Research on the Excavation and Expression of Regional Cultural Symbols in Rural-Theme Paintings

Abstract

Rural-theme painting is an important visual art form that carries regional cultural memory and constructs local cultural identity. Current creation is troubled by the superficial selection of symbols, the convergence of regional characteristics, the disconnection between symbols and painting language, and the lack of a verifiable method. This paper proposes a four-in-one method of field excavation, symbol coding, language translation and effect verification, and constructs (1) a four-dimensional classification system of regional cultural symbols, (2) a dual-dimensional screening model based on cultural importance and visualizability, and (3) a three-level translation mechanism operating through modeling, color, composition and material. The applicability of the framework is examined through the iconographical analysis of six documented works by four painters from different regions of China: Luo Zhongli’s Father and Spring Silkworm (the Daba Mountains, Sichuan), Duan Zhengqu’s Zou Xi Kou and Legend of the Yellow River (northern Shaanxi), Wang Yidong’s Letter from Afar (the Yimeng Mountains, Shandong), and Xin Dongwang’s Golden Wedding (Kangbao, Hebei). The analysis shows that these works consistently exemplify the proposed excavation–translation pathway; that Duan Zhengqu’s documented shift from explicit regional markers to internalized overall imagery corroborates the highest level of the translation framework; and that symbol excavation rooted in long-term life experience is the common basis of expressive authenticity. The study provides an operable method reference for rural-theme creation and regional art research.