A Comparative Study Of Folk Woodblock Prints In China And Japan During The 17th And 18th Centuries

The artistic exchange between China and Japan throughout history has generated many interesting topics,including the comparative study of folk prints during the Ming and Qing dynasties.However,one of the difficulties in internal research is the lack of image data,making it difficult to understand many details of the development of ancient Chinese folk prints.Furthermore,it is hard to resist exploring the different influences and development trajectories of folk prints in the two countries in modern times.This influence is not abstract;just as the Impressionist movement was inspired by ukiyo-e prints,ukiyo-e prints also impact contemporary Chinese people’s perception of their traditional art.This influence is also reflected in the author’s personal creative practice,as the style of ukiyo-e is apparent in the recognition and reference to traditional Chinese art.Based on these issues,the author attempts to explore how ancient Japan faced the input of Chinese culture and what attitudes they adopted,based on what principles and embodied in which specific works,from the perspective of a printmaker through the study of the classic artistic theme shared by China and Japan-Zhong Kui.As a creator,the author summarizes how to view foreign influences and how to deal with the relationship between tradition and innovation.The discussion of this article is vertically centered around historical periods,with the specific folk print Zhong Kui as the main case study,and other prints of some other themes or types as auxiliary.Through the comparison and study of these three threads of China,Japan,and Sino-Japanese exchanges,the author analyzes the formal development of the folk prints of Zhong Kui in China and Japan and discusses Japan’s learning and innovative process of Chinese folk prints in ancient times.In the horizontal comparison,the author focuses on discussing the recognition and conflict phenomena that ancient Japan faced when encountering Chinese cultural traditions,the differences and similarities between the two countries’ Zhong Kui-themed prints in art and meaning,and Japan’s selection and fusion of Chinese Zhong Kui symbols.The study of Chinese culture in ancient Japan presents a long-term,phased,multidimensional,and blended pattern.Each phased input of Chinese culture has triggered a new round of absorption,learning,and transformation of Chinese tradition in Japan.Moreover,Japan is good at mixing the styles,techniques,and themes of various types of folk prints.During the stage of fusion and innovation,the characteristic of Edo Japan was to promptly create new terms for the "mixtures" and gradually integrate this innovation into their own culture,becoming a "new tradition." This study inspires the author that tradition and innovation occur in different stages and that tradition can be innovated while innovation may become a new tradition.The key lies in how to choose.It is inevitable that the development of the subject is influenced by external factors,but as an individual,one can choose what aspects to accept from the influence.The various confusions that arise in artistic creation can be grasped by reflecting on one’s own history and reconsidering one’s initial intentions.There is no real influence,everything is a personal choice.