The School of Paper Carving Art

All the dedicated creativity, design, creation, carving, hollowing, and coloring converge to complete each paper carving artwork. In fact, it is nothing more than "inviting" them from my world through paper carving art to display them in front of my eyes.

— Lu Xue

Introduction

In the long history of China's 5,000-year civilization, paper-cut art, with its unique charm and profound cultural connotation, has always been an important part of Chinese folk art. Over time, paper-cut art has evolved from a simple folk art to artistic paper-cutting, and finally developed into paper carving art that integrates craftsmanship, culture and art. "Paper carving art" is not merely beautiful patterns, but works of art endowed with spiritual connotation. Through different themes and figures, it expresses different artistic concepts. It is both creation and interpretation, infiltrating the artist's feelings and perceptions of the theme and conveying them through carving and painting. What is carved is not only paper, but also the shape and shadow of the artist's understanding of the theme characters and their spirits.

I. What is Paper Carving Art?

Paper carving art is a new type of art form that perfectly carves and hollows out the painted subject, mainly using the smudging of Chinese ink wash, the printing and dyeing of watercolor, and the coloring method of oil painting texture. More often, paper carving paintings are regarded as a new school of Chinese art. Meanwhile, paper carving art inherits China's intangible cultural heritage techniques, using techniques such as cutting, carving, picking, engraving, burning, dyeing, tracing, spraying, pasting and gluing, combined with Chinese ink wash tracing to complete paper carving works. It creates delicate structures and patterns through manual carving or tool cutting, forming a sense of three-dimensionality and layering, making the works more vivid and interesting. Paper carving art has a certain tradition in China since ancient times. From the linen board seals of the Han Dynasty to the hollow patterns on artifacts such as screens, candlesticks and fans of the Tang Dynasty, all reflect the unique charm of paper carving art. Paper carving art not only has a profound historical heritage, but also combines with modern science and technology to present a new artistic form. With its unique three-dimensionality and layering, paper carving art breaks the limitations of flat art and makes the works more visually impactful. At the same time, paper carving art also focuses on the performance of details and the harmony and unity of the whole, showing the artist's ingenuity and aesthetic taste through exquisite carving and ingenious conception.

​​​​​​​II. Origin and Development of Traditional Paper-Cutting

As one of the oldest folk arts in China, paper-cut art originated in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, with a long history. The earliest paper-cut works were folk arts that used scissors or carving knives to cut patterns on paper to decorate life or cooperate with other folk activities. Due to the poverty of living conditions and materials such as content themes, materials, colors and production sizes, traditional paper-cutting had its limitations. Traditional paper-cutting generally uses ordinary red paper, which has a single color, is easy to fade and difficult to preserve, but its advantage is low price. In production, it is generally based on symmetry. Due to the limitations of manual production, the size of traditional paper-cutting is generally small, such as window grilles, door stickers, wall flowers, etc., which are widely used in folk life. In terms of content and theme, it is generally based on auspicious and festive content, applied in festival decoration, wedding celebrations to eulogize the beauty of life, and also includes solemn occasions such as funerals, sacrifices and tomb sweeping.

III. The Rise of Artistic Paper-Cutting

Ms. Lu Xue began to try to integrate the characteristics of painting, stone carving, wood carving, oil painting, color painting and animation into paper-cut art, innovating artistic paper-cutting. While inheriting the essence of traditional paper-cut art, artistic paper-cutting pays more attention to the artistry and cultural connotation of the works. The content and themes of artistic paper-cutting are not limited to auspiciousness and festivity, but expanded to thematic and serial works such as humanity, nature, history and famous works. The materials have become diverse, including rice paper, card paper, tracing paper, crumpled paper, laser paper, special paper, custom paper, gold foil and silver foil, etc. There is no limitation on the size. The colors have become very rich, including not only single color, but also multi-color, dot color, lining color, painted color, etc. In terms of content, theme, material, color, size, form and production, artistic paper-cutting is rich and diverse without restrictions due to social development and diverse life. Through the use of more exquisite skills and rich imagination, many artistic paper-cut works with profound connotation and unique style have been created. These works not only have high artistic value, but also have become important carriers for inheriting and promoting the culture of the Chinese nation.

