Hans Christian Andersen silhouette

Author: Lin Hu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-03-01
Features: Apart from fairy tales, Hans Christian Andersen also wrote six long novels, seven long travelogues, fifty plays, and over a thousand poems. Most of his letters to friends and family were also excellent literary works. As one of the most popular paper-cutting artists of his generation, he created over a thousand miraculous paper-cutting works. Andersen always had a "cut and paste" urge and always carried scissors with him. His improvisational paper-cutting and literary creation were not directly related, but whenever he cut, he would tell a fantasy story. When the paper-cutting was finished, the story was also finished. The climax of the story—when he opened the mysterious paper-cutting to reveal its content. Part of Shadow of Andersen is a biography of Andersen, with over 20 selected precious photographs of him following the text. The second part, after an article introducing his figurative art, features 220 selected paper-cutting, collage, and sketch works of Andersen. The appendix at the end of the book is the first time Court Card Deck by Andersen has been introduced to Chinese readers.
It is said that Andersen carried a pair of scissors like he carried a pen, often entertaining adults and children with his paper-cutting. He would always cut while telling a fairy tale, and at the climax of the story, he would open the mysterious paper-cutting to reveal its content. The compiler of the book, Mr. Lin Hu, was unable to attend the launch due to illness. He is a translator and an expert in studying Andersen in China. In his written remarks, he wrote, "We must never separate Andersen's paper-cutting from his literary works. Andersen said, 'Paper-cutting is the beginning of literary creation,' which shows that to him, literary creation and artistic creation were one and the same." Lin Hu also introduced that the Court Card Deck, which made its "debut" in China, is a masterpiece combining fairy tales and paper-cutting art. Folk art scholar Lü Shengzhong, who attended the launch, said that through Shadow of Andersen, he learned that Andersen was not just a writer but also a figurative artist. He explained that Andersen's paper-cutting techniques shared many similarities with Chinese paper-cutting. "Andersen's paper-cutting has a very profound traditional technical language, and he used it very well."
Few Chinese people are unfamiliar with the "Fairy Tale King" Andersen. In fact, apart from fairy tales, he also wrote six long novels, seven long travelogues, fifty plays, over a thousand poems, and most of his letters to friends and family were also excellent literary works. As one of the most popular paper-cutting artists of his generation, he created over a thousand miraculous paper-cutting works. His improvisational paper-cutting and literary creation were not directly related, but whenever he cut, he would always tell a fantasy story. When the paper-cutting was finished, the story was also finished. The climax of the story—when he opened the mysterious paper-cutting to reveal its content. Andersen also drew over 300 sketches and collaged over a dozen exquisite albums. These works are filled with fairy-tale-like fantasies, revealing his progressive thinking and futuristic awareness. Part of Shadow of Andersen is a biography of Andersen, with over 20 selected precious photographs of him following the text. The second part, after an article analyzing and introducing his figurative art, features 196 selected paper-cutting, collage, and sketch works, accompanied by documents left by Andersen and his friends. The appendix, Court Card Deck from Andersen's fairy tale, is a first-time introduction to Chinese readers.