The expression of mental images and symbolic shapes in Chinese folk paper-cutting
When you ask folk paper-cutting artists, why do cows have two eyes on the side? They said: Because all cows have two eyes; why is there a calf in the belly of the big cow? They say: This is how a cow carries a child. This is what they have seen, and in their eyes, this is the most realistic. In fact, this is the mental image modeling under the primary way of thinking.
The so-called mental image modeling is to transform visual cognitive concepts into knowable images and graphics. The so-called visual cognitive concept refers to a cognitive cultural form that appeals to the visual organ in the sensory system. This modeling concept puts aside the reality of the objective objects and rationally arranges the images according to the authors needs for subjective expression of the objects. Of course, this understanding is the product of visual representation and spiritual communication, rather than a random patchwork of things. The creation process of paper-cut art not only permeates the subjective wishes and requirements of the creator, but also reflects the artistic temperament of the paper-cut artist, which is the result of the active participation of the mind and emotions. This kind of mind, emotion and desire are reflected through symbolic characteristics. We know that in their eyes, the shapes created by paper-cutting artists are by no means abstract and obscure, but real. In their view, to represent a cow, one must understand more cows and derive the common features of cow shapes. For example, he recognizes the outline of a cow and its characteristics: two eyes, four hooves, and a tail. After he gets the basic shape and characteristics of the cow, he can apply these characteristics to his works, although The cow represented in the paper-cut work is very different from the real cow, but he believes that the characteristics of the cow are present, so he believes that his work is real. I think that when a paper-cut artist uses this modeling method to create, his original intention of creation is not only to look good, but more importantly, to give the work a wonderful meaning, and it is most appropriate to express this wonderful meaning in a symbolic way. Therefore, the symbolic meaning of the shape expressed in the mental image is very clear. In order to express the beautiful complex in the authors heart, the paper-cut works have the image we see now. If we use "X" rays to see the calf in the tripe, there may not be a special sense of beauty, but the paper-cut art is expressed in this way, but it is more Pay attention to the auspicious meaning of "prosperous animals" or the reproduction of life. Based on the analysis of such symbolic shapes,We can see more such paper-cut works, such as adding a "ruyi" pattern on a pigs body, or cutting a money pattern that symbolizes wealth, thus connecting the pig and the people to money and wealth, and expressing peoples deepest feelings about life. Pray so that the complete collection of paper-cut patterns can have a more perfect symbolic meaning. As paper-cutting artists know, if a cow, a snake, or a bat is cut to look like a real thing and posted at home, it will lose the beauty that people recognize. As an art form, paper-cutting art can only have a certain sense of beauty after being processed by the "mental image" of the paper-cutting artist and processed and created according to what the paper-cutting artist sees, thinks, and reasonably thinks. At the same time, if this kind of beauty has a certain symbolic meaning, then this paper-cutting can be recognized and loved by the general public, and can be widely circulated.
Paper-cutting artists often say proudly, "I can draw whatever I like. As long as I have it in my heart, I can even draw invisible things on paper." Eyes are like rulers and sticks. Just do what you think looks good." These simple words express the psychological state of the creation of Chinese paper-cut art, and also show the rules of mental modeling of paper-cut art. In their view, "painting is a kind of random creation", which is a subjective and random creation. "In the heart" and "Xixincao" express the subjective attitude of paper-cut art creation towards real life and objective things. This subjective attitude contains the symbolic implications of the authors heart.
Here, we can discuss the symbolism of the mental image of the combined pattern. The theme of the performance is a combination of mice and pumpkins. There are three mice in the work. The composition is like the layout of "six dishes and one soup", and the folk proverb: three, six, nine, go up. Three is an auspicious number among the people, so the picture uses three mice, and the three mice are decorated in different ways to avoid rigidity in form. The melon seeds are represented by a crescent-shaped symbol, and each melon seed implies having many children, which complements the auspicious meaning of the rat in the folk, in order to seek more blessings. Folks call pumpkins golden melons, so paper-cutting artists decorate them with zigzag patterns around the melons, which formally emphasizes the central point of view, but more importantly, the golden effect symbolizes good fortune and wealth.
In artistic expression, the plane is a two-dimensional space, the three-dimensional space is a three-dimensional space, and the continuity of time and space is the thinking space. However, paper-cutting emphasizes the display of psychological space. He can cut off time and space and imagine all non-existent time and space. Only Only in paper-cutting can such ideal and perfect performance be achieved.
When discussing the mental modeling of paper-cutting, we cannot ignore its symbolic nature. It can be said that paper-cutting artists have a thorough understanding of the symbolic nature of the objective things they want to express, so they can freely shape the shapes, so that paper-cutting has the characteristics of mental modeling.Features. Through the images, we can see that in the paper-cutting, the Ruyi cloud symbolizes Nanyang, the rhombus hole symbolizes the female genitals, the gourd represents many children, the mandarin duck and the double pedicle symbolize the pairing, the phoenix seeks the phoenix and the butterfly loves the flower symbolizes pursuit. Love, etc. In addition, paper-cutting also uses the interpenetration of anthropomorphic shapes to take the image of one thing as a basic outline and refine the image of other things into a spirit, which is infiltrated into this image, thus forming a kind of A form shows another form. Therefore, this kind of shape has symbolic meaning. On the basis of this symbolic meaning, paper-cutting appears to move time and space arbitrarily, and uses all objects to express its meaning. Therefore, we can see the sun and moon in the sky. The sky appears simultaneously, with bats and colorful clouds accompanying the landscape.
As paper-cutting artists know, if a cow, a snake, or a bat is cut to look like a real thing and posted at home, it will lose the beauty that people recognize. As an art form, paper-cutting art can only have a certain sense of beauty after being processed by the "mental image" of the paper-cutting artist and processed and created according to what the paper-cutting artist sees, thinks, and reasonably thinks. At the same time, if this kind of beauty has a certain symbolic meaning, then this paper-cutting can be recognized and loved by the general public, and can be widely circulated.
