The Fine Art of Paper Cutting
by
Gisela H.L. Roger
The art of paper cutting is also called Psaligraphie, shadowgraph, or silhouette cutting. Yet you could give it still another name, namely, Black Magic! Not only because of the traditional black paper that is used as basic material, but also because it requires great concentration and skill. A cut allows only very limited corrections and always remains a final cut!
Best known is the portrait silhouette, although shadowgraph cuttings can cover a wide range of themes. For example, it can describe everyday scenes, or it can be used as a decoration on greeting cards or even on important documents such as birth and wedding certificates which usually exhibit flowers or "The Tree of Life" etc. This was done with great love during the 19th century in Canada and in the United States, especially in Pennsylvania.
One of the characteristics of classic paper cutting lies in the balance between negative and positive forms or spaces, black and white, or even between colored paper which are occasionally used as well.
Portraits are usually shown in profile, yet for other depictions, the shadowgraph always applies a frontal view. Therefore, it is impossible to produce a perspective or illusion of space. Furthermore, no figure or object should stand by itself; it must be connected to the nearest motif in one way or another. Only the outer line of the subject carries the intention of the artist; this makes details within a form impossible. The result is an easily perceptible design that stands in contrast to the skill and concentration required.
A Greek legend tells us about Dibutades' daughter who was heartbroken when her sweetheart had to leave her. Using a writing tool, she traced the outline of his shadow that the sun cast on a wall. In this way she preserved the closest image of her lover that was possible. Thus the shadowgraph was born. It is a beautiful legend, but in reality the first shadowgraph cutting was not found in Greece but in China where paper was first invented.
In Europe, however, it was only in the mid 18th century that the portrait silhouette came into being, thanks to Monsieur Etienne de Silhouette, the French finance minister of Ludwig XV. For purposes of saving costs, he searched for a solution to replace the expensive painted miniature portraits that were common and very popular at that time and the only way to preserve visually the features of important personalities. Etienne de Silhouette came across the Psaligraphie and requested the use of this technique instead of the costly painted miniatures. He probably saved a fortune by doing so. For many years, shadowgraph cutting was the fashion, and today and for all times to come, it will carry his name: Silhouette. However, with the discovery of photography in 1838, the practice of this art came to an abrupt end.
Meanwhile, classic Psaligraphie is experiencing a renaissance with many leading international galleries arranging exhibitions of this fine art. Hopefully it will never die.
