The art form of Lingnan paper-cutting
Lingnan paper-cut art is an important part of traditional Chinese folk art. Therefore, its art form cannot be separated from the origin of its art - traditional Chinese culture. Throughout the paper-cutting art of Lingnan, no matter from the content and subject matter of the work, the creative concept, or the artistic expression form and expression techniques, it naturally contains the characteristics of traditional Chinese culture, and this characteristic is reflected in the traditional recognition of the Chinese nation. In the philosophy of knowledge.
1. The cognitive concept of “Unity of Man and Nature”
The traditional Chinese philosophy system and art system is "the unity of nature and man, the unity of things and myself". The ideological concept of "the unity of nature and man" was first elaborated by Zhuangzi, and was later developed into the philosophical system of the unity of nature and man by Dong Zhongshu, a thinker and Yin-Yang master of the Han Dynasty, and thus formed the main body of traditional Chinese cultural philosophy. The idea of ??"harmony between man and nature" is an important part of traditional Chinese culture and has a profound impact on all aspects of traditional culture such as science, ethics, and aesthetic consciousness. The ancient Chinese ideological tradition of "the unity of nature and man" has a long history. In the view of ancient Chinese thinkers, heaven and man, the way of heaven and the way of humanity, nature and human nature are connected, and thus they can achieve unity. This kind of thinking has created the artistic spirit in Chinese culture, and this spirit is reflected in paper-cut art works, that is, paper-cut focuses on expressing emotions and emphasizing the expression of ideal ideas.
2. Dialectical perspective of “yin and yang creation”
The Book of Changes says: "Wuji produces Tai Chi, and Tai Chi produces Liangyi." The so-called Liangyi refers to the two poles of Yin and Yang. Yin and Yang symbolize everything in the world. Without Yin and Yang, there would be nothing in the world. Yang represents heaven. , light, man, up, left, strong, water, fat, etc.; while yin represents earth, darkness, woman, down, right, weak, fire, thin, etc. The two qualities of yin and yang are both opposite to each other and unified with each other. In Chinese paper-cutting art, the yin and yang shape has always been its main form, whether it is the selection of materials, composition or craftsmanship. In Chinese totem animal worship and divine animal worship, tigers, cows, sheep, birds, bears, pigs, dogs, chickens, etc. are all symbols of heaven and yang, while dragons, snakes, turtles, fish, and frogs are all symbols of earth and yin. The dragon is a totem animal whose head belongs to the earth and whose mating reaches the sky (more paper-cutting tutorials). These symmetrical animals often appear in paper-cut works, such as fish, snakes, tigers, birds or rotating double fishes., two birds. If you carefully analyze its inner form, you will realize the profound influence of the unity of yin and yang on its form. In addition, from the "yin and yang carving" in the paper-cutting technique, you can more intuitively feel the influence of the concept of "yin and yang creation" on the form of the picture.
Lingnan paper-cut artist Li Xiuzhi
3. "Five Elements Movement" modeling rules
"Five" is the representative of number, and "Xing" means operation, movement, change and development. The basic point of view of the Five Elements Movement Theory is that there are five types of matter in the world, namely: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. The classification of these five substances is based on all the attributes of objective substances, objects or living beings. Metal, wood, water, fire, and earth are the representative symbols. Even if you don’t use gold, wood, water, fire, and earth to represent it, you can use ABCDE instead. However, metal, wood, water, fire, and earth seem to be easier for people to understand and remember. The five directions are the southeast, northwest, and center; the five colors are red, blue, green, white, and black; the five senses are the ears, eyes, mouth, nose, and eyebrows; the five tastes are sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, and salty; the five tones are the palace, merchant, horn, and feathers; the five grains are the rice, wheat, beans, and hemp; the five internal organs are the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys; and the five internal organs are the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys. Sheep, pigs, dogs, and chickens are the five animals; lins, phoenixes, turtles, dragons, and tigers are the five spirits; parents, brothers, and children are the five qualities; benevolence, justice, etiquette, wisdom, and trust are the five virtues; mountain doctors and divination are the five skills... Judging from the things contained in the five elements, everything in the world All can be covered, and based on their mutually reinforcing relationships, the coordination rules between things can be found. Therefore, in the form of paper-cutting, the harmonious relationship in the picture is created through the movement of the five elements, and this relationship is actually the soul given to the work of art, which is also the value of Chinese folk art.
From the perspective of artistic creation, "Unity of Nature and Man" expounds the macro creative thought, "Unity of Yin and Yang" emphasizes the dual attributes and contradictory relationships of things, and "Five Elements Movement" analyzes the relationship between things. Diversified relationships reveal the main body of traditional Chinese thinking—the manifestation of holistic thinking.
