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Artist's cutting-edge X-ray visions
By Xu Wenwen |
February 14, 2011, Monday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
A spell in hospital and a dislike of waste inspired a retiree to take a traditional Chinese art form in a new direction. Xu Wenwen meets the paper-cutting pioneer using discarded X-ray film as the main material to create works that are a cut above the rest.
The warm hue of sunset penetrates the papercut that decorates the window of Zheng Rongshan's studio, casting an elongated shadow on the desk, the design is a Chinese character "Fu" (meaning happiness) featuring a rabbit.
Papercuts fill the 67-year-old's studio in Huafeng Community, Hangzhou. Some of them are of historical figures, some show scenery and others are animals. However, rather than being in the traditional red, they are black and feature subtle gray patterns inside as a result of the material they are cut from - X-ray film.
The art of paper cutting, invented in China nearly 2,000 years ago, is chiefly a decorative art. The cutouts adorn walls, windows, doors and mirrors and they are particularly prolific during the Lunar New Year period when they are used to spread the joyous festive feeling. This explains why the color of most paper-cuttings are red, China's favorite color for festivals.
But Zheng cuts black-and-blue X-ray film, which not only differs in color, but also has a hardness and texture unlike the ordinary papers traditionally used.
Zheng is by no means an artist, but a retired worker who has loved paper cutting since boyhood. However, the idea of cutting X-ray film didn't occur to him until he was hospitalized three years ago.
At the end of 2008, Zheng was taken into hospital because of severe stomach trouble. During the early days of his hospitalization, he had nearly 10 X-ray photographs taken. Yet once he was diagnosed, the film became redundant.
"I thought it was a waste to throw away my X-ray film, and I was really bored in the hospital, so I cut them as traditional Chinese paper-cuttings," says Zheng.
His unique works were soon welcomed by nurses and other patients in the hospital, who sent their own X-ray film or overexposed film to Zheng to cut, while his way to dispel loneliness and boredom was praised by doctors because "the patient focuses on his hobby more than his ailment."
Zheng is proud of his invention. "Those cuttings, the same as ordinary papercuts, can adorn windows and mirrors or be pasted on paper as pictures," he explains. "Besides, compared with paper, they are more durable."
Zheng's enthusiasm continued after he left the hospital one year later, and he collected used X-ray film from his neighbors, friends and relatives.
Since then, Zheng has cut nearly 300 pieces of X-ray film. Gradually, he became so skilled that it only takes him a couple of minutes to cut a hand-size animal pattern, and he has worked out a distinct method for X-ray film cutting.
Firstly, common-size scissors are fine to shape the outline, but not suitable to make small cuts since the film is too smooth and crisp, so he adopted surgical scissors and eyebrow-trimming scissors to cut the fine details, such as people's hair and animal fur.
Furthermore, to cut a complicated pattern, Zheng will download and print pictures from the Internet, stick them onto the film, then design the fashion and cut.
The bone images that appear on these films do not bother Zheng. Instead, the contrast between the black base and gray patterns are used by Zheng in the composition of the picture.
For instance, in the "Portrait of Yue Fei Figure" (Yue Fei was a famous general in ancient times), Yue's pure-black broadsword is highlighted because the figure of Yue is a hoary color. In the "Twilight over Gongchen Bridge," the left side is whitish, manifesting the afterglow covering the landscape, while the right side is black, seemingly in shade.
Zheng's many works are in series, such as the series of figures in "A Dream of the Red Mansions" (a well-known classical book in China) and the series of 12 Chinese Zodiacs. Recently he's been creating a series based around Grand Canal in Hangzhou.
"I want my works to be special, so I imprint a Hangzhou feature, Grand Canal, on my productions," says Zheng. "I live near the Gongchen Bridge over the canal and I know along the river there are many locations that deserve to be cut out, like Xiangji Temple and Xiaohezhi Street."
So far he has finished four pieces of work in his Grand Canal series and will cut 14 more to complete it.
Zheng's art has led him to become a well-known figure in his neighborhood. Last year, the community office provided a studio for him, and invited him to open a class at Hemu Primary School in the community, teaching children how to cut paper as well as X-ray film.
