Hans Christian Andersen was best known as a writer of fairy tales. And he was also an actor, a singer, and a artist. And as an artist he was good at paper cutting.
Andersen began practicing paper cutting when he was very young. It is known that he loved to play with puppets (木偶) and often created clothes for them from pieces of cloth. He might also help cut leather (皮) for his father, a shoemaker. These actions could have made him good at using scissors to create works of art.
Paper cutting was not well-known in Denmark during the 1800s. Some Europeans created silhouettes (剪影) out of black paper, but Andersen's cuttings were quite different. Andersen usually used white or colored paper. He never drew an outline first but simply cut out something in his mind. Sometimes he cut a piece of paper. Other times he folded the paper, made some cuts, opened the paper, and then refolded it in a different way before cutting again. When at last he unfolded the finished paper cutting, a wonderful artwork could be seen.
Andersen liked paper cuttings not only because they were beautiful and amazing but also because he could enjoy himself when making them. He also found that his paper cuttings helped build a communication bridge between himself and others. His stories and paper cuttings helped him communicate when he felt uncomfortable, He loved to travel and always took his scissors along. When meeting those who spoke different languages, Andersen found he could always make a connection by showing his beautiful paper cuttings.
Though more than 100 years have passed, many of Andersen's paper cuttings are still shown in a museum in Denmark.
①Paper cuttings were wonderful.
②Making paper cuttings made him enjoyable.
③Paper cuttings helped him communicate with others.
④Paper cuttings made his fairy tales more interesting.
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