How to Develop Chinese Paper-cut Art

We know that "modern frontier science and technology are promoting revolutionary changes in artistic creation, appreciation and research." Modern science and technology theory is not only applied to artistic creation and research, but also enriches and develops itself with art as material. Modern art is also actively infiltrating into the field of science and technology. Urban construction, garden architecture, daily industrial products and even the design of spacecraft in advanced countries all reflect the aesthetic intuition and taste of modern people, with beautiful and elegant rhythm, smooth and lively rhythm, rich and unique connotation and so on. Moreover, disciplines such as engineering aesthetics, practical aesthetics and architectural aesthetics, which are gradually formed from scientific and technological practice, are infiltrating and merging with each other, and a complete discipline system of scientific and technological aesthetics is being built "(1). I think, in order to construct the discipline system of Chinese paper-cut (ornamental beauty) art and talk about its prosperity and development, we should first consider the aesthetic needs of contemporary people, instead of abandoning the traditional aesthetic habits of China people and talking nonsense without foundation. Now I will talk about my understanding from two aspects: how to absorb the essence of tradition and constantly explore and innovate.

"China mode language is simple, simple and interesting" (2). Folk paper-cut patterns have a long history and are an important part of Chinese traditional patterns. Its creators not only seek concise graphic language in the long-term transformation of nature and productive labor, but also draw nutrition from China hieroglyphics, rock paintings, stone carvings, painted pottery, jade ornaments, bronzes, weaving and other arts and crafts. And gather the strengths of many families to make up for their shortcomings, so that the paper-cut patterns are attractive and give people beautiful feelings and enlightenment. We can learn from geometric flowers, Ma Dui, monkeys, butterflies and Rensheng paper-cut in Tang Dynasty unearthed in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. Popular folk paper-cuts in Qing Dynasty and modern times can be seen in many folk paper-cuts, such as window flowers, flower corners, window clouds, ceiling flowers, flowers around Kang, lantern flowers, hanging curtains, table skirts, door signs and so on. The decorative patterns of folk paper-cut patterns include geometric patterns, cicada patterns, silkworm patterns, turtle patterns, bird patterns, elephant patterns, shellfish patterns, hunting patterns, dragon patterns and phoenix patterns. Peach pattern, apricot pit pattern, willow pattern, bamboo pattern, sunflower seed pattern, melon seed pattern, wheat ear pattern, leek leaf pattern, fan pattern, tweezers pattern, spindle pattern, sawtooth pattern, spiral pattern, curve pattern, oval pattern, chrysanthemum pattern, plum pattern, money pattern, cloud hook, brick bag market, rich head, three sons rich, rich. "There were many masters of calligraphy and painting in the sages of our country, because they all started in Cang Xie" (4). Throughout the history of writing, the writing created by the early working people in China is both a character and a painting. Not only words, but also beautiful and moving patterns. This traditional modeling technology has always occupied a universal and important position in China pattern modeling. Aren't the paper-cutting and flower-picking patterns of ethnic people so vivid and lovely? " (5)。 " China's writing not only reflects the objective truth, but also skillfully describes the characteristics of things with concise strokes. Distinguish between different categories of things. This technique of exaggerating features has been handed down in China's designs and has become the artistic wealth of the motherland. It is not a purely objective and trivial naturalistic description, nor is it a subjective and one-sided exaggeration without the characteristics of the object's life "(6). It is the crystallization result of highly accurate generalization of objective things through careful observation and profound experience in people's work and life. For example, several different animals with specific images: "deer, horse, tiger, elephant, pig, cow and sheep." "Deer, exaggerating the image of its horns, are good at running and easily frightened. Horses have long faces and manes, drooping tails, and hooves are very different from deer hooves. The tiger exaggerates its big mouth and active tail. Elephants have a long nose, a thicker head and neck than horses and deer, and a little hair on their small tails, which is quite distinctive. Pig, fat, small tail, ears, arched back, vivid image, small tail is different from deer. Their similarities are shown in the side, and the two legs have been deleted to make the image clear. This reasonable subtraction is also a traditional technique. Cattle and sheep, ancient designers drew a head for them, with very distinctive features, and every detail was spared. The angle bends upward, the angle is straight downward, and the angle is also curved, but it is different from cattle "(7). Therefore, it is necessary for us who are engaged in paper-cutting art today to study hard, deeply understand and master the early characters and patterns in China and the image language of traditional paper-cutting patterns in ancient and modern China, that is, the unique decorative patterns of folk paper-cutting. Only by learning traditional calligraphy and painting, that is, the language application of traditional characters and patterns, can we absorb the essence from traditional hieroglyphs and paper-cut patterns and improve our own paper-cut art quality.

