Lesley Smitheringale Fine Art

The wonderful art of Paper Sculpture

This looks easy but I can assure you that it is extremely difficult to do well as I tried it with a Year 11 Art class.

l to r: Works by Ray Besserdin and Gail Armstrong

Paper cutting is a traditional art that has evolved throughout the course of Chinese cultural development. Its origin is closely connected with the invention of paper during the Han dynasty (206 B.C.-221 A.D.). As paper was highly precious in the early days, the art of paper cutting first became popular in the royal palaces and houses of nobility as a favorite pastime among court ladies. Later, during the 7th through 13th centuries, paper cutting was immensely popular during folk festivals and celebrations. By the 14th century, the art had spread to the Middle East and Europe; and by the 15th century onward, paper cut art works had become an integral part of the everyday life of the people. However, the art of paper cutting was on the verge of dying out during the past century as old China experienced successive years of the disaster of war brought on by domestic turmoil and foreign invasion. Amidst a myriad of changes in their lives, most people had no leisure time to engage in the study of the art of paper cutting.

l to r: Clive Stevens and Peter Callesen

Some artist’s paper sculpture sites:-

http://www.papersculptureartist.com

http://www.calvinnicholls.com/

http://www.clivestevenssculpture.com/http://www.harmonyfineart.com/id122.html

http://www.illustrationweb.com/GailArmstrong/

http://www.petercallesen.com/index.html