Su Embroidery Double-Sided Embroidery: A Legend on the Tip of a Needle
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In the rich treasure trove of intangible cultural heritage in China, Su embroidery double-sided embroidery shines like a bright pearl, exuding a unique and charming radiance. It is not only an outstanding representative of traditional craftsmanship in the Suzhou area but also a gem in Chinese embroidery art, captivating countless people with its exquisite craftsmanship and stunning artistic effects.
Origin: Flowing Through Millennia, the Birth of Double-Sided Embroidery
The history of Su embroidery can be traced back over 2,000 years to the Spring and Autumn Period. By the Song Dynasty, Su embroidery had already achieved considerable scale, and its craftsmanship had reached a level of "fine stitches and coloration". In the long river of the continuous development of embroidery art, the unique technique of double-sided embroidery gradually emerged. During the Northern Song Dynasty, double-sided embroidery had reached a fairly high level. In 1972, a Northern Song double-sided embroidered silk cloth with round phoenix patterns was unearthed from the Huiguang Pagoda in Ruian, Zhejiang Province, which is a precious cultural relic witnessing the early development of double-sided embroidery. Initially, double-sided embroidery was mostly seen in high-end daily necessities such as sutra covers and handkerchiefs, being the crystallization of the piety and ingenuity of Buddhist embroidery women. It was not until the Qing Dynasty, with the embroidery art reaching a state of freely applying colors according to the subject and the prosperity of social life as well as the unique pursuit of users, that double-sided embroidery further developed, and the handed-down works gradually increased. The double-sided embroidered headscarves, handkerchiefs and other clothing items among the people in Suzhou area were called "liangmian guang" (smooth on both sides) by the village embroidery women, meaning that the embroidered products have no front and back, with both sides being smooth, neat and without thread ends. These works collectively reflect the social culture of Suzhou at that time and the craftsmanship level of Su embroidery.
Craftsmanship: A Dance on the Tip of a Needle, Wonderful on Both Sides
The craftsmanship of Su embroidery double-sided embroidery is extremely complex, requiring embroiderers to have extraordinary skills and patience. Its core lies in embroidering images on both the front and back sides of the same base material in the same embroidery process, with the outlines being exactly the same and the patterns equally exquisite. This requires the embroiderer to take into account the effects of both sides with every stitch during embroidery, without the slightest mistake.
In terms of stitching methods, Su embroidery has a wide variety of stitches, more than 100 kinds, such as even stitch, grabbing stitch, overlapping stitch, applying stitch, random stitch, etc. Different stitches play their respective roles in double-sided embroidery to show the texture, grain and light and shadow changes of objects. For example, when embroidering flowers, delicate stitches are used to show the softness and tenderness of the petals; when embroidering animals, the texture and luster of the hair are displayed through changes in stitches. Taking embroidering a cat as an example, in order to show the softness and luster of the cat's fur, the embroiderer needs to use a variety of stitches, split the silk thread extremely fine, and embroider it bit by bit, making the image of the cat vivid as if one can feel the smoothness of the cat's fur.
The choice of embroidery thread is also crucial. The commonly used embroidery thread in Su embroidery is silk thread, which has a soft luster, rich colors and fineness. The embroiderer needs to skillfully match colors according to the needs of the pattern, so that the colors of the embroidered product transition naturally and have rich layers. At the same time, when embroidering double-sided embroidery, the requirements for the thickness and density of the embroidery thread are extremely high, to ensure that the stitches on both sides are neat, the density is uniform, and the lines are arranged in order.
In addition, the choice of base material will also affect the effect of double-sided embroidery. The best base material for making double-sided embroidery is nylon silk, which is as thin as a cicada's wing, transparent and tough, with good elasticity, strong firmness and not easy to wrinkle, which can better show the delicacy and exquisiteness of the embroidered product.
Artistic Value: The Charm of the Interweaving of Tradition and Modernity
Su embroidery double-sided embroidery has extremely high artistic value. It skillfully integrates a variety of Chinese traditional art elements such as painting, embroidery, poetry, calligraphy, and seal cutting, forming a unique artistic style. Each double-sided embroidery work is like an exquisite painting, but with an extra three-dimensional texture and the warmth of handcraft compared to painting.
In terms of composition, double-sided embroidery works pay attention to the creation of artistic conception, often drawing on the composition principles of traditional Chinese painting, such as the intergrowth of virtual and real, proper density, etc., making the picture full of layering and rhythm. The patterns in the embroidered products have a wide range of themes, including figures, landscapes, flowers, birds, animals, etc., and each theme contains rich cultural connotations. For example, embroidering peonies symbolizes wealth and good luck, and embroidering mandarin ducks implies happy love.
In terms of color application, Su embroidery double-sided embroidery takes elegant and fresh as the main tone, pursuing the harmony and unity of colors. Through clever color matching, it can show the gentle and beautiful features of the water towns in the south of the Yangtze River as well as the gorgeous and colorful nature. Moreover, the patterns and colors on both sides of the double-sided embroidery work set off each other, and when appreciated from different angles, they can present unique aesthetic feelings, giving people endless visual enjoyment.
Inheritance and Innovation: Let Double-Sided Embroidery Shine with New Brilliance
In modern society, the inheritance of Su embroidery double-sided embroidery is facing many challenges. On the one hand, learning the skills of Su embroidery double-sided embroidery requires a lot of time and energy, and the process is boring, so fewer and fewer young people are willing to engage in it. On the other hand, with the development of industrialization, machine embroidery has gradually become popular, which has caused a certain impact on the market of traditional handcrafted Su embroidery double-sided embroidery.
However, fortunately, many Su embroidery artists and related institutions have made active efforts to commit to the inheritance and innovation of Su embroidery double-sided embroidery. In terms of inheritance, they cultivate a new generation of Su embroidery talents through master-apprentice inheritance, opening embroidery training classes, etc. Many Su embroidery masters have spared no effort to accept apprentices and teach their skills, imparting their accumulated skills and experience to the younger generation without reservation. At the same time, some schools have incorporated Su embroidery courses into their teaching systems, allowing more students to understand and get in touch with this traditional craft.
In terms of innovation, Su embroidery artists continue to explore new forms of expression and techniques. On the basis of traditional double-sided embroidery, they have developed "double-sided three-different embroidery" such as double-sided different color embroidery, double-sided different shape embroidery, double-sided different stitch embroidery, and even "double-sided five-different embroidery" with different threads, different scenes, different colors, different shapes and different stitches, pushing the double-sided embroidery technique to a new height. For example, the work "Maternal Love" jointly created by Yao Jianping and Huang Yunzhen, a senior embroiderer of the Yao Embroidery team, has a cute giant panda on one side and a lively golden monkey on the other side. The patterns, colors and stitches on both sides are different, showing the exquisite craftsmanship of "double-sided three-different embroidery". In addition, Su embroidery artists also actively combine with modern design, integrating Su embroidery elements into modern products such as clothing, accessories and household items, so that Su embroidery double-sided embroidery can better adapt to modern life and enter more people's vision.
As an important part of China's intangible cultural heritage, Su embroidery double-sided embroidery carries the wisdom and emotions of the Chinese nation and is an outstanding representative of Chinese traditional culture. With its unique craftsmanship and charming artistic charm, it shines brilliantly in the long river of history. It is believed that with the joint efforts of inheritors and innovators, the ancient craft of Su embroidery double-sided embroidery will glow with new vitality in modern society and continue to write its legendary chapter.