History of Chinese New Year Pictures

Author: Wang Shucun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: The earliest form of New Year pictures to develop was folk woodblock New Year pictures. Their style and characteristics conform to the aesthetic habits of the broad masses of people, making them the most closely connected art with people's lives. They are completely different from works that only emphasize imitation, antiquity, and the pursuit of "artistic freedom" for "self-entertainment." Although New Year pictures have always been referred to as "craftsmanship" and not recognized as "mainstream painting," they have a vast popular foundation. Despite the severe influence of the ruling class's ideology in the content of New Year pictures, leading to many feudal superstitions, many realistic and excellent works have indeed emerged from them. They reflect the social phenomena, lives, and emotions of the people in each historical period, making them widely loved and appreciated by the working masses. The working people gain artistic enjoyment and beneficial education and spiritual comfort from the art they create. Therefore, since folk woodblock New Year pictures became popular, they have developed along their own path. From many New Year picture works, one can not only understand the living conditions of the people in various historical periods in our country but also glimpse the development of the realistic tradition in painting art in folk painting.