Analysis On Longdong Mask Decorative Arts

Longdong mask culture of Gansu Province is one of the ancient Chinese mask cultures.It is the treasure of folk art of the Chinese nation, the symbol of the long history of Chinesefolk art, and the incarnation of the historical stories and mythological legends of Longdongregion. The characteristics of Longdong masks are consisted of exaggerated modelings, verystrong colours, rich figures, and vivid themes. It is an excellent representative of folk art ofLongong region, and also a ture portrayal of the local folk custom.Mask itself is a kind of totems, which represent different cultures and customs ofdifferent regions and nations in many parts of the world. Their styles are distinctive, materialsare diverse, painting techniques and colours are uniques. Every mask has a story. It seems thathe who wears a mask on his face is identified with the character which the mask itselfrepresents, the stories of life of ordinary people are acted out by mask and the player. Masksare usually used for worship ceremony, it can make people fall into meditation, arouse theassociation of witchcraft and myth. The masks made by Longdong’s craftsmen have beenplaying a very particular role in local people’s primitive beliefs and spiritual life.With the passage of time, Longdong mask is on the verge of dying off, less and lesscraftsmen are willing to learn and inherit this kind of folk art. In order to render an effectiveand rational proposal to rescue and protect Longdong mask culture, to make this kind of folkart inherited generation by generation, to arouse the awareness of people to cherish anddevelop the traditional culture of Chinese nation, from the perspective of art design, this paperwill investigate into the current situation of surviving Longdong masks and craftsmen;expolre the orgin of history, culture, and art of Longdong mask by analyzing its charscteristicsfrom the perspectives of history, aesthetics, and technics; summarize the idea and law of artistic creation, and features of aesthetics of folk art, by researching on the style of modellingand the aesthetical signification of Longdong mask.