Chinese Paper Cutting

Another Lunar New Year's tradition is to decorate doors and entrances with intricate Chinese Paper Cuttings (in red, of course) to bring more good luck.

*beezy* has some stunning photographs of paper cutting gifted from friends in China at her Flickr acccount. Sadly, her photos are licensed so I can't include a teaser. But I'll forgive her since she graced us unworthy souls with such gorgeous pictures.

I'm becoming more and more fond of Chinese art, especially after watching numerous performances of the dragon dance while in the International District during Saturday's New Year's event. I find the Chinese style to be a detailed mix of whimsical and enthralling--a rich tapestry of history that is lacking from American iconography and folklore. As I grow older and am exposed to more bits and pieces of other cultures, I'm beginning to see exactly why Americans have always been fascinated by Asian motifs. Chinese (and Japanese) textiles, motifs, and palettes have consistently cropped up in popular fashion and home decor in one form or another from the Noir era on. I'm pretty sure it's all in the deceptively simple forms that dictate such a complex and winding history that spreads far beyond the American past. To pack so much information and importance in one single brush stroke goes beyond comprehension in a Western-based culture, and therefore is enthralling to us Westerners.

That said, don't take too much stock into my discursive nonsense. I practically failed all of my Art History classes before realized that I was a better English major since I had always focused more on writing than anything else.