Modern Express News (reporter Liu Jingyan Su Rui) The Lunar Year of the Tiger is coming. In the past two days, in the Suzhou Taohuawu Woodcut New Year Painting Society, craftsmen are busy printing new Zodiac New Year paintings. In the middle of the picture, a strong tiger is half-lying, holding its head high, looking back, and its eyes are shining. Colorful flower windows and peach blossoms decorate the "Su-style" New Year's flavor.
The designer of this Chinese zodiac painting is Hong Xixu, former director of the Department of Visual Communication of Suzhou Arts and Crafts Vocational and Technical College, researcher of arts and crafts, and the third chairman of Suzhou Graphic Design Association. He told the Modern Express reporter that the lying tiger is to take the meaning of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". The tiger's tail is bent and raised, implying that it sweeps away all filth like a steel whip. Below the tiger, there is an overlapping undulating mountain forest, which contrasts with the surrounding flower windows and peach blossoms. "Because tigers live in the mountains, tigers roar in the mountains."
Tiger's design details are also very exquisite. The face of a tiger must have both the characteristics of a tiger and the traditional elements. For example, the eyes are white, and there is a flame-like thing on both eyes. Hong Xixu introduced that he wanted to emphasize that "tigers and tigers are angry", so the eyes and nose corners appear particularly energetic.
△ Engraving inheritor Zhang Feifan
Like the zodiac paintings of previous years, copper coins symbolizing wealth are of course indispensable. Where are the copper coins this year? I saw this tiger lying on its side, its full butt facing forward, and the copper coin was placed here. "They all say that the tiger's ass can't be touched, just want to make a joke with everyone." Hong Xixu said.
△ System inheritor Shen Ting
According to the design draft, the "shou artists" of the Suzhou Taohuawu Woodcut New Year Painting Society started work separately. Zhang Feifan, the inheritor of the engraving, is responsible for engraving the chromatic plate, and the printing inheritors Wang Shenghang and Shen Ting are responsible for the printing of the color separation.
As early as 400 years ago, Suzhou people have used traditional techniques to print colorful New Year paintings to "add color" to the New Year's flavor. Suzhou woodblock new year painting originated from engraving printing, because its workshops are mostly concentrated in the peach blossom wood area of Suzhou, so it is called peach blossom wood new year painting, in 2006 was included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list. In the traditional Suzhou Taohuawu woodcut New Year painting, there is also a classic "money tiger" pattern. The Modern Express reporter learned that the Nanjing Museum collected a painting of the Year of the Golden Tiger in the late Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the People's Republic, and the tiger in this painting was full of copper coins, with its head held high and roaring, and the wind was majestic.
(Photo courtesy of Suzhou Taohuawu Woodcut New Year Painting Society)