A Comparison of Plant Carving Patterns in Ancient Huizhou with Those in Baroque and Rococo Styles

Abstract

Although ancient Huizhou and the Baroque and Rococo sculpture arts of Europe belong to different times and spaces in the East and West, both were in the late feudal society and the transition to modern times, and both were passionate about expressing plant patterns, forming their own visual transformation systems with distinct styles. Through the comparative analysis of patterns, this paper reveals the differences in style and method of visual transformation of plant patterns between the two, thereby revealing the expression methods of traditional patterns under different cultural differences. The research finds that the plant patterns of Huizhou's three carvings have established a visual transformation system centered on Confucian ethics: in terms of shape, they usually use simplified or geometric forms for generalization, while in composition, they tend to emphasize symmetry and balance, and rely on homophonic symbolism and cultural allusions; while the visual transformation of plant patterns in the Baroque and Rococo periods shows a shift from religious symbolism to a focus on sensory experience. These differences between the East and the West respectively reflect the Confucian tradition of "investigating things to gain knowledge" and the transition of European decorative art from the Christian view of nature to the Enlightenment. This study provides a theoretical basis for the visual transformation of plant patterns under cultural differences.