Wycinanki: Polish Paper Art - Part II
Back in July I did my first post on the Polish paper art of Wycinanki, you can check it out here, and now I'm back with Part II because I have found more beautiful examples to share with you!
Wycinanki is pronounced Vee-chee-nun-kee and dates as far back as the early to mid 19th century; however, it is important to note that paper art itself began in China, where the oldest surviving paper cutting was found in Xinjiang, China dating back to the sixth century. Within just one century after that, the art of paper cutting had spread rapidly throughout West Asia, Turkey and then to Europe.
Wycinanki began with Polish sheepherders cutting out designs from materials such as leather and tree bark and soon became a popular form of home decor and even gift giving. Birds, peacocks, roosters and flowers are the predominate subject matter of most Wycinanki paper art, however many also depict holiday scenes, horses and intricate patterns. No matter what the subject matter, Wycinanki is so vibrant and colorful that it inspires me to create my own Wycinanki art..... hmmm.... mental note: add Wycinanki to my never-ending list of things to do! ;)
Wycinanki is pronounced Vee-chee-nun-kee and dates as far back as the early to mid 19th century; however, it is important to note that paper art itself began in China, where the oldest surviving paper cutting was found in Xinjiang, China dating back to the sixth century. Within just one century after that, the art of paper cutting had spread rapidly throughout West Asia, Turkey and then to Europe.
Wycinanki began with Polish sheepherders cutting out designs from materials such as leather and tree bark and soon became a popular form of home decor and even gift giving. Birds, peacocks, roosters and flowers are the predominate subject matter of most Wycinanki paper art, however many also depict holiday scenes, horses and intricate patterns. No matter what the subject matter, Wycinanki is so vibrant and colorful that it inspires me to create my own Wycinanki art..... hmmm.... mental note: add Wycinanki to my never-ending list of things to do! ;)
(All images via a Google key word image search)