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Paper Cutting: Contemporary Artists, Timeless Craft

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There's a renaissance underway in the art form of cut paper, with an explosion of raw talent and an abundance of amazing work produced in the medium in recent years. This gorgeous volume features work from 26 contemporary international artists who are creating images of astonishing intricacy, using little more than paper and blade. Featuring a host of new discoveries and including art by such stars as Nikki McClure, Rob Ryan, and Thomas Allen, as well as a number of emerging practitioners, Paper Cutting is sure to engage art buffs and indie crafters alike. An in-depth introduction by paper art expert Natalie Avella illuminates the rich history of the centuries-old form, and a whimsical preface by beloved artist Rob Ryan rounds out this delightful collection.

176 pages, Paperback

First published April 27, 2011

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Laura Heyenga

2 books9 followers

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5 stars
133 (52%)
4 stars
77 (30%)
3 stars
33 (13%)
2 stars
7 (2%)
1 star
3 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
Profile Image for Katy Wheatley.
1,478 reviews56 followers
April 17, 2024
This is a great book. A strong introductory essay about the history of paper cutting, good biographies of the artists included in the book and their practice and fantastic, clear, colour photographs of examples of their work. Very inspiring and extremely beautiful.
Profile Image for Esther.
180 reviews2 followers
April 21, 2018
Highlights (research further):

• Peter Callesen:
almost exclusively white paper - objects, cuttings , installations, performances

• Su Blackwell: https://www.sublackwell.co.uk/
altering books, alternation of fairy tales (2003) eg: Alice Mad Tea Party (2007), intricate diorama that is carved straight from the book and lifted up including texts (not a pop-up). Some of book-sculpture includes tiny lights inside the house like a tiny diorama.
"I often work within the realm of fairy-tales and folk-lore. I began making a series of book-sculpture, cutting-out images from old books to create three-dimensional diorama’s, and displaying them inside wooden boxes”.


• Rob Ryan: http://robryanstudio.com/
papercutting, stripped down as much as possible,
one colour, one piece of paper, simplicity, intricate papercutting
his work is about sadness, being along, longing for love.
in a way it is reassuring

• Beatrice Coron:
sillhouette, cityscape
memoreis association of words, thoughts/juxtapposition
invented landscape - have its own logic and patterns

• Mia Perlman
large site specific cut paper installation
spatial idmensions,
sculptural
waves, organic forms, ephemeral weather systems
process is intuitive, based on spontaneous decisions in the moment
held together by paperclips, map tacks

• Elsa Mora: http://www.elsamora.net/
Beautiful, charming, intricate paper cut outs
71 reviews
August 28, 2024
A well-designed book including high quality photos and quite a number of artists, however, excluding the contemporary examples from the Eastern paper cutting (aka kati’, paper filigree, fine paper engraving, etc.) traditions which is the historical basis of this art. Hence 3 stars.
Profile Image for Vonia.
613 reviews103 followers
November 10, 2014
Beautiful from cover to cover, explanations, history, itself is art...
1 review
May 27, 2024
Inspiring!

I was captivated by every artwork in this book and moved by the stories behind them. Each piece was deeply personal, beautifully reflecting the artist's soul. Truly inspiring!
Profile Image for Misty.
113 reviews1 follower
September 21, 2024
Learned 2 things and looked at beautiful art:
1. Christians tried to boycott paper.
2. Hans Christian Anderson made paper cuttings.

Favorite artists from the collection:
- Andrea Mastrovito
- Thomas Allen
- Hina Aoyama
- Rob Ryan
- Yuken Teruya
- Peter Callesen
Profile Image for Linda.
1,090 reviews13 followers
June 12, 2020
Amazing works of art made out of paper
Profile Image for Kamal.
184 reviews24 followers
December 31, 2016
Remarkable beyond belief. This book is a wonderful survey of the art of paper cutting with many astonishing photographs of the work of top artists.
Profile Image for Sophie.
444 reviews
August 8, 2015
There are paper cutting traditions in both China and Japan that go back centuries. This work gives a very brief overview of the history in the introductory essay by Natalie Avella, then presents a compilation of work by 26 contemporary paper cutting artists from around the world.

Several Japanese artists are included. Kako Ueda (b.1966) makes fluid, complex designs with a sinister edge - a spider or a skull might be hidden in the tracery. In a similar vein, Hina Aoyama (b.1970) creates very intricate, detailed designs using a pair of scissors. Her images verge on the fantastical or surreal, with abundant floral elements.

Yuken Teruya (b.1973) uses everyday objects to create his artworks: cardboard toilet rolls are adapted to create a forest of miniature trees, and a paper bag from MacDonald's is cut to make a tree with snowy white leaves. His work has a more political flavour, speaking to the depletion of the earth's resources.

Of the many stunning artworks featured here, I think my favourites were by Yulia Brodskaya (Russian, b.1983) who uses a quilling technique, and Molly Jey (Swiss, b.1978) who makes landscapes inspired by nature - her white paper forest scenes took my breath away.

It's four years since the book was published, so I imagine it doesn't show the freshest, most up-to-date works by these artists, but there is certainly plenty here to enjoy and to marvel over.

Longer version of this review at http://asianartbrief.com/2015/08/08/b...
Profile Image for AdultNonFiction Teton County Library.
366 reviews11 followers
January 10, 2014
TCL Call #: 745.54 Paper
Cindy's Rating: 5 stars

Think paper art is limited to Origami, or silhouettes? This book will make you think again. I was blown away by the creativity of these contemporary paper artists. The unbelievable imagination and craft exhibited in this book is breathtaking...and all made with nothing more than paper and a blade.
These artists push the boundaries of paper art, and anyone with a creative side (or not) will be inspired by these pages.
If you are like me, and feel a little daunted by some other art processes, I think you will enjoy this book.
Profile Image for Shannon.
129 reviews12 followers
August 12, 2013
I found this book after stumbling on the art of Su Blackwell in a magazine. I am just awestruck by this collection of rolled, cut, and torn paper, tiny and massive, intricate and inventive, whimsical and architectural. Thanks to this book I have 25 other artists to seek out and drool over.
Profile Image for Ashley.
135 reviews25 followers
July 29, 2015
Between the spine and the pages of paper that make up this book are enclosed some of the most beautiful and striking works of art I've ever seen, in any medium. I'd love it if Chronicle Books came out with an entire series with a book dedicated to each of these artists.
Profile Image for Mandy.
1,186 reviews
May 28, 2011
lovely beautiful work. For some reason, though I thought this would contain some how-to material. It doesn't.
Profile Image for Susan.
Author 2 books7 followers
October 3, 2011
One of the more amazing books I have seen in awhile...everyone I showed it to just gasped as well. The artistry is breathtaking; the intricacy of the work is astounding.
Profile Image for Sharon.
42 reviews2 followers
January 11, 2014
WOW!!! Great introduction to the latest and greatest paper artists! Beautiful photography...eye-opening ideas in paper crafting.
1 review
February 17, 2015
Thought it was a how to book.

Misleading. But the artists and their works were amazing but I thought the words used like emotions were a bit over the top. Worth a look at.
4 reviews
July 28, 2015
Not a pattern book.

No patterns. Just artists work and bios. Not what I was looking for at all and not what was represented in the description for product. Very disappointed.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews