Original scientific paper

https://doi.org/10.21464/sp36203

Rethinking the Spirit of Chinese Aesthetics

Keping Wang ; Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Institute of Philosophy, Jianguomennei Dajie No. 5, Beijing 100732, People’s Republic of China

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Abstract

The spirit of Chinese aesthetics is deeply rooted in the conception of the unity between heaven and human. From the perspective of pragmatic vitalism, its durative mechanism can be traced back to the vital cause. This cause comprises three main aspects: the substantial, the applicable, and the fruitful, constituting a dialectically interactive and interconnected framework. In practice, this framework is exemplified by the art of painting literati landscape characterised by a progressive process. This process is exposed to three primary strategies or acts of learning: to follow old masters at the initial stage, to follow mountains and rivers at the intermediate stage, and to follow Heaven and Earth at the ultimate stage. All of these are illustrated through the relevant theory and art-making related to most Chinese literati painters, of which Dong Qichang, Shi Tao, and Huang Binhong are three typical representatives from different periods between the 16th and 20th centuries.

Keywords

heaven-human oneness; vital cause; substantial aspect; applicable aspect; fruitful aspect; three strategies; literati landscape painting; Dong Qichang; Shi Tao; Huang Binhong

Hrčak ID:

280201

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/280201

Publication date:

20.1.2022.

Article data in other languages: croatian german french

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