年画，顾名思义，就是过年(春节)时张贴的画。旧时候，每当春节来临，新的一年即将到来的时候，家家户户都把房院打扫得干干净净，在堂房、卧室、窗旁，门上以及灶前，院内的神龛上，贴上焕然一新的年画，既用以创造喜气洋洋的新年气氛，又借以祈求上天赐给幸福，消除灾祸与不幸。
古书里记载，传说很久以前，有名叫神茶、郁垒的两个兄弟，专门监督百鬼，发现有害的鬼就捆绑起来去喂老虎。于是黄帝就在门户上画神茶、郁垒的像用以防鬼。这个神话就是后来“门神”画产生的缘由。据说唐代皇帝曾命吴道子画钟馗像，并摹刻出来分赏给大臣贴挂以辟鬼。
关于“门神画”还有一段有趣的传说，相传唐太宗李世民时，因魏征梦斩泾海龙王，害得宫中闹鬼，他手下的大将秦叔宝、尉迟恭便一个持剑、一个拿叉，昼夜替李世民站岗壮胆，宫中才平静下来。李世民觉得这两位大将太辛苦了，便令画师把二位将军的威武形象绘在宫门上。后来这个形式就流传到民间。
宋代出现雕版技术后，为木版年画提供了技术制作条件，促使年画不断发展。随着年画的广泛流传，其内容和功能也不断丰富。到清代，年画发展到高峰。从最初被作为辟邪驱鬼的符录，渐渐地又增加了吉祥如意、多子多寿、娃娃仕女一类的题材，从而也具有了表达在新一年中美好意愿，以及美化环境的功能。同时，年画也出现了表达农民自己现实生活以及民间传说、故事的内容，使年画具有了丰富文化生活，传播知识的作用。
Allusion legend of the New Year picture
New Year picture, as its name suggests, the picture put up while celebrating the New Year (the Spring Festival). At old time, whenever the Spring Festival will come, when the new year will come soon, every household will all sweep the room institute clean, by the relationship between cousins, bedroom, window, the door is and in front of the cooking stove, on the shrine for idols or ancestral tablets in the courtyard, stick the New Year picture taking on an entirely new look, already in order to create the atmosphere in seething with joy New Year, in order to earnestly hope Heaven grants the happiness, dispels the calamity and unfortunate. Ancient book record, it is said a long time ago, famous to ask supernatural tea, strongly fragrant two brother that built, specially supervise one hundred spirits, find the harmful spirit trusses up and feeds tigers. Then Huang Ti draws the supernatural tea, strongly fragrant picture that builds to use on the door in order to avoid the spirit. This mythology is that later on " door god " draws the cause produced. It is said the emperor has ordered Wu Daozi to draw Chung Kuei‘s portrait in the Tang Dynasty, and the carved reproduction of an inscription or painting came out to assign and award ministers to stick to and hang in order to open up spirits. Have a section of interesting legends about " door god draws ", in Tang Taizong and Li Shimin, because Wei Zheng dream cut Jing Dragon King, make Zhong Gong at a disturbance of spirit, senior general Qin uncle treasure of him, Wei Chigong one hold swords, one bring the fork, standing guard and boosting one‘s courage for Li Shimin day and night, Gong ZhongCai calms down. Li Shimin thinks these two senior generals make the painter paint the mighty image of two generals on the palace door too hard. Later on this form spreads among the people. Make the condition after offering for wood engraving picture technology after presenting the technology of the wood block for printing in Song Dynasty, impel the New Year picture to develop constantly. With the spreading extensively of New Year picture, its content and function are enriched constantly. By Qing Dynasty, the New Year picture developed into the peak. From initial to regard as, exorcise evil spirits incantation to drive spirit record, increase have good luck, many son many longevity, first kind of subject matter, maid of honour of baby, gradually, thus have the bright will in a new year, and the function of beautifying the environment of expressing. Meanwhile, the New Year picture expressed peasant‘s actual life and the contents of popular legend, story too, make the New Year picture have abundant culture lThe folk New Year picture basically belongs to peasant‘s own art. The image is simple, natural, terse and simple in the picture, express peasant‘s sincere subjective hope more bluntly. A lot of pictures have plot nature, ornamental, interest, bright in luster and strong. Such a technique of expression has already been suitable for the used to and aesthetic and interesting appreciatinging of peasants, citizens, the convenient plank is printed and made too. Draw the draft first, reply and carve printing on the plank again in folk New Year picture, or print off the line of outline, and then fill out the color with the pen. Before emerging by modern printing technology, this is the only method for producing picture in enormous quantities. There are many types of the folk wood engraving picture, very exquisite too. Door god sticks on the gate, according to door god‘s kind, subdivide into the difference stuck on the gate, inner gate, back door or boudoir door again. Statue have cooking stove spirit, world spirit, warehouse the God of Wealth Wang, stick in cowshed car and horse god that horse circle. " form of address for a Grand Secretary " stick in sitting room, " moonlight " stick by window, square sheet of paper used for painting or calligraphy stick in case on cupboard or rise, fight, really each have a rule. In a word, while celebrating the New Year, outside the inner room of the room, outside the institute patio, stick to flourishingly each corner, colourful, for expressing the host‘s wish, also fix up and set off the festive air by contrast. With the lapse of the times, some ideas with backward superstition have been eliminated gradually in the old New Year picture. The New Year picture is just done It is that one kind is very popular and the art form popularized is kept. Since the middle of this century, in different historical stages, the New Year picture artist created the new New Year picture form, and in order to display actual life. To 50, the new New Year picture was flourishing in the sixties. It has already used new printing technology instead, printing and circulation are great. We can say, up until now, which pictures kinds of publication quantities are there the publication amount that can reach the New Year picture. The New Year picture is most picture kind of reader in the world. ife, the function of conveying knowledge.