​​​​​​​IV. The Birth, Development and Artistic Achievements of Paper Carving Art

1. Birth and Initial Development

With the development of artistic paper-cutting, paper carving art emerged as the times require. The characteristic of paper carving art is the "colorful black". Centered on the combination of "carving" and "painting", paper carving art integrates the carving skills of paper-cutting with the color expression of painting, forming a unique artistic style. In the initial stage, through continuous attempts and research, Ms. Lu Xue gradually mastered the basic skills of paper carving art and created exquisite works.

2. Accumulation of Artistic Works

Over time, the skills of paper carving art have been continuously improved, and the artistic works have gradually accumulated. Ms. Lu Xue has created a large number of innovative and artistic paper carving works. These works are not only exquisite in craftsmanship, but also rich and diverse in themes, covering many fields such as human history, myths and legends, and classic literature. For example, the series works such as "The Yellow River", "Mount Tai" and "Shan Hai Jing" fully show the unique charm and cultural connotation of paper carving art.

3. Inheritance and Innovation

In the development process of paper carving art, inheritance and innovation have always been the core driving forces. Ms. Lu Xue is not only committed to inheriting the essence of paper carving, but also makes bold innovations and attempts on this basis. By introducing new artistic elements and expression techniques, they constantly enrich and expand the expression field and style characteristics of paper carving art, including animation, landscape design, sculpture design, product craft design, AR/VR immersive interactive applications and other fields. This combination of inheritance and innovation enables paper carving art to keep its traditional charm while keeping pace with the times, constantly radiating new vitality.

4. Social Recognition

Paper carving art has also become an important bridge and link for international cultural exchanges. Through exhibitions and exchange activities, it shows the unique charm and profound heritage of China's traditional culture to the world. As the founder of the paper carving art school, Ms. Lu Xue has not only created many paper carving works with profound connotation and unique style, but also made important contributions to inheritance and innovation. She has laid a solid foundation for the prosperity and development of paper carving art and strived to promote its development.

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V. Artistic Exploration of Inheritance and Innovation

Based on the theory of "using all things for my own use", we trace the source of materials, strive for excellence to develop and design new paper materials for specific works, and strive for the integrity and stability of the works in presentation. The exquisite carving skills, combined with the perspective and focus of Western oil painting, and the unrestrained and colorful colors, collide with the stubborn and tenacious paper carving flower in traditional Chinese art. The innovation of paper carving art is mainly reflected in four aspects: First, the uniqueness of artistic creation. Through the theme of "Shan Hai Jing", ordinary animals, plants, figures, mountains, rivers, lakes and seas are transformed into unique new images in the world. Second, the innovation of creative art. Paper carving art uses carving instead of brushes and paper instead of lines, and its form of creative art is undoubtedly the crystallization of vivid ideas. Third, the ideality of the connotation of the works. It is reflected in many aspects. First of all, the presented paper carving works promote the excellent traditional culture of the Chinese nation. Secondly, the works conceived and created show the people, things and objects of truth, goodness and beauty. With a lofty ambition, it aims to promote international cultural exchanges and let the people of the world understand the profoundness and breadth of Chinese culture. Fourth, the integration of paper carving art and modern science and technology. It adopts the latest technology to present an immersive art space, unifies the elements of "Shan Hai Jing", carries and connects the display content, and creates a new media art installation with audio-visual-based scene experience.

VI. Conclusion

The evolution process from paper-cutting to artistic paper-cutting and then to paper carving art is not only an important course in the development of Chinese folk art, but also an important embodiment of the inheritance and innovation of the Chinese nation's culture. Paper carving art is an innovative art school that promotes traditional culture in the process of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. With its unique artistic charm and profound cultural connotation, paper carving art has become a treasure in the cultural treasure house of the Chinese nation. In the future, paper carving art will continue to thrive, explore and innovate new artistic forms and expression techniques, and inherit and promote the excellent traditional culture of the Chinese nation.

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