Is Wuhu iron painting a folk handicraft?

Belonging to material heritage and traditional folk crafts.

Iron painting, also known as iron flower, is a specialty of Wuhu, Anhui Province and one of the unique handicrafts in China. Iron paintings are all kinds of low-carbon steel decorative paintings forged and welded with iron sheets and iron wires. It combines folk paper-cutting, carving, mosaic and other artistic techniques, adopts Chinese painting composition, contrasts black and white, and combines reality with reality, which has a unique taste.

The production of iron paintings originated in the Song Dynasty and prevailed in the Northern Song Dynasty. During the reign of Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty, the iron paintings in Wuhu, Anhui Province became self-contained and gradually became world-famous.

Iron painting is forged with iron as ink, anvil as inkstone and hammer instead of pen. The varieties of iron paintings can be divided into three categories: one is small-scale scenery, with pine, plum, orchid, bamboo, chrysanthemum and eagle as themes. This kind of iron painting is framed and hung on the powder wall, which is more dignified and eye-catching. The second kind is lanterns, which are usually composed of four or six iron paintings, with paper or plain silk pasted inside and silver candles lit in the middle. They are dazzling and touching. The third category is screens, mostly landscapes, which are simple and elegant and spectacular.

Wuhu is close to the Yangtze River with convenient transportation. It was once one of the four rice markets in China, and its iron smelting industry has been very developed since ancient times. The developed iron smelting industry and superb forging technology provide the innate foundation and conditions for the creation of Wuhu iron painting.

Wuhu iron painting uses hammer as pen, iron as ink, anvil as paper and forged iron as painting, which is ingenious and graceful. Wuhu iron painting has a long history, unique style, exquisite craftsmanship and superb skills. Iron painting began in the Kangxi period in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, and has a history of more than 340 years. It was made by Tianchi, an iron court in Wuhu, and Xiao Chimu, a painter in Wuhu. Wuhu iron painting, which originated from Chinese painting, has the basic artistic characteristics of Xin 'an Painting School. Its writing style is thin and concise, and its style is cold and stubborn. It is a pure manual forging art. It is made of iron as raw material, melted in a red furnace, and then forged, drilled, welded and filed. It not only has the charm of Chinese painting, but also has the three-dimensional beauty of sculpture, and also shows the flexibility and ductility of steel, which is a unique art.