Sheet 8 of figures for Chinese shadow puppets 1859

Juan Llorens created "Sheet 8 of figures for Chinese shadow puppets" around 1859, likely using woodcut or a similar relief printing technique. The print presents a collection of silhouetted figures, mostly boats, intended for shadow puppetry, rendered in stark black against a pale ground. The figures are arranged in a grid-like layout. This organisation creates a sense of order, while the contrast between solid black shapes and the white background emphasizes the graphic quality of each figure. Llorens uses the interplay of positive and negative space to define forms, employing line and shape to suggest detail. What’s intriguing is the structural format which reduces complex cultural narratives into simple, graphic elements. This invites us to reflect on how such simplification can both convey and potentially distort cultural meanings. It acts as a semiotic reduction, inviting viewers to consider the slippage between representation and reality.