Gaomi clay sculpture has a long history and folk artists are widely spread. Located in Niejiazhuang, Jiangzhuang Town, every family squeezes clay figurines and makes clay tigers. There is a saying that the door of Niejiazhuang faces south, and every clay figurine does it.
First, the history and significance of the mud tiger
Gaomi has "three wonders": paper-cutting, gray New Year pictures and clay sculptures. As a national intangible cultural heritage, these three kinds of folk arts are well-known and have their own characteristics. Niejiazhuang is the most famous clay sculpture in Gaomi. There are many kinds of clay sculptures in Niejiazhuang, among which the mud tiger is the most representative. The specific history of clay sculpture is not recorded accurately. It is said that the clay sculpture of Niejiazhuang originated from Qin Long in Ming Dynasty or Wanli period, with a history of more than 400 years. It began to develop in the late Kangxi period of Qing Dynasty, and entered its heyday in Jiaqing period. It is closely linked with the traditional festival of Spring Festival, which is most prosperous during the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival, and can be seen everywhere in high-density street fairs. With the end of the Lantern Festival, there are few booths for mud tigers.
Why did it appear in such an important festival in China? Because the Spring Festival is the most important festival in China, we should bless all people, the elderly, the deceased ancestors, friends, children and so on. The mud tiger symbolizes everyone's blessing and people's yearning and pursuit for a better life in the future.
Why use mud tiger blessing? The tiger is the king of all animals, and all monsters are afraid of it. In ancient times, tigers were called "king of the hill Patrol" and "Mountain God", which meant to ward off evil spirits and avoid disasters. It is said that under the protection of the tiger god, it will grow up healthily.
Second, the unique craft of mud tiger
The production of mud tiger has changed from dozens of previous processes to several current processes, which makes the production of mud tiger simple, time-saving and more exquisite. Several steps of mud tiger:
Raw materials: the production of mud tiger needs two kinds of soil, black soil and loess. Black soil is sticky, and loess is to prevent the mud tiger from cracking. Two kinds of soil can be mixed in a certain proportion before molding. The soil is unique to Niejiazhuang, and it can be dug everywhere, but the depth of digging is about one meter from the previous one to about three meters now. Soil has the characteristics of simple material, good viscosity, moisture and excellent soil quality.
Blanking: this is an extremely important process, which is related to the size, proportion and firmness of the mud tiger after molding. Usually, after black soil and loess are alive in a certain proportion, water is poured on the slate to make it moist, and water quantity is the key. More slack, less uneven. It is necessary to pound the mud with a wooden hammer, so that the mud can fully absorb the uniform moisture, drive out the bubbles and pound out the gaps in the mud embryo.
Blanking: making tiger head and tiger tail mud blank. Cutting begins in May every year. In the past, clay sculptures were all made by hand, but now they are all made with molds. The biggest feature of making clay sculptures with molds is their high speed, but the shapes they make are all the same. After flipping the mold, they just need to wait for the mold to dry in the shade. 10-30cm mud tiger can be turned over with a mold, but the mud tiger over 40cm can't be turned over with a mold, because the mud is too soft to stand when molding, and it can only be molded bit by bit by hand.
Making reed whistle: The whistle is made of reed stalks. First, cut the reed stem into 3cm long, remove the cavity membrane, and cut a certain slope at one or both ends with a sharp blade. The slope must be moderate, and the whistle will not sound if it is too steep. Then cut a small seam directly opposite the slope. The seam should not be too deep. If it is too deep, the whistle will not light. Finally, a piece of paper with moderate thickness and long fiber content is selected as the sound film and pressed into the gaps at both ends.
Install reed whistle: fix the whistle on the back and tail of the tiger with thread or paper paste, and the tiger's chest is empty to amplify the sound.
Connecting blank: tiger head and tiger tail are connected with sheepskin. Previously, sheepskin was chosen because it was soft and firm, but the cost was relatively high. After that, I chose kraft paper, but it is not strong and easy to break; With the development of science and technology and social progress, leather is currently used. Its internal structure is compact, the leather body is full and elastic, and its physical properties are good, so it is relatively low at home.