古书里记载，传说很久以前，有名叫神茶、郁垒的两个兄弟，专门监督百鬼，发现有害的鬼就捆绑起来去喂老虎。于是黄帝就在门户上画神茶、郁垒的像用以防鬼。这个神话就是后来“门神”画产生的缘由。据说唐代皇帝曾命吴道子画钟馗像，并摹刻出来分赏给大臣贴挂以辟鬼。
关于“门神画”还有一段有趣的传说，相传唐太宗李世民时，因魏征梦斩泾海龙王，害得宫中闹鬼，他手下的大将秦叔宝、尉迟恭便一个持剑、一个拿叉，昼夜替李世民站岗壮胆，宫中才平静下来。李世民觉得这两位大将太辛苦了，便令画师把二位将军的威武形象绘在宫门上。后来这个形式就流传到民间。
宋代出现雕版技术后，为木版年画提供了技术制作条件，促使年画不断发展。随着年画的广泛流传，其内容和功能也不断丰富。到清代，年画发展到高峰。从最初被作为辟邪驱鬼的符录，渐渐地又增加了吉祥如意、多子多寿、娃娃仕女一类的题材，从而也具有了表达在新一年中美好意愿，以及美化环境的功能。同时，年画也出现了表达农民自己现实生活以及民间传说、故事的内容，使年画具有了丰富文化生活，传播知识的作用。
Allusion legend of the New Year picture
New Year picture, as its name suggests, the picture put up while celebrating the New Year (the Spring Festival). At old time, whenever the Spring Festival will come, when the new year will come soon, every household will all sweep the room institute clean, by the relationship between cousins, bedroom, window, the door is and in front of the cooking stove, on the shrine for idols or ancestral tablets in the courtyard, stick the New Year picture taking on an entirely new look, already in order to create the atmosphere in seething with joy New Year, in order to earnestly hope Heaven grants the happiness, dispels the calamity and unfortunate. Ancient book record, it is said a long time ago, famous to ask supernatural tea, strongly fragrant two brother that built, specially supervise one hundred spirits, find the harmful spirit trusses up and feeds tigers. Then Huang Ti draws the supernatural tea, strongly fragrant picture that builds to use on the door in order to avoid the spirit. This mythology is that later on " door god " draws the cause produced. It is said the emperor has ordered Wu Daozi to draw Chung Kuei‘s portrait in the Tang Dynasty, and the carved reproduction of an inscription or painting came out to assign and award ministers to stick to and hang in order to open up spirits. Have a section of interesting legends about " door god draws ", in Tang Taizong and Li Shimin, because Wei Zheng dream cut Jing Dragon King, make Zhong Gong at a disturbance of spirit, senior general Qin uncle treasure of him, Wei Chigong one hold swords, one bring the fork, standing guard and boosting one‘s courage for Li Shimin day and night, Gong ZhongCai calms down. Li Shimin thinks these two senior generals make the painter paint the mighty image of two generals on the palace door too hard. Later on this form spreads among the people. Make the condition after offering for wood engraving picture technology after presenting the technology of the wood block for printing in Song Dynasty, impel the New Year picture to develop constantly. With the spreading extensively of New Year picture, its content and function are enriched constantly. By Qing Dynasty, the New Year picture developed into the peak. From initial to regard as, exorcise evil spirits incantation to drive spirit record, increase have good luck, many son many longevity, first kind of subject matter, maid of honour of baby, gradually, thus have the bright will in a new year, and the function of beautifying the environment of expressing. Meanwhile, the New Year picture expressed peasant‘s actual life and the contents of popular legend, story too, make the New Year picture have abundant culture lThe folk New Year picture basically belongs to peasant‘s own art. The image is simple, natural, terse and simple in the picture, express peasant‘s sincere subjective hope more bluntly. A lot of pictures have plot nature, ornamental, interest, bright in luster and strong. Such a technique of expression has already been suitable for the used to and aesthetic and interesting appreciatinging of peasants, citizens, the convenient plank is printed and made too. Draw the draft first, reply and carve printing on the plank again in folk New Year picture, or print off the line of outline, and then fill out the color with the pen. Before emerging by modern printing technology, this is the only method for producing picture in enormous quantities. There are many types of the folk wood engraving picture, very exquisite too. Door god sticks on the gate, according to door god‘s kind, subdivide into the difference stuck on the gate, inner gate, back door or boudoir door again. Statue have cooking stove spirit, world spirit, warehouse the God of Wealth Wang, stick in cowshed car and horse god that horse circle. " form of address for a Grand Secretary " stick in sitting room, " moonlight " stick by window, square sheet of paper used for painting or calligraphy stick in case on cupboard or rise, fight, really each have a rule. In a word, while celebrating the New Year, outside the inner room of the room, outside the institute patio, stick to flourishingly each corner, colourful, for expressing the host‘s wish, also fix up and set off the festive air by contrast. With the lapse of the times, some ideas with backward superstition have been eliminated gradually in the old New Year picture. The New Year picture is just done It is that one kind is very popular and the art form popularized is kept. Since the middle of this century, in different historical stages, the New Year picture artist created the new New Year picture form, and in order to display actual life. To 50, the new New Year picture was flourishing in the sixties. It has already used new printing technology instead, printing and circulation are great. We can say, up until now, which pictures kinds of publication quantities are there the publication amount that can reach the New Year picture. The New Year picture is most picture kind of reader in the world. ife, the function of conveying knowledge.