The Art of Folk Artist Community

2 min read

Career folk artists are creators who engage in folk art to make a living. They are already separated, or semi-separated, from farmland work. Career folk artist is still part of the laborer community; however, their art is no longer for self service, but a service for social life. Outstanding rural female artists who still engage in farmland work are not career folk artists Their excellent achievement in art work has earned them, along with career folk artists, praises from the society as folk artists or masters of folk art. However, they are still not career folk artists.

In a span of over 2,000 years of farming economy, China’s commodity economy gradually developed in its own pace. In areas where commodity economy and culture were more developed, some folk art creators started to detach from the original community to make a living by way of producing creative folk art works. A new group emerged as career folk artist. Consisting mostly male, career folk artists engaged in either sole proprietary or cooperative business, including family business. In order to make a living, they needed to produce the maximum quantity, and meet the taste and the trend of the society in content, category and art form. As a result, changes were made from the material; to the tools even the art work itself. To achieve the quantity, burin replaced scissors, and paper-cutting transformed into paper carving. Needless to say, the change of tools altered the style and the features of the art works. Career artists’ carving technique is peerless. With ultimate precision and delicacy, their works are among the most exquisite fine art ever created. The paper carvings produced by career folk artists are categorized in two groups; the works that mostly maintained the original folk paper-cut both in theme features and art forms, however, with more refined craftsmanship; and the works largely influenced by the literati and professional artists, shifting both the content and the theme features of folk art works to the style of Chinese painting, mainly depicting theatrical figures, mountains and rivers; flowers-and-birds-, classic chambers and pagodas, with first-class- craftsmanship and elegant style.

Folk artist carving shadow show figures(Huaxian County, Shaanxi)

Folk artist making exorcist dance and ritual masks(Pingxiang, Jiangxi).

A woodcut New Year picture printing shop racing to produce kitchen god picture (Kaifeng, Henan).

A family workshop making wood carving toys(Tancheng, Shandong).

Folk artist putting on facial make-ups for folk play ‘Mu Lian rescuing her mother’ (Luxi, Hunan).

Career folk artists who have completely separated or semi-separated from farmland work, are the main creators of a wide range of commercial folk art works including woodcut New Year picture; leather silhouette; puppets; exorcist-play mask;wax printing, dyeing and weaving; tapestry and Xinjiang carpet; funeral origami; kite; toy; stone carving; and graving.