Color characteristics of folk paper-cutting | Color characteristics of Zigong folk paper-cutting
China has a traditional view of five colors. Ink is divided into five colors: red, yellow, cyan, white, and black. Each different color is given a different meaning and is also connected to some things. "Green, raw, the color when things are born; red, brown, the color of the sun; yellow, swaying, like the color of light; white, opening, like the color of ice when it opens; black, Huiye is like the color when it is dark and dark." The language of color is simple. It has only been washed away by history and culture and has been conventionally transformed into a certain meaning, with certain directionality and recognition. Therefore, "the colorful colors of the world are endowed with special meanings, and are transformed into a kind of cultural reflection through the visual understanding of objects. Peoples use of color becomes a subjective symbol and pattern, and is endowed with special emotions. and cultural concepts”.
When we have an in-depth understanding of our countrys folk color matching, we will have a deeper awareness of our countrys traditional color aesthetics. Whether it is paper-cutting, shadow puppets, embroidery, kites, wood-block New Year pictures, or porcelain art, brocade, miscellaneous dyeing, dough sculpture and other Chinas most representative folk arts, they are all permeated with the traditional concept of color. Under the semantics of various colors, different colors are used by people to express different emotions. Starting from the painted pottery art of the Neolithic Age, red has been used as the basic color in Banpo and Majiafen painted pottery cultures. The pigments used to draw painted pottery are all minerals, and these minerals are mainly derived from earth and stone. They have earthy red and Heshi colors. Many patterns that appear on the painted pottery are also outlined in red. The rock paintings in Cangyuan, Yunnan are also painted in earthy red. During the Han and Ming dynasties, because the country arose in the south, in the Chinese Bagua Five Elements, the south belongs to fire and is the red bird. Therefore, the dominant color of the entire country at that time was red. This is also the origin of the red walls and red columns of the Forbidden City. one. As the cultural totem and spiritual conversion of the Chinese people, red "is not only an aesthetic need, but also a conceptual requirement."
Color transcends visual perception and becomes a cultural concept, which will be endowed with more meaning and eternal value. The wide use of red in Chinese folk art reflects this value. Therefore, it is not difficult to understand that red is the most commonly used color in Zigong paper-cutting art located in southern my country. In the long-term development process, Zigong paper-cutting has experienced changes in materials and changes in peoples beauty, and has gradually formed a variety of expression forms, such as: base-color paper-cutting, color-printed paper-cutting, color-blocking paper-cutting, and dyeing paper-cutting. And the most common one is still mainly about the younger brother. Among them, red is the main color, supplemented by ultramarine, pink and brown. Monochrome paper-cutting is performed on solid-color paper, and red is the most widely used color in Zigong paper-cutting. Affected by life scenes or practicality, Zigong paper-cutting is consistent with the traditional Chinese idea of ??advocating red. During festive and peaceful times, birthdays, and weddings, the paper-cutting chosen must be red. For the New Year and Spring Festival, bright red or peach of the same color is used. Cut out the word "福" or zodiac signs. When celebrating birthdays, the word "shou" or "shou peach" is cut into paper. Lin Liqing, a paper-cutting artist, once made a "hundred life picture", using red rice paper to cut out a hundred "shou" characters in different fonts, and then re- Frame it and send it to his teacher to congratulate him on his 80th birthday.
During weddings, it is also common to use bright red to cut characters with lace patterns. In addition to single-color paper-cutting, there are also various commonly used colored papers such as blue, green, purple, and pink. The works cut from these colored papers are usually used for hanging and appreciation. Color matching can be selected according to the environment, or as a set of paper-cuttings. It is used when using characters, such as: characters from the Three Kingdoms. For dip-dyed works, choose white rice paper, cut it into patterns, and then dye it. Up to four sheets at a time are dyed with various pigments. The pigments are permeable on the rice paper, and it is precisely because of the permeability that it enhances the visual appeal of the work. Therefore, in the process of making patterns, it is not possible to use positive engraved lines on a large area. It is necessary to leave more positive surfaces, so that the most ideal effect can be produced when blending. Master Shen Chenglin is a leader in the production of Zigong paper-cut dip-dye works. He has successively completed dip-dye works such as "Sun Wukong", "Daiyu", "Warren", and "Shadow Puppets".
