Folk motifs are essential to Chinese traditional arts as they reflect Chinese people’s understanding to the nature, the harmonious relationship between human and nature and Chinese people’s yearning for a better life. We choose some folk motifs with distinguished characteristics from the vast folk art works to form sevefontn special topics. We will learn the ideas, wisdom, modeling methods and aesthetic significance of Chinese folk motifs by drawing upon the experience gained on key points. We will share with you the Chinese folk art motifs developed in different regions, by different ethnic groups and under different cultural backgrounds so that you can enjoy the profound Chinese culture.
This lecture elaborates the modeling methods and aesthetic significance of Motif Arts and introduces “Chinese Shadow Puppetry: Characters developed by Scissors and Nicking Chisels”, “The Heritage of Chu Culture: Discovering the Intangible Cultural Heritage” with cultural anthropology, “The Final Totem: The Mysteries Behind Folk Art Motifs of Various Ethnic Groups in China”, and “Understanding the Mythical Symbols and the Abstruse Writing on Our Clothes”. We will summarize “Folk Motifs and Chinese Wisdom” from the perspectives of philosophy and cultural study and discuss “Chinese Elements and Motif Design” with design arts and cultural creativity. In so doing, you will walk in to a wonderful oriental motif world.
1.1 The meaning of learning Chinese folk motifs
1.2 A brief introduction of graph
1.3 The basic categories of Chinese folk motifs
1.4 The basic characteristics of Chinese folk motifs art
1.5 Research on the questions and the motifs cases
1.6 Unit assignment: thinking questions
1.7 Online Quiz
1.8 Expanded learning resources
Unit 2. Motif Arts : Modeling Methods and Aesthetic Significance
2.1 The modeling methods of folk motifs
2.2 Aesthetic implication of folk motifs
2.3 Research on the questions and the motifs cases
2.4 Art Practice: Canton Embroidery
2.5 Unit assignment: Judgment and thinking questions
2.6 Expanded learning resources
Unit 3. Chinese Shadow Puppetry: Characters Developed by Scissors and Nicking Chisels
3.1 A Brief Introduction of Chinese Folk Paper Cut
3.2 The craft of Chinese folk paper cut
3.3 The techniques of expression of Chinese folk paper cut
3.4 A brief introduction of Chinese shadow puppetry
3.5 The artistic characteristics of Chinese shadow puppetry
3.6 The modeling of Chinese shadow puppetry
3.7 Art Practice: Paper Cut
3.8 Unit assignment: Paper Cut creation
3.9 Online Quiz
3.10 Expanded learning resources
Unit 4. The Heritage of Chu Culture: Discovering the Intangible Cultural Heritage
4.1 The State of Chu and Chu Culture
4.2 Representative Graphics of Chu Culture Remains
4.3 Intangible Cultural Heritage of Chu Culture
4.4 Research on the questions and the motifs cases
4.5 Art Practice: Decorative painting
4.6 Unit assignment
4.7 Online Quiz
4.8 Expanded learning resources
Unit 5. The Final Totem: The Mysteries Behind Folk Motifs of Various Ethnic Groups in China
5.1 Totem
5.2 Panhu Worship
5.3 The Legends of Totem in Costumes
5.4 The Tattoos of the Li Ethnic Group
5.5 Art Practice: Tie-dye
5.6 Research on the questions and the motifs cases
5.7 Unit assignment: Tie-dye creation and thinking questions
5. 8 Expanded learning resources
Unit 6. Chinese Folk Motifs and Chinese Wisdom
6.1 Philosophical Reflections on the Harmony of Taiji and “Yin and Yang”
6.2 “Nine Palaces” and Its Spatial Layout
6.3 Plane Static Four-dimensional Space
6.4 “Almorphism” of Batik Graphics
6.5 Ingenious Calculations by Folk Carpenters
6.6 Research on the questions and the motifs cases
6.7 Unit assignment: thinking questions
6.8 Online Quiz
6.9 Expanded learning resources
Unit 7. Chinese Elements and Graphical Creativity
7.1 The Trend of Convergence of Chinese and Western Culture
7.2 Chinese Elements and Graphic Creativity
7.3 Post-modernism and Graphic Design
7.4 Research on the questions and the motifs cases
7.5 Unit assignment: thinking questions
7.6 Expanded learning resources
