History of Paper Cutting Art

Paper cutting is an unique art form that has existed for thousand of years. It’s first origins date back to the 4th century China where it was used to form stencils to decorate fine silk and was used for religious decorations. The designs ranged from very simple one layer designs to intricate colorful pieces of art.

Paper cutting is the making of a design using small scissors or a knife. Designs can be of animals, family scenes, nature, holiday themes, or even patterns. The designs can be symmetrical or free flowing.

The art of paper cutting has spread throughout the world. In Germany, it is called Scherenschnitte, meaning “scissors cuts”.  Scherenschnitte focuses on life’s progression of birth, schooling, courting, marriage, family and death.

Wycinanki is the Polish word for paper cut design. Wycinanki varies by region. For example the Kurpie region wycinaki’s are typically one color, while the Lowicz region are multicolored. The design is usually symmetrical with one fold. The popular motifs are of spruce trees, birds, and medallions.

In Mexico paper cutting is a folk art and is called Papel Picado meaning “perforated paper”. The string banner designs are cut from tissue paper using a guide and a chisel, cutting through up to 50 sheets of tissue paper at time. Color schemes are linked to specific festivals and the motifs usually include birds, foliage, crosses, words, skeletons and historic figures.

In Japan, Kirigami, is the variation of origami that includes cutting of the paper. “Kiru”- to cut, “gami”- paper. Kirigami is started with a folded base which is then cut; the cuts are then opened and flattened. Kirigami is symmetrical and is usually of snowflakes, animals, flowers, pop up cards and pentagrams.

The art of Silhouette cutting started in Europe, and it is the form of cutting outlines or portraits out of black paper. Also, in Europe, Collage is the technique where artwork is made from an assemblage of paper from magazines, newspapers, and photographs. The word collage is French “coller’ meaning to glue. From collage came Decoupage from the verb “découper”- to cut out. It is the process of gluing cut pictures onto an object with special paint effects. The cut papers are layered on top of each other to give the object more depth.

Paper cutting is a traditional art form for the Jewish people, connecting religious ceremonies and customs. Paper cuts were used for Ketubot or “marriage contracts”, Mizrahs, and ornaments for festive occasions. It is traditionally cut from paper or parchments with depictions of symbols and the use of words.

Sanjhi, is the traditional art form of paper stenciling. Peacocks, horses, cows, butterflies and trees are some of the popular motifs used. Sanjhi is known for it’s spiritual implications and for displaying the stories of Krishna. The stencils are used to decorate spaces during festival season, or are filled in with water colors and placed on temple floors.