Coloring: the mud tiger effect is said to be "three-part plastic, seven-part color separation" Apply white talcum powder first, because the later dissolved matter and talcum powder will not absorb the color of oil paint. The color sequence is red, green, yellow and black, and the coloring area is first large and then small, first wide and then narrow, first thick and then fine. Some details such as eyes, mouth, nose and tongue should be carefully described with a small pen. Draw decorative patterns after the face is painted. After all the parts are painted, put them in the shade to dry. All colors are hand-made, stroke by stroke.
Oil pollution cleaning: after the mud tiger is dry, cleaning the oil pollution in the colored place can make the color bright and the expression of the mud tiger more radiant.
Third, the shape of the mud tiger.
Clay tiger belongs to the image art, and its shape is not limited by the original shape, but closely related to the feeling of reality and the expression of local people's feelings, concepts and consciousness. In the overall design of the tiger body, the tiger head is greatly exaggerated, and the facial expression is simple and lovely, especially the tiger mouth occupies most of the head, showing the king's demeanor of the tiger and the momentum of the king of beasts. In addition, the two holes in the mouth are used for ventilation, connecting the tiger's body and abdomen and amplifying the tiger's cry. The tail behind the tiger is short and lovely, with only a little bump or no bump on the tiger's fur, and its limbs are short and thick, which is in line with children's aesthetic orientation. So that the modeling design of the mud tiger has reached a naive, simple, honest, lively and lovely artistic effect.
The modeling of mud tiger is not only influenced by certain conscious thinking, but also by social production methods and technologies. At first, the shapes were all made by hand. Now the little mud tiger is made of molds, while the big mud tiger is made by hand. The mud tiger in Niejiazhuang is full of amorous feelings, interesting life, fresh and lively, creative and full of folk culture charm.
Four. Appreciation of clay tiger modeling patterns
The traditional mud tiger style, the peony flower on the chest in the traditional tiger pattern symbolizes auspiciousness and wealth; The pattern on the ear is plum blossom, which is a gentleman among flowers, giving people an incentive to work hard and a symbol of integrity; Moreover, it has a ribbon on its chest, indicating that this mud tiger is not a wild tiger, but a god beast. Legend has it that wild tigers are fierce and only eat children, while god beast is a friend of human beings and the patron saint of children. In the overall artistic modeling and decoration of clay sculpture, there is no trace of deliberate carving, which is natural and simple. And close to the folk paper-cutting, bold exaggeration, focus on freehand brushwork, and strive for simplicity and generalization, which is unique in the national clay sculpture. Plastic things are static and dynamic. They can be funny and make sounds. Some of them are not the traditional clay tiger style, with novel patterns and childlike interest, which is of great help to inspire children's imagination and cultivate aesthetic concepts.
There are many clay sculptures of mythical figures in Niejiazhuang besides clay tigers. The symbolic significance of myth lies in the generalization of the theme imagination in the work itself and the allegory of reality by later generations through fairy tales. There are many themes expressing ancient myths and legends in folk clay toys, and those magical and wonderful stories have evolved into many absurd and imaginative lovely and respectable images, leading people to that ancient and distant era. From the sociological point of view, myth is the product of primitive humans conquering and visualizing nature with imagination. Creation myth and hero myth are the themes of China mythology, such as well-known and touching stories and images of Pangu opening the sky, Nu Wa creating man, Houyi shooting at the sun, Eight Immortals crossing the sea, and Dayu controlling water, which are often reproduced in folk clay toys. China's endless myths and legends have also become the best creative theme of folk clay sculpture. Touching love stories such as "the Monkey King makes a scene in Heaven", "What makes a scene in the sea", "Xu Xian and the White Snake" and "butterfly lovers", as well as "Hai Rui dismissed from office" which shows justice and incorruptibility, are all images of folk clay toys that we often see. These well-known fairy tales and legends not only express the theme of "love, justice and challenging authority", but also show people's nostalgia for following historical traditions, these mythical figures and fairy tales and their pursuit of a better life.