Luo Xuan Notes Altering or Disrupting the Ancestral Methods
Notes of Shizhu Room
1. Basic information about the workshop:
Time: 14:00-16:00, January 6, 2018
Location: Public Education Area of the CAFA Art Museum
Tutor: Huang Yang
Public Recruitment: Limited to 15 adults (belonging to the series of activities of high art entering the campus, with priority to the college students)
2. Registration method:
Please send a message to 18366952022 (Teacher Zhao) with the name and mobile number (SMS only). The College students shall label the name of the school. After successful registration, you will receive a reply to SMS.
※ the CAFA Art Museum reserves right of final interpretation of this activity
3. About the workshop
As one of the oldest polychrome printing methods in the world, the woodblock overprint reached the peak of craftsmanship and aesthetics in the Ming Dynasty of China, leading to the emergence of fine works of printmaking letter paper, such as the Luoxuan Notes Altering or Disrupting the Ancestral Methods and Notes of Shizhu Room. However, the traditional process was extremely demanding for wood engraving and manual overprinting, and many viewers who wanted to experience the traditional elegance culture flinched. To this end, we had prepared a large number of woodblock “spare parts” that could be printed, and let the students, under the guidance of their tutors, take the free and flexible makeup to create their unique woodblock overprint watermark work. Regardless of the stationery, greeting card or small print., the unique technological thinking of the woodblock overprint will continue to play a role in the contemporary era, bringing creative fun and aesthetic enjoyment of watermarks with the oriental aesthetic appeal to the students.
Various Kinds of Woodblock Overprint Stationery
Various Kinds of Woodblock Overprint Letter Paper
4．Letter paper and woodblock
In the past, there was no mobile phone. The most common way to send information between people was to write a letter and send it out. Of course, the premise was to have the letter paper for writing firstly. We all knew that Cai Lun invented papermaking in the Eastern Han Dynasty. However, the earliest paper was used to wrap things, make umbrellas or for other technological purposes. Then, it took the place of bamboo slips and was widely used to copy Buddhist scriptures.
Probably in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the woodblock printing technique began to appear in China, and the varieties of paper were greatly expanded. The paper used for writing, printing and painting varied. Moreover, due to the continuous improvement and promotion of papermaking, people had become more demanding for paper, which gave rise to the very beautiful and expensive paper of “letter”.
The Principle of Woodblock Overprinting
Traditional Woodblock Watermark Print
Five-color Wax Letter Paper
To this day, we still use the word like “scribbling paper”. In fact, in terms of functions, old letter paper is about the same as it is now, that is, to write a small note, an invitation or a copybook, mainly used for writing letters. At that time, the technology of making the letter paper was very exquisite. Some were sprinkled with gold and silver power, and some were bleached in monochrome, and even some were made into “Xue Tao Letter” with the hibiscus peels and hibiscus petals. It was said that this letter was used by Xue Tao, a female scholar in the Tang Dynasty, to communicate with Bai Juyi, Yuan Zhen, and other great poets. While the most noteworthy was the letter paper made with color overprinting. Its technical principles could be well understood. It was decomposed into different printing plates according to different parts and levels of sketches and then carved into raised lines and small prints with a special carving knife. It was printed on paper in sequence, and finally“assorted” into an exquisite small print.
Hand Engraving of Woodblock Overprint
Hand Registering of Woodblock Printing
This type of engraving printing technique, known as “woodblock overprinting”, has always been admired by poets and literary men for hundreds of years since it was created and carried forward by Wu Faxiang and Hu Zhengyan in the Ming Dynasty. The merit of these two printmaking masters was that they turned the “letter paper” itself into a high-quality print worthy of anthology and publication, collection and appreciation. Both Luoxuan Notes Altering or Disrupting the Ancestral Methods and Notes of Shizhu Room were the two artistic monuments they left to the world. Therefore, even Lu Xun, who was known for being critical, had to say, “Chinese woodcut pictures had had a very respectable history from the Tang Dynasty to Ming Dynasty.” In order to bring to life the almost declining traditional woodblock overprinting technique at that time, Lu Xun, together with Zheng Zhenduo, edited Peiping Notes in 1933, which became another epoch-making painting in the history of Chinese printmaking.
Beiping Notes
Today, the Internet and We-Media have made the surrounding environment incomparably noisy. We need to re-understand the meaning of “distance” to calm ourselves down and not let communication become simple question-and-answer messages. While a piece of stationery or a frame of picture offers a unique and unaffected way of exchange information. When we patiently make a fresh and elegant image for ourselves or our family and friends in the manual overprinting activity, we create a beautiful carrier of family and friendship.
Production of Personalized Watermark Fancy Stationery
PersonalizedWatermark Fancy Stationery
5. About the workshop tutors
Huang Yang, Doctor of Fine Arts, the CAFA, and the first studio teacher in the Department of Print-making of the Modeling School, teaches the professional courses, such as “Engraving and Woodblock Printing”, “A Preliminary Study of Traditional Printmaking Techniques”, and so on.
6. Introduction of the project of High Art Entering the Campus
In order to strengthen the aesthetic education and enhance students’ artistic and humanistic literacy, the activity of “High Art Entering the Campus” was carried out in national colleges and universities, with the theme of “Approaching the Master, Feeling the Classics, Edifying the Sentiment and Improving the Cultivation”. It was organized by the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Finance, and was warmly welcomed and well received by the students. Among them, they organized the college students to participate in the exhibitions of the CAFA Art Museum and other activities. They broke through the conventional stage performing arts and integrated visual arts into activities, so that students could enjoy more abundant high-quality artistic resources when visiting exhibitions, listening to lectures and participating in the workshop practice.
