Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD). For the most part, the cuts are made with scissors, although more
intricate and complicated designs use engraving knives as well. Traditionally, Chinese paper cuts
were most often made from red paper because the Chinese saw red as a lucky color. These paper cuts
are used celebrations, festivals and decorations. In Chinese these paper-cuts are also known as
"window flowers" because they are sometimes hung on windows. Other uses include being pasted
directly onto walls or doors, or attached to numerous smaller objects, where they served as ornaments
or good luck charms. Chinese paper-cuts usually represent everyday life. Common subjects for
the folk art
form include the dragon, phoenix, signs of the zodiac, birds, trees, flowering branches, bamboo,
peonies and other flowers, horses, fish, cats and kittens, landscapes, insects, pagodas, characters
from traditional folktales, and traditional Chinese masks. The designs might be serious, stylized,
or even whimsical, and appear in a variety of sizes and shapes, including rectangular, diamond,
and oval.
Scherenshnitte (pronounced: shair-en-shnit-teh), which literally means “scissors-cutting”, originated
in Switzerland and Germany during the 1500’s and became a very popular folk art in the 1800’s.
Scherenshnitte was originally used to decorate birth and marriage certificates as well as to be used as
Christmas decorations. This type of paper cutting usually has a symmetrical design or picture. This
is most easily achieved by folding the paper multiple times and cutting a design so that it is
symmetric (ex: making paper snowflakes…). Themes often included bible stories or figures. Today,
however, you can use almost any shape or object in design. Traditional scherenshnitte artists would
cut away directly at the paper freehand (without drawing out a design before hand) and often used
watercolor paints to decorate their paper cuttings. After the cut was complete, artists would often
use fancy handwriting to add words or phrases to the scherenshnitte.
Papel Picado (pronounced: pah-PELL pee-CAH-doe) which translated means “perforated or
punched paper” is the Mexican form of paper cutting. Historically, the Aztecs used the bark of wild
mulberry and fig trees to make a rough paper called amatl. Amatl was used to make flags and banners
to decorate temples, streets and homes. Nowadays, these elaborate and colorful designs are
commonly cut from tissue paper using a guide and small chisels, sometimes cutting up to fifty sheets
at a time. The sheets are then hung up on a piece of string, much like a banner or a string of flags.
Popular papel picado themes include birds, floral designs, angels, skeletons, historical figures and
words. However, themes change depending on what they are being displayed for. Most often you will
see them around Easter, Christmas and the Day of the Dead, as well as during weddings and
christenings.
In Class Discussion:
For the in-class discussion, you will want to help the class locate the countries (or country) on a map
of the world. Display some examples of the types of paper cutting. Discuss the issues of positive vs.
negative space in the paper. Talk about how you can make a design using either positive or negative
space (most students will find it easiest to use a positive space paper cut). Follow up with a discussion
of questions about the types of paper cutting. Some suggestions for questions may include:
1. Think about the themes used in Chinese paper cutting. What pictures would you use for your
2. Why would somebody making Papel Picado want to cut multiple sheets at a time? Is there
another reason besides just saving time?