In various
languages:
Chinese chien-chih (with scissors)
k'e chih (with a knife on a board)
Japanese kiri-e (large, artistic cuts)
monkiri (cutting shapes of mon, or family crests)
German/
Swiss scherenschnitte
Polish wycinanki
Dutch knippen
Soon after
paper was invented in
China in the second century, papercutting developed; first, as a way to accurately pattern
embroidery and
porcelain, and later as an art in its own right. Since paper was cheap, papercutting, or the art of cutting intricate shapes and designs out of paper, became a widespread
Chinese folk art.
The basic
techniques for cutting were developed in China, and carry through to this day. One method was to take a piece of paper and
scissors with sharp blades, and snip out the design. This is called in Chinese paper cutting, or
chien-chih. Another technique allows an artist to make several copies of the work, depending on the thickness of the paper. A board of wood, wax, or any other material is the
cutting surface, upon which anywhere from one to several dozen sheets are placed and secured. Very sharp
knives are the favored cutting tool, although
chisels,
punches, and
stamps are used as well. This is known as
k'e chih, or paper carving.
In the seventh century, papercutting spread from China to
Japan. In addition to the beautiful
artwork popular in China, the Japanese siezed upon this new
craft as a way to duplicate
mon, the circular
emblems of various
clans. These paper
crests were used to mark family property, as most people could not read. Papercutting lost popularity in Japan with the advent of
origami, but cuts are still used in
katazome, or
stencil dyeing.
The art spread with the
trade routes, and had reached the
Middle East by the eighth or ninth century. By the 1500's,
Turkey boasted an entire
guild of master cutters. Around the fifteenth or sixteenth century, papercutting had come to
Europe, and
Italy,
Germany,
Holland, and
Switzerland had separate cutting styles. However, because paper there was
costly and
handmade, it was mostly reserved for use in
monasteries. Most early cuts were thusly religious in nature. However,
stenciling was popular, especially in
churches.
The
Swiss cut elaborate
designs into many
legal documents. This was not only
decorative, but served as a guard against
forgery, as each cutter's style was very distinct. There called scherenschnitte, it became a folk art, althought most were in black and white and relied on
contour for effect.
Valentines in Germany and
greeting cards and
bookmarks in Switzerland were very popular uses.
Another widespread form of cut work before the invention of the
camera was the
silhouette, an inexpensive alternative to a painted
portrait. A silhouette is done by casting the
shadow of a person's
profile onto a piece of paper, tracing the
outline, and cutting the image on black paper. Travelling papercutters often went from
village to village, cutting entire families. When business was slow, they could always cut
trees,
flowers, and
birds, and sell those. Many
skilled artists did not even have to trace the shadow - they would cut by simply studying their
subjects.
As
machine-made cut work rose, mass-produced
doilies and
shelf liners took the place of
handmade ones. However, there are dedicated artists today working to preserve this centuries-old
tradition. Guilds are becoming more active, and more and more people are seeing the
beauty of this
ancient art. New materials and subjects are reviving interest, and thousands of
novices and experienced cutters are making this once more an
international art.
Translations and some history from The Joy of Papercutting by Chris Rich