Cultural-based visual expression: emotional analysis of human face via Peking Opera Painted Faces (POPF)

Ding Wang,Jinsheng Kang,Sheng-Feng Qin,Johannes Birringer

doi:10.1007/s11042-015-2665-7

Ding Wang, Jinsheng Kang + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-015-2665-7

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Abstract

Peking Opera as a branch of Chinese traditional cultures and arts has a very distinct colourful facial make-up for all actors in the stage performance. Such make-up is stylised in nonverbal symbolic semantics which all combined together to form the painted faces to describe and symbolise the background, the characteristic and the emotional status of specific roles. A study of Peking Opera Painted Faces (POPF) was taken as an example to see how information and meanings can be effectively expressed through the change of facial expressions based on the facial motion within natural and emotional aspects. The study found that POPF provides exaggerated features of facial motion through images, and the symbolic semantics of POPF provides a high-level expression of human facial information. The study has presented and proved a creative structure of information analysis and expression based on POPF to improve the understanding of human facial motion and emotion.

Highlights

The research considers current Peking Opera Painted Faces (POPF) and the performance of Peking Opera as a culture resource
The symbolic semantics of POPF is composed by cultural elements including the facial colour, the type and the symbolic meaning
The study is based on four levels of knowledge, starting from the level of natural face, gradually analyse the effects on natural face in different levels with variety techniques of expression of POPF

Summary

Introduction

The research considers current Peking Opera Painted Faces (POPF) and the performance of Peking Opera as a culture resource. 1.1 Visual expression through Peking Opera Painted Faces (POPF). As an integrated stage performance art, the Peking Opera includes the vocal expression through its singing, the behavior expression through body movements, and the visual expression through painted face (See Fig. 1). The term Bpainted face^ refers to the colourful facial make-up of an actor in traditional Peking Opera. Such make-up is worn mostly by actors playing roles known as Jing (painted faces) and Chou (clowns). It is stylised in form, colour, and pattern to symbolise the characteristics of specific roles [19]. The symbolic semantics of POPF is composed by cultural elements including the facial colour, the type and the symbolic meaning

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