From Realism to Abstraction: Semantics and Transformation of the Frog Pattern in Li Brocade Art

The objective of this study is to identify the artistic characteristics, cultural symbolism, and heritage preservation pathways of Li brocade (Lijin), a traditional textile art of the Li people (Hainan Province, China), using one of its primary ornamental motifs – the frog pattern – as a case study. Li brocade was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in December 2024, underscoring the importance of researching this form of decorative and applied art. The research is based on original fieldwork conducted in Hainan between 2023 and 2024, during which over 100 samples of Li brocade were collected and analyzed. In the initial phase of the study, Panofsky’s iconological analysis was employed to decode the primary and secondary meanings of the frog motif. Subsequently, formal-structural and comparative analyses were applied to trace the motif’s evolution from realistic to abstract forms and to identify its variations across the five dialectal groups of the Li people (Ha, Qi, Run, Sai, Meifu). Embodiment theory was used to interpret the rhythmic organization of the composition and the relationship between form and weaving technique. In the next stage, through contextual and functional approaches, the motif was examined within the system of social practices and contemporary processes of cultural heritage conservation. The results demonstrate that the frog pattern undergoes a transformation from realism to geometric abstraction, culminating in a rhomboid structure ideally suited to ikat and jacquard techniques. Its composition, often forming a "hundred frogs" matrix, embodies a cosmology of fertility and cyclical renewal. The color symbolism—red, yellow, and white on a black or dark blue ground—reflects the traditional Chinese philosophical concepts of yin-yang and the five elements (wuxing). The article presents a systematic classification of Li brocade patterns (anthropomorphic, zoomorphic, floral, geometric, and object-related), as well as regional distinctions specific to the different Li ethnic subgroups. Brocades of the Ha group exhibit the greatest diversity, the Qi group is characterized by dynamic motifs dominated by the color red, the Run group preserves archaic totemic forms, the Sai group displays extreme geometrization, and finally, weavers of the Meifu group excel in the ikat technique, imparting a soft, blurred contour to the frog motif. The study identifies the challenges and prospects for preserving Li brocade in the contemporary era, emphasizing the need to integrate traditional knowledge with innovative design and sustainable cultural industries.