginning to show their style. Looking at these various cultural and artistic forms in Yimeng area that are full of local flavor and strong interest, and comparing and thinking about the paper-cutting art in Yimeng area, it is not difficult to see the long-standing relationship among them that influence, promote and develop each other.