Journal: Arts Studies and Criticism DOI: 10.32629/asc.v7i4.5429
Abstract
This article examines how folk visual symbols can be translated into contemporary illustration without losing their cultural meaning. Taking Zhuxian Town woodblock New Year pictures as a design reference, it argues that traditional imagery should not be treated as a decorative database of colors, patterns, and auspicious figures. Instead, folk motifs need to be reinterpreted through visual grammar, narrative function, material memory, and contemporary communication context. The article proposes a compact model of visual translation based on source reading, formal reconstruction, and contextual adaptation. Through this approach, designers can move from imitation to transformation, from surface borrowing to cultural interpretation, and from nostalgic reproduction to living design practice.
Keywords
folk visual culture, contemporary illustration, visual communication design, cultural translation, design strategy
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[2] Nie H, Ran M. Study on the woodblock New Year pictures of Zhuxianzhen Town. Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Art Studies: Science, Experience, Education (ICASSEE 2018). 2018. DOI: 10.2991/icassee-18.2018.113.
[3] Wu Y. Research on the application of folk-art elements in the teaching of visual communication design. Proceedings of the 1st International Symposium on Innovation and Education, Law and Social Sciences (IELSS 2019). 2019. DOI: 10.2991/ielss-19.2019.57.
[4] Huang W, Xiang H, Liang W, Li X, Lai G, Lin Y. The design of visual communication for intangible cultural heritage in product form. Proceedings of the 2018 2nd International Conference on Education Innovation and Social Science (ICEISS 2018). 2018. DOI: 10.2991/iceiss-18.2018.72.
[5] Li S, Ghani DBA. Modern visual presentation of traditional patterns in Chinese folk art. Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Culture, Design and Social Development (CDSD 2023). 2024; 390-396. DOI: 10.2991/978-2-38476-222-4_48.
[6] Gao Y. Feature extraction technology-guided visual communication design for folk paper-cutting. Scientific Programming. 2022; 2022:1-9. DOI: 10.1155/2022/3210054.
[7] Lijuan F, Rahman ARA. A bibliometric analysis of review on folk art. Cogent Arts & Humanities. 2024; 11(1):2426363. DOI: 10.1080/23311983.2024.2426363.
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