Zhaotong Nuo Mask Artistic Characteristics

Abstract

Zhaotong Nuo opera（昭通傩戏）is a kind of praying for the blessing of the gods, exorcise the evil spirits Nuo opera rituals. In recent years, due to social and environmental factors and the aging of practitioners and other factors, the development of Zhaotong Duangong opera is currently facing a standstill in the state, and even in the retreat to extinction. The research objective is: 1. To study the artistic characteristics of the Zhaotong Nuo masks.The research adopts qualitative research methodology, through in-depth Zhaotong to conduct fieldwork, interviews and centralized talks to the inheritors, performers and other ways to collect information. The study analyzes the artistic characteristics of Zhaotong Nuo masks by using the theories of aesthetics and semiotics, which include mask type, mask function, structure, facial features, color, material, and production process. By analyzing the artistic characteristics of the masks, it was found that fierce God Mask, righteous God Mask and popular figure mask have different stylistic characteristics, and the makers of the masks follow this norm when making the masks.The ultimate goal of the study is to enrich the knowledge system of Zhaotong Nuo culture, for potential scholars to study and protect the study of Zhaotong Nuo culture to provide assistance. This also provides more possibilities for the protection and continuation of marginal traditional culture in contemporary China.