Comment on “Ansai peasant paintings: inheritance of Chinese primitive culture and primitive philosophy”Folk art in a region is often a meaningful repository of symbols accumulated by its people over generations. In traditional communities, people follow these symbolic systems to express their lives, dreams, and emotions. Folk art in a region is often a meaningful repository of symbols accumulated by its people over generations. In traditional communities, people follow these symbolic systems to express their lives, dreams, and emotions.
First of all, Ansai folk paintings require a definition for clarification, which the author neglected to provide. The article uses a large number of paper-cut works for analysis, seemingly without indicating the relationship between paper-cutting and Ansai folk paintings (Chang et al., 2023). Ansai folk painting is a form of folk art from Ansai County, Yan’an City, Shaanxi Province, which developed its unique artistic style by drawing on various northern Shaanxi folk art forms such as paper-cutting, embroidery, dough figurines, cloth collage paintings, cabinet paintings, and kang wall paintings (Su, 2019). The unpretentious Ansai folk ‘artists’ are mostly women with some skills in paper-cutting and embroidery. Most Ansai folk painting works focus on scenes of farming, harvests, weddings, and folk festivals, and their style is known for being bold, exaggerated, and free-spirited.
Secondly, the author’s summary of the artistic characteristics of An’sai peasant painting is incomplete. Discussing the artistic characteristics of peasant paintings requires analyzing a large number of artworks to identify common elements among them, thereby summarizing the artistic characteristics of this type of artwork. Most of the examples in Chang et al. (2023) are An’sai paper-cuttings. Of course, the artistic source of An’sai peasant paintings is paper-cutting, but whether An’sai paper-cutting can be regarded as representative of An’sai peasant paintings requires further analysis before making a decision. After all, paper-cutting is an important source of material for An’sai peasant paintings. Now, let us describe An’sai paper-cutting. The content of An’sai’s paper-cutting can generally be divided into two categories. One category is traditional, with content largely related to ancient legends, witchcraft, primitive fertility worship, and folk symbolism. Its artistic methods are more rustic and retain a primitive style. In An’sai paper-cuttings, content related to fertility worship is the most common, which may be connected to the region’s cultural heritage, which can be traced back to primitive times. The “happy flowers” in An’sai’s paper-cutting represent the development and continuation of this idea of fertility worship. The other category consists of more modern paper-cuttings depicting the everyday life of farmers. This type of paper-cutting originated in the 1930s and 1940s, when northern Shaanxi became a major rear area for the Anti-Japanese War and a revolutionary base. During this period, the revolutionary realism style of creation in Yan’an influenced the rural women here. The article should summarize the artistic characteristics of an art form based on such a foundation.
The existence of any cultural phenomenon has functional value; it serves to meet human physiological, psychological, and social needs, ultimately supporting human survival. Folk art, after all, is a part of everyday life and represents a cultural expression deeply embedded in human feelings and the local environment. It must be deeply rooted in the soil and environment that nurture its growth; without this environment and soil, it loses its vitality. Folk art in a particular region often represents a meaningful accumulation of symbols passed down from generation to generation. These symbols are not only expressions, tools, or related factors of the local people’s biological, psychological, and social existence, but also prerequisites for it. The symbols in Ansai peasant paintings serve as expressions, tools, or related factors of the local people’s biological, psychological, and social existence, and they are also their prerequisites. They are the crystallizations that emerge from the quest for the growth of soul and body in harsh living conditions, possessing a sense of strength far more intense than some weak, overly decorative modern art.
To analyze the philosophical ideas contained in works of art, one should first conduct a comprehensive classification and summary of the content of such works. Anze paper-cutting serves four purposes in people’s lives. The first is to decorate for festivals and create a festive atmosphere. In the past, on any festival or special celebration, the people of Anze would always cut paper and paste window flowers. This is a tradition passed down since ancient times. On the one hand, it adds a lively, vibrant touch to the festival; on the other hand, it symbolizes good fortune. The second purpose is to decorate the bridal chamber during weddings. Arranging the bridal chamber with paper-cutting is indispensable, not only for beautification but also to symbolize fertility and reproduction. The main types of paper-cuts used are window flowers and canopy flowers, which also express the hope that the newlyweds will love each other. The third purpose is for use in magical or superstitious activities. Whenever someone in the family or livestock falls ill, the people of Anze would cut paper figures of cows, pigs, or tigers and attach them to the doors to ward off evil spirits and prevent sickness. In addition to what was mentioned earlier, paper-based figures used to summon souls and deities were also employed to protect the homeland and prevent diseases. The fourth purpose was to use them as templates or practice materials. For rural women, paper-cutting was a fundamental skill in learning plastic arts. In a self-sufficient agricultural economy, tasks like paper-cutting and embroidery are practical ways for women to acquire cultural knowledge and survival skills. Women mainly carry out folk art activities like paper-cutting and embroidery. When women participate in these activities, they combine their labor with local customs and traditions, align their behavior with the prevailing aesthetic norms of the time, and at the same time convey their love and emotions to their families. This adds warmth and vitality to the originally monotonous and impoverished life. It also provides them with a spiritual world similar to religion, where they can vent their emotions and make their lives richer and interesting. By studying Anze art, we can see how it embodies the philosophy of Yin and Yang and the worship of reproduction. However, artworks depicting other themes also contain inherited philosophical thoughts. It is necessary to analyze these contents and not be limited to a certain type or school of art.
Throughout the article, it is necessary to conduct a multidimensional analysis of the folk paintings of the Ansai ethnic group, fully presenting how paintings of various themes embody their philosophical ideas. Folk paintings reflecting superstition and witchcraft are also an expression of popular beliefs. The author mentioned paintings with agricultural themes that do not reflect Yin-Yang or fertility worship. On the contrary, they are a kind of magical belief, transforming the hopeful expectations in daily life into art, which is the most common and simplest form of expression for people.
References
-
CHANG, Y. Q.; ZHOU, L. M.; LU, P.; YASMEEN, S. Ansai peasant paintings: inheritance of Chinese primitive culture and primitive philosophy. Trans/Form/Ação: Unesp journal of philosophy, Marília, SP, v. 46, n. Edição Especial, p. 367-390, 2023. Available at: https://revistas.marilia.unesp.br/index.php/transformacao/article/view/13558
» https://revistas.marilia.unesp.br/index.php/transformacao/article/view/13558 - SU, S.; GU, S. Farmer Paintings in Ansai, Shaanxi. Fine Arts, n. 07, p. 118-119, 2019.
-
Data availability statement:
The dataset for this article is available in the SciELO Dataverse of the Trans/Form/Ação Journal, at the link: https://doi.org/10.1590/0101-3173.2025.v48.n5.e025215
The dataset for this article is available in the SciELO Dataverse of the Trans/Form/Ação Journal, at the link: https://doi.org/10.1590/0101-3173.2025.v48.n5.e025215
