The Origin of Paper-cut Culture

China's paper-cutting art has a long history. Paper-cutting is made of scissors. Scissors have a history of more than 2,000 years in China, also known as ancient scissors? Hand in the knife? Archaeological work of discovering ancient tombs of the Western Han Dynasty in Luoyang? Hand in the knife? And it is not difficult to infer from the unearthed gold and silver foil ornaments of Shang Dynasty that scissors had been applied to bark, leaves, hides and gold and silver foil before the invention of papermaking. ? Han Fei is playing in front of the window with her baby in her arms, cutting tung leaves and skillfully wiping the window screens? . This poem is a vivid portrayal. Although these decorations can't be said to be paper-cut, they can be said to be the predecessors of paper-cut art in cutting technology and artistic style, and are called by scholars? Paper cutting? . Until the Eastern Han Dynasty, with the innovation and popularization of papermaking, the real paper-cutting and paper-cutting art appeared.

During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the customs of the Han Dynasty continued. On beginning of spring Day at the beginning of the year, the banner was cut to celebrate. Is the seventh day of the first month of every year ancient? Men's Day? Every household uses colored paper and colored silk scissors? Human form? Is it used for activities such as evocation and ancestor worship, and the woman will cut it? Human form? Paper-cut flowers and birds, or attached to the head and temples, or given to each other, called? Watson? Wait a minute. All these are enough to show that paper-cutting as a carrier of folk custom has gradually formed in this period.

China folk art flourished in the Song Dynasty, and professional folk paper-cut artists began to appear. Previously, the paper-cuts reflected in Tang poetry were all women. Careful "Zhi Ya Tang Miscellaneous Copy" records:? In the old capital Tianjie (Kaifeng, Bianjing), some people cut out various colors and patterns, which are extremely beautiful and follow their wishes. Then suddenly a teenager could cut the words and flowers on his sleeve more accurately, so he was fine for a while, but now it is not like this. ? This is enough to show that during the Northern Song Dynasty, with the development of urban economy, professional paper-cutting artists appeared, which pushed the level of paper-cutting art to a higher level and formed an independent art category.

Paper-cutting is an art of plane modeling hollowing out. Line? Is it the most important art of paper cutting? Language? One. Line cutting can be divided into male and female scissors. The characteristic of male scissors is that the thread is connected, while the female scissors are broken. When Chinese paper-cut artists create paper-cuts, according to the needs of the picture, it is either yin or yang, or a combination of yin and yang. They don't pay attention to the perspective of focus, exaggerate and deform at will, and skillfully combine artistic techniques such as symmetry, uniformity, balance and continuity, often breaking the limitation of time and space. Layer upon layer? And then what? A change of environment? In other forms, the beautiful things and scenes of the world, such as heaven and earth, ancient and modern, Chinese and foreign, are all expressed in a paper-cut picture, creating highly concentrated and summarized paper-cut works with strong decorative interest.

China folk paper-cut has a wide range of themes, from the sky to the underground. Such as auspicious patterns, historical allusions, myths and operas, landscapes of figures, flowers, birds, fish and insects, birds and animals, zodiac signs, pavilions, life praise, totem worship, religious beliefs and so on. Combined with ancient folk customs such as seasons and life etiquette, it is reflected in all aspects of life.

In folk paper-cutting, auspicious patterns account for a very important content, especially in paper-cutting works in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. If there is a picture, it must be intentional, and the meaning must be auspicious. These auspicious patterns reflect the spiritual pursuit, aesthetic taste and desire for a happy life of the working people in China, and have high aesthetic value.

The creation of paper-cut art is different from painting and other art categories. If you need to use pen drawing, water tank painting and other tools. Paper cutting only uses a pair of scissors and a few pictures. An artist holds scissors in one hand and gently turns a piece of paper in the other. As the old saying goes, he is sure to reproduce the theme works in an instant. The skillful skills of paper-cut artists can be said to be the re-refining and regeneration of line drawing techniques in China's traditional painting. This point has been amazed and absorbed by western modernist painters.

Paper-cut art has been linked with folk life since its birth, and it has been continuously expanded and improved with the development of society, the improvement of people's lives and the increase of folk activities. Paper-cut art has different forms and contents in New Year, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival in Yue Bai, drought and rain, long cloudy days, marriage and childbirth, and birthday wishes. It beautifies people's environment and enriches folk cultural life. Paper-cut art is spread all over the country, and its content and form not only show the different customs and customs of all parts of the country, but also show the life and character of people in different areas through paper-cut works. Of course, this is due to the objective environment such as China's vast territory and different mountains and rivers. Therefore, paper-cutting art is not only an artistic appreciation, but more importantly, its research value of national culture is often ignored by people.

Today, if a single folk paper-cut art can no longer meet the needs of the development of national art, then, after a scientific summary of ancient folk art, from the aesthetic point of view of modern painting, what is the reason for artistic expression? Introversion? Arrive? Outgoing? Turn from the right? Natural? And then what? Physics? Bye, turn right? Spirit? And then what? Mind? Digging; Has appeared in the form of art. Single? Orientation? Comprehensive? Break the strict classification of art and establish the trend of perfect combination with each other. Then, folk art, including folk paper-cutting, emphasizes the author's self-awareness and the diversity and irregularity of art forms, which is in line with the times. The author believes that this is the direction of innovation and development of paper-cut art, and it is also the key to keep its vitality forever.