Preface to Jintan Engraving Paper

More than two thousand years ago, our ancestors made paper, which solved the most convenient material for recording words and conveying ideas, and became a great invention of mankind. The emergence and popularization of paper has promoted the development of art, needless to say, painting and calligraphy. Among the general public, paper-cutting is a very popular and distinctive art, which relies on the paper itself to form an ethereal picture by cutting or carving. If you count the paper-cuts of the Northern Dynasties unearthed in Astana, Xinjiang, Chinese paper-cuts have a history of at least 1500 years. From its material properties, paper is a flat sheet material, which can be cut and hollowed out with a knife or scissors, so whether it is cut or engraved, it can be called "cutting and engraving art", including those patterns cut out of gold foil, silver foil, leather and even leaves. Especially in the handicraft era, this is a huge and versatile craft category, which directly or indirectly involves almost every aspect of life. [br/] What is drawn on paper with a pen is called "painting", and what is written on paper with a pen is called "book". Cutting patterns on paper with scissors is called "paper cutting", and carving patterns on paper with a knife is called "paper carving". Recently, some people burn flowers on paper with incense, or tear out patterns directly by hand, which is also called "burning paper" and "tearing paper". This shows that it is natural for people to constantly create art and create new things. But when theorists classify art, they like to use induction, which is called "paper-cutting". The reason is also obvious. Although the tools and methods have changed, the images displayed by "hollowing out" are the same for paper. As for the differences in artistic characteristics, they can be classified as styles, just like various prints (such as woodcuts, lithographs, copperplate prints, etc. ) still belongs to painting. Some people describe paper-cutting very well and put forward the view of "writing instead of cutting", which is unnecessary to be attached to painting. Any artistic creation should retain and highlight its own characteristics, not weaken it. Here, artistic features and production features are not easy to separate. Even if woodcut belongs to painting, it does not emphasize the characteristics of pen sketching, but emphasizes its "knife taste" and "wood taste", and even deliberately leaves some traces of knives and axes. Art forms are ever-changing, and art classification should be summarized as much as possible, which is a pair of relations between art practice and art theory. Therefore, it is natural for paper-cutting to vary from single to diverse. Paper-cutting probably first appeared as "folding and cutting" flowers, because it embodies the superiority of paper. Later, there were "flat scissors" and "digging scissors", which also produced a big picture. The so-called "connection" and "disconnection" are both constraints and characteristics for paper-cutting. Blue calico since Ming and Qing Dynasties can be said to be originated from the art of paper-cutting. However, once art develops independently, it should no longer be restricted by paper-cutting. It is indisputable that paper-cutting can only be done with paper. Carving gold and silver foil around the Han Dynasty is a painting technique, which is called "Gold and Silver Flat". It is a close relative of paper-cutting, not a direct relative. This shows that the interconnection of things is complex, and the lateral influence is the cause, not the effect. The above are some basic relationships to understand paper-cutting. [br/] Chinese paper-cutting has developed to such a large scale among the people. Of course, it is because of the popularity of paper and the availability of materials. In addition, there is another important reason, that is, the "male ploughing and female weaving" in agricultural society and the resulting "female red". In feudal society, needlework was one of the "four virtues" of women, and women who were good at needlework became attached to paper-cutting, forming a huge series from cutting embroidery patterns to cutting "window flowers" and other environmental decorations. Some people say that paper-cutting is a unique art in China. As far as the understanding and utilization of paper and its quality are concerned, no country can match it. But it doesn't mean that there is no paper-cutting abroad, nor does it mean that foreigners don't understand paper-cutting. In Europe, Britain, Germany, Poland and Denmark all have different paper-cuts, and there are many paper-cuts in Japan, but they are not as common as in China. Artist Matisse didn't realize that paper-cutting was a convenient and effective form until his later years, and he created a lot of "clip art". But not many people know this.