Analysis of the Image Language of Tantou Woodblock New Year Painting Based on Roland Barthes' Semiotic Theory

Abstract

Background and Aims: Tantou woodblock New Year paintings, as an intangible cultural heritage of Shaoyang, China, encapsulate a rich blend of agricultural civilization, Chu witch culture, Meishan traditions, and classical Chinese philosophy. Under the challenge of modernization and cultural loss, this study aims to reveal the deeper symbolic logic and cultural mythologies embedded in Tantou paintings through Roland Barthes' semiotic theory, breaking through the limitations of traditional folk-art analysis.

Methodology: This study adopts a semiotic framework, combining literature review, formal image analysis, and Barthes’ dual-layer symbol system—extension (language level) and connotation (myth level). By analyzing key motifs such as "Qin Shubao and Yuchi Gong" and "The Mouse’s Wedding", the research decodes their image structures, symbolic composition, and ideological significance.

Results: Findings demonstrate that Tantou paintings operate on multiple symbolic levels. At the extension layer, figures, animals, colors, and patterns form a coherent visual language system. At the connotation level, these elements metaphorically convey cultural values such as prosperity, fertility, humility, and divine authority. At the mythological level, they construct a worldview shaped by folk beliefs, survival ethics, and historical moral narratives, naturalizing ideologies within visual culture.

Conclusion: Tantou New Year paintings are not only expressions of folk aesthetics but also symbolic carriers of regional belief systems and ethical values. Through semiotic deconstruction, this study establishes a new interpretive paradigm for folk art and demonstrates how image language bridges tradition and modernity, art and ideology, through layered meaning systems.