2016-05-18 Wed

Developing designs for paper money is a very intricate process and China recently assigned its best engraver onboard, Ma Rong to design the latest version of the country’s 100-yuam note.

Ma states that creating the imagery of the personality that appears on banknotes along with his/her spirit is the most important aspect of the design. The sense of space and texturing needs to be executed through dots and lines. There is practically no room for error as once a line is mistakenly carved there is no way to erase it. Zhao Yayun, Ma’s master says that one needs to calm down his/her heart completely before going ahead with the job. The artist has to focus on the beauty and precision of the engraving with relaxed and free hands.

She made two versions of the Mao Zedong for the 20-yuan notes and chose the one with more realistic eyes. The same portrait has been used on the 50, 20, and 10-yuan notes.

Ma states that even though the new design was created using computer technology, the real essence of this art remains the same.

There are just more that twelve engravers engaged in designing paper money in China. Ma is the fourth generation of artists in the field and an inspiring role-model for the fifth generation.

China was where engravure printing was invented and Ma believes that currency notes are more than just a medium for transaction but also a piece of art that depicts a country’s culture.