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Napoleon III, Emperor of France, Eugenie de
Montijo, Empress of the French, married at Notre-Dame,
30 January 1853.
Undated
Epinal: Pellerin ; Vanson, engraver
Woodcut 42 x 31 cm
(Photo coutesy of Henri George)
Little
Cinderella
Late 19th century
Epinal: Pellerin Woodcut 30 x 41 cm (Photo coutesy
of Henri George)
Mount
Shuangsuo
Republic of China (1912-1949)
Yangliuqing, Tianjin
Highlighted woodcut 36 x 44 cm
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Popular Prints from China and Epinal, France
13
June to 29 July 2007
The
Consulate General of France in Hong Kong and Macau
and the University Museum and Art Gallery, The
University of Hong Kong are pleased to present
the exhibition "Popular Prints from China
and Epinal, France". The exhibition features
over eighty prints from France dating to the 19th
century, and from China, dating from the Qing
dynasty (1644-1911) to the Republican period.
Viewers can appreciate and recognize the distinctive
folk arts from the two nations.
The
Chinese New Year picture has a long history and
originated in door gods. During the Song dynasty,
advances in printing techniques promoted the development
of New Year pictures and the subjects began to
change from religious to daily life. After the
fall of the Song dynasty, to reflect a desire
for a stable and prosperous life, New Year pictures
with auspicious subjects were popular. New subjects
such as scenes from operas, novels and popular
literature also emerged. During the Qing dynasty,
New Year pictures thrived and many print shops
were established throughout China. Among them,
Taohuawu in Suzhou, Yangliuqing in Tianjin, Weixian
in Shandong, and Mianzhu in Sichuan are acknowledged
as the "Four Great Centres". The subjects
of the New Year pictures were varied, including
traditional subjects such as historical figures,
ancient legends, and auspicious blessings, as
well as scenes from popular literature, operatic
stories, and social and political satire. Pictures
from the Republican period are characterised by
the new ideas of the era.
European
woodblock printing emerged in the 15th century
when the most popular subjects were portraits
of saint which were posted in homes to protect
the family. Later, the increasing availability
of paper enabled the rapid development of printmaking.
By the mid-15th century, the invention of copper
engraving and removable-type printing techniques
led to a revolution in printing in the West. At
the end of the 18th century, the introduction
of lithography facilitated the further development
of printing. This exhibition features woodblock,
copper and lithographic prints produced in Epinal,
France. The subjects of the prints include social
satire, fables and legends, saints and other figures,
animals and plants, and historical events. In
the 18th and 19th centuries, Epinal had become
a major centre of printing and the main area for
the production of popular prints. Other cities
in France included Metz, Nancy, Lille and Paris.
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