"The Chinese nation is one of the oldest nations in the world. Our ancestors created splendid culture, which is the pride of our ancestors and their contribution to the world. Contemporary China people share the glory of their ancestors, but it seems that they should not be the capital that we will always be proud of "(8). As a contemporary creator of paper-cutting art, I think, "It should be admitted that our ancestors were able to create various totem-symbolized paper-cutting patterns in the ancient living environment thousands of years ago, which is indeed a civilized and noble paper-cutting art. Such works were beyond reproach at that time and were the essence of real national folk art" (9). However, "in today's China, the art of paper-cutting has developed for thousands of years, but some contemporary' experts' who have not invested in innovation and research practice are still blindly holding paper-cutting patterns made under the control of primitive people's thoughts and vigorously promoting them regardless of the advantages and disadvantages. I think this is wrong "(10). "Just like our ancestors' traditional understanding of' the sky is round and the earth is round', it was not considered ignorance at that time, because people saw that the sky was round and the earth was square" (1 1). As we all know, the earth is not square. Today, with the revolutionary changes in artistic creation, appreciation and research caused by modern cutting-edge science and technology, we should firmly believe: "Man's understanding mainly depends on material production activities, and gradually understands natural phenomena, nature, laws and the relationship between man and nature; Moreover, through production activities, we have gradually realized a certain relationship between people in various degrees. All this knowledge cannot be obtained without production activities "(12). Then, as a truly promising paper-cutting artist, he should unconditionally devote himself to the exploration and practice of real life and modern paper-cutting techniques. Marxists believe that the production activities of human society are gradually developed from low to high. Therefore, people's understanding, whether to nature or society, is also developing step by step from low level to high level, that is, from shallow to deep, from film to various aspects "(13). I think: "Paper-cut art, as a contemporary folk superstructure consciousness, has to put forward new requirements for its historical mission, social function and artistic value, and form a new aesthetic creation view" (14). Because "the development of modern science and technology has broken through the formal pattern of national and regional culture and art, the real combination of human beings embodies the progressive principle of natural and social evolution, and the historical trend is inexorably moving towards the bright future of human life" (15). Therefore, "today's paper-cutting art in China, as an aesthetic form of images, emphasizes nationalization in its development and can only inherit and carry forward the fine traditions of the whole nation. The absorption and digestion of Han and multi-ethnic aesthetic consciousness is combined with the absorption of some healthy aesthetic concepts from abroad. It has formed a new high-level aesthetic creation concept of "Trinity" of a variety of profound cultural knowledge that conforms to the trend of the times and local characteristics (that is, maintaining tradition, paying attention to the whole nation and absorbing foreign essence) (lev tolstoy pointed out: "Only works of art that convey new feelings that people have never experienced before are real works of art" (1998) Mao Zedong pointed out: "Although human social life is the only literature and art, Why? Because although both are beautiful, the life reflected by literary and artistic works can and should be higher, more intense, more concentrated, more typical and more ideal than ordinary real life, so it is more universal "(18).

In my opinion, beauty is the highest standard to test the success of a work of art. It is people's common desire to pursue concentrated and perfect artistic enjoyment. After more than 30 years of painstaking exploration, I have come to a basic conclusion: the creative process of China's ancient and modern paper-cutting art is changeable on the surface. But in essence, starting with the author's careful observation and experience of life, through artistic conception and arrangement, it is consistent to express his thoughts and feelings with the paper-cut image of (19). The specific steps of creating newspaper clippings are the same: 1. Simplify and summarize the images and change their proportions; Second, the image of natural connection and change; Third, add necessary ornamentation to the image structure to enhance the artistic effect of the work; Fourthly, the images are embedded with each other, which makes the works rich in connotation and profound in meaning. Rodin pointed out: "Art is the joy of wisdom. See the world clearly under the illumination of conscience and attach importance to the wisdom of this world" (20). Only by putting a sincere heart and a pair of discerning eyes into the depths of real life, observing, knowing and understanding the beautiful things in the world, and mastering the language of paper-cutting art creation skillfully can we create practical aesthetic works that adapt to the development of the times and are higher than real life, bring beautiful enjoyment and spiritual enlightenment to people's lives today, and complete the sacred mission entrusted to us by history.