Despite the need for more X-ray film, Zheng never buys new film but keeps collecting old sheets.
"What I am doing is to utilize the waste, and buying new material violates my original intention."
The warm hue of sunset penetrates the papercut that decorates the window of Zheng Rongshan's studio, casting an elongated shadow on the desk, the design is a Chinese character "Fu" (meaning happiness) featuring a rabbit.
Papercuts fill the 67-year-old's studio in Huafeng Community, Hangzhou. Some of them are of historical figures, some show scenery and others are animals. However, rather than being in the traditional red, they are black and feature subtle gray patterns inside as a result of the material they are cut from - X-ray film.
The art of paper cutting, invented in China nearly 2,000 years ago, is chiefly a decorative art. The cutouts adorn walls, windows, doors and mirrors and they are particularly prolific during the Lunar New Year period when they are used to spread the joyous festive feeling. This explains why the color of most paper-cuttings are red, China's favorite color for festivals.
But Zheng cuts black-and-blue X-ray film, which not only differs in color, but also has a hardness and texture unlike the ordinary papers traditionally used.
Zheng is by no means an artist, but a retired worker who has loved paper cutting since boyhood. However, the idea of cutting X-ray film didn't occur to him until he was hospitalized three years ago.
At the end of 2008, Zheng was taken into hospital because of severe stomach trouble. During the early days of his hospitalization, he had nearly 10 X-ray photographs taken. Yet once he was diagnosed, the film became redundant.
"I thought it was a waste to throw away my X-ray film, and I was really bored in the hospital, so I cut them as traditional Chinese paper-cuttings," says Zheng.
His unique works were soon welcomed by nurses and other patients in the hospital, who sent their own X-ray film or overexposed film to Zheng to cut, while his way to dispel loneliness and boredom was praised by doctors because "the patient focuses on his hobby more than his ailment."
Zheng is proud of his invention. "Those cuttings, the same as ordinary papercuts, can adorn windows and mirrors or be pasted on paper as pictures," he explains. "Besides, compared with paper, they are more durable."
Zheng's enthusiasm continued after he left the hospital one year later, and he collected used X-ray film from his neighbors, friends and relatives.
Since then, Zheng has cut nearly 300 pieces of X-ray film. Gradually, he became so skilled that it only takes him a couple of minutes to cut a hand-size animal pattern, and he has worked out a distinct method for X-ray film cutting.
Firstly, common-size scissors are fine to shape the outline, but not suitable to make small cuts since the film is too smooth and crisp, so he adopted surgical scissors and eyebrow-trimming scissors to cut the fine details, such as people's hair and animal fur.
Furthermore, to cut a complicated pattern, Zheng will download and print pictures from the Internet, stick them onto the film, then design the fashion and cut.
The bone images that appear on these films do not bother Zheng. Instead, the contrast between the black base and gray patterns are used by Zheng in the composition of the picture.
For instance, in the "Portrait of Yue Fei Figure" (Yue Fei was a famous general in ancient times), Yue's pure-black broadsword is highlighted because the figure of Yue is a hoary color. In the "Twilight over Gongchen Bridge," the left side is whitish, manifesting the afterglow covering the landscape, while the right side is black, seemingly in shade.
Zheng's many works are in series, such as the series of figures in "A Dream of the Red Mansions" (a well-known classical book in China) and the series of 12 Chinese Zodiacs. Recently he's been creating a series based around Grand Canal in Hangzhou.
"I want my works to be special, so I imprint a Hangzhou feature, Grand Canal, on my productions," says Zheng. "I live near the Gongchen Bridge over the canal and I know along the river there are many locations that deserve to be cut out, like Xiangji Temple and Xiaohezhi Street."
So far he has finished four pieces of work in his Grand Canal series and will cut 14 more to complete it.
Zheng's art has led him to become a well-known figure in his neighborhood. Last year, the community office provided a studio for him, and invited him to open a class at Hemu Primary School in the community, teaching children how to cut paper as well as X-ray film.
Despite the need for more X-ray film, Zheng never buys new film but keeps collecting old sheets.
"What I am doing is to utilize the waste, and buying new material violates my original intention."
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