National Museum in Wroclaw unveils Chinese folk art

Photo: PAP/Maciej Kulczynski

Curator Dorota Roz-Mielecka has noted that the subject was long neglected by scholars, and that it was only in recent decades that researchers and collectors embraced Chinese folk art.

Photo: PAP/Maciej Kulczynski

The pieces on show at the museum come from the collection of Czech Sinologist Dr Zlata Cerna, largely focusing on the 19th century, supplemented by works from the 20th century.

''Chinese folk art reflected the formative influence of philosophical and religious systems, such as Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism, but first of all of primeval cults and beliefs,'' Roz-Mielecka commented.

''The fusion of these elements produced a syncretic folk religion that was based on rituals (funerary, nuptial, and so on) and in turn inspired the creativity of folk artists coming from the rural population which constituted an absolute majority in old China.

''Folk art was also a vehicle for cultivating and preserving mythological characters and heroes of historical events in collective memory.

''In the works of folk artists symbols materialized to reflect man’s universal longing for longevity, prosperity and good health (for example, textile pendants in the form of a fish or paper cut-outs with the images of deer or ducks).''

Photo: PAP/Maciej Kulczynski

Visitors to the show will also be able to savour puppets, marionettes, and paper kites.

'The Aesthetic of Ritual: Chinese Folk Art' runs until 15 August 2015. (nh)

Source: PAP/mnwr.art.pl