PA German Tuesday-Scherenschnitte & Fraktur

Don't start by telling me "Geshundheit" after reading the title. This week I'll share a couple traditional arts among the PA Germans.

SCHERENSCHNITTE

Scherenschnitte (SHARE-en-SNIT-ah) simply means 'scissor cut' and is the intricate cutting of paper into decorative forms. This is an art form which can be found in many cultures worldwide. The traditional PA German form is recognizable by its tendency to be very symmetrical, depict silhouettes of people, or use the motifs which are found in other PA German decorative arts. It is common to find modern pieces that do not adhere to the traditional patterns but which are very finely done and beautiful nonetheless. Traditional pieces were generally done with black and white paper. Modern pieces may use various colors or may even paint some of the details once they are cut.

Here are some examples of recent works done in the traditional patterns.

*image from http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A9gnMilpS1VHAQQARTmjzbkF/SIG=134cpp5qq/EXP=1196858601/**http%3A//boards.hgtv.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1004031632/m/9121075503%3Fr=7911095503

*image from http://www.flickr.com/photos/14739394@N00/197580725/

Here's a blogger who does some lovely modern works.

FRAKTUR

Fraktur is another PA German folk art. It is a calligraphic style and form of illustrations used commonly for documents such a birth and baptismal certificates, marriage licenses, and diplomas. Though it is rooted in German scripts, after the settlers brought it to Pennsylvania it developed distinct differences in both style and use. One of the most notable features is the broken or fractured (hence fraktur) look of the script. I tend to describe is as calligraphy done by someone with Parkinson's disease because it looks like it was done with a shaky hand. Apparently there are several different forms of Fraktur even within the USA depending upon geography, sometimes varying from one county to the next. There is also all sorts of scholarly debate on whether the artwork expresses deep symbolism or is merely decorative. Here are some examples I really like. Again, the common motifs or hearts, birds, and stylized tulips are repeated. All images are taken from http://www.frakturweb.org//.