The influence of Shaanxi Han portraiture on the development of Shaanxi folk paper-cutting
In many books introducing paper-cut culture, you can usually see the analysis and theory of Shaanxi traditional paper-cut modeling forms, such as: Shaanxi paper-cut has a long history, simple, rough and elegant shape; full composition and vivid momentum Unrestrained, creative, romantic, majestic and majestic; the content mostly expresses pastoral production and labor scenes, as well as auspicious illustrations of seeking wealth and honor. Everyone has heard comments about this paper-cut shape for a long time, but if we dig deeper into its causes and meridians, we still don’t know. We seem to think that this is a matter of course, and we have never seen the cause of his being killed. This is very unfavorable for us to deeply understand and grasp the spiritual and cultural essence of Shaanxi paper-cut modeling. If we do not grasp the spiritual and cultural essence of the shape, we cannot understand its expressive appeal. We seem to have found the answer in the paper-cut "Picture of Farming Cows" by Mrs. Ansai Bai Fenglan. This painting shows the image of a farmer driving cattle with a whip and plowing the fields. The top is also decorated with a pattern of two phoenixes playing with peonies on the branches. This shape is surprisingly similar to the "Cow Plowing Picture" in the Han Dynasty stone portrait unearthed in Suide, northern Shaanxi. There are many such examples. For example, there are many animal shapes such as deer, birds, herons, and mandarin ducks in folk paper-cutting in northern Shaanxi. Similar shadows can be seen in the portrait stones of Han tombs unearthed in this area.
In fact, there are more similarities such as content, form, etc. Shaanxi folk paper-cutting and Han stone portraits are inextricably linked. This is not a coincidence. The two styles are in different eras, have different media, and have different expressions. But fundamentally speaking, there are many similarities between the two. It can be said with certainty that the shape of Han portrait stone is the forerunner of the evolution of traditional paper-cutting in Shaanxi. Understanding the origin of the shape in the Han Dynasty can generally understand the connotation of Shaanxis traditional paper-cutting art.
my countrys Han Dynasty experienced a history of more than four hundred years. This was a rising period, which created the glory and stability of feudal society regardless of economy or culture. Therefore, regardless of the dozens of dynasties that followed, it was on this basis that the ideological foundation and national temperament of the Chinese people were stabilized. In his blood, there is not only the elegance of the literati, but also the strength of the nomads. Today we can see so many Han portrait stones. The most direct reason is that the tradition of lavish burials on the Xiaoti ladder came from the Han Dynasty. AgainFurther, it depends on the profound social concept of "death is like life" at that time, that is, the filial piety of children to their parents is absolutely required to transcend the time and space of life and death. It can be said with certainty that the Han Dynasty tombs created a complete world of heaven and earth, all things, and the vicissitudes of the human world. The various portrait bricks, portrait stones, murals and other images existing in the tomb chambers are not only for decoration, but also for decoration. It shows us the humanistic style of that time and the present. At the same time, this has also become a microcosm of our understanding of the plastic arts of the Han Dynasty, and the reason why we reveal the characteristic modifiers of Shaanxi traditional folk paper-cutting such as simplicity, grandeur, roughness, and simplicity.
In the traditional folk paper-cutting of Shaanxi, we will find that no matter the content, subject matter, modeling characteristics, modeling form and cultural expression, they all have similarities with the Han Dynasty stone portraits.
