Basic pattern

Author: Guoshan, Li Guang (Compiler)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-04-01
Features: Chinese traditional patterns have a long history and brilliant achievements. Patterns appeared in the early stages of human life, reflecting primitive instincts in human life. They use decorative language to express the pursuit and longing for beauty, with the purpose of enabling people to survive better and live more happily. As times change and living conditions and production methods evolve, the pursuit of beauty also changes. Over thousands of years, China has created life products and decorative items from different historical periods, which not only have elegant shapes but also feature diverse decorative patterns integrated with them. These patterns vary in style and variation, showcasing both national characteristics and distinct era styles, fully demonstrating the ingenuity of creators and different customs and folk cultures. Understanding and researching these patterns, inheriting their essence, can not only enhance the cultivation and pattern-creation level of designers but also hold profound significance for the continuation of national traditional culture.
### 1. Patterns of the Neolithic Age
As early as 5,000 to 6,000 years ago in the Neolithic Age, our ancestors created splendid painted pottery craftsmanship under primitive and crude conditions. Painted pottery art fully reflected the ancestors' yearning for beauty and wisdom. Its simple forms and meaningful connotations provided rich inspiration for later artistic creation. It achieved remarkable accomplishments not only in shape but also in patterns. Painted pottery of the Neolithic Age was widely distributed, mainly in the Yellow River Basin and Yangtze River Basin, as well as in South China, North China, Xinjiang, and Inner Mongolia. It featured diverse shapes, including bowls, pots, jars, bottles, and tripods, among other daily utensils. These varied vessel forms, when adorned with different patterns, appear even more complete.
The composition of patterns, aside from sharing general similarities with other plastic arts, also has its unique forms. It must strive to adapt to the constraints of craftsmanship and decoration while striving to make the form of the pattern as perfect as possible. The basic composition forms of patterns are divided into isolated patterns, suitable patterns, continuous patterns, and composite patterns. With the continuous development of decorative patterns and the improvement of human aesthetic awareness, the scope of decorative beauty has also broadened. Traditional pattern structures and motifs can no longer fully meet the growing needs of modern people's spiritual and material civilization. Therefore, while inheriting tradition, we must also promote it.
1.1 Isolated Patterns
Isolated patterns are independent entities and the basic units of patterns, serving as the foundation for suitable patterns, two-way continuous patterns, and four-way continuous patterns. The organization of isolated patterns should focus on the completeness of the pattern image. A single flower or animal can form an isolated pattern. Variations in shape or movement are not constrained by any external form, as long as they appear natural and structurally complete. Although their structural forms are diverse, in isolated pattern composition, they can be divided into symmetrical and balanced styles. A good design work should reflect national tradition, the spirit of the era, and the individuality of the creator. These are the baselines of the design work, and when combined with the production process, they produce various. For example, pattern design for dot printing can adopt a full-color expression form, while engraving printing and paper-cutting window decorations are limited to single-color or limited-color expression forms.