The Aesthetic Standard of Wen: A Comparative Study of Chinese and Western Early Artworks
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4312/as.2011.-15.1.3-18Keywords:
Chinese aesthetic feature, Western aesthetic feature, wenhua/embellishing, scienceAbstract
A comparative study of the ancient Chinese and Western artworks over the same period (from approximately 3300 B.C. to 200 B.C) shows that the dense and rich decorative patterns on the bronze wares in China represent a strong aesthetic appreciation of patterns/embellishment, while their counterparts in the West demonstrate an aesthetic orientation rooted in science, evident in nude bodies in bronze and marble. It is argued that there was a very obvious essential difference between Chinese and Western aesthetic values, and these divergent aesthetic orientations were present at the origins of the Pre-Qin and ancient Greek arts where they have been absorbed into the foundation of each culture.Downloads
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References
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Chang, K. C.1986. Studies of Shang Archaeology: Selected Papers from the International Conference on Shang Civilization. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Childe, V. G. 1930. The Bronze Age. New York: The Macmillan Company.
Fong Wen et al. 1980. The Great Bronze Age of China: an Exhibition from the People’s Republic of China. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Jaspers, Karl.1953. The Origin and Goal of History. Translated by Michael Bullock. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Jiang Xiaochun 蔣春陽. 2010. “Zhongguo qingtong shidai qishi shijiankao” 中國青銅時代起始時間考 (“The Study of the Beginning of the Bronze Age in China”). Kaogu 考古 6: 76–81.
Li Zehou. 1994. The Path of Beauty: A Study of Chinese Aesthetics. Translated by GongLizeng. Oxford: Oxford University press.
Liu Hongxing 劉紅星. 1999. Xianqin yu guxila: zhongxi wenhua zhiyuan 先秦與古希臘——中西文化之源 (Pre Qin and Ancient Greece––the Origin of Chinese andWestern Culture). Shanghai: Shanghai guji chubanshe.
Liu Li. 2005. The Chinese Neolithic: Trajectories to Early States. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Ma Weidu 馬未都. 2010. Ma Weidu suibi yishuxijie 馬未都随筆•藝術細節 (Ma Weidu’s Essays on Artistic Details). Accessed February 18, 2011. http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_5054769e01017vku.html.
National Gallery of Art. Teaching Chinese Archaeology, Part Two— NGA. Nga.gov.Accessed January 17, 2010. http://www.nga.gov/education/chinatp_pt2.shtm.
Tatarkiewicz, Wladyslaw. 2005. History of Aesthetics. Vol. I. Translated by J. Harrell, Cyril Barrett and D. Petsch. New York: Continuum International Publishing Group.
Ting, Singwu. 1970. Treasures of China. Hong Kong: International Culture Press.
Wang Yun 王筠. 1987. Shuowen shili 說文釋例 (Explanation of the Shuowen). Beijing: Zhonghua shuju.
Wen Caifeng 文裁縫. 2008. Qingtongqi zhimi: Simuwuding neibi guaiyi fuhao de shenmi anshi 青銅器之謎——司母戊鼎内壁怪異符號的神秘暗示 (The Bronze Ware Mystery: Implications of the Unearthly Signs in the Simuwu Quadripod). Accessed September 12, 2008. http://forum.book.sina.com.cn. White, W. C. 1956. Bronze Culture of Ancient China. Toronto: University of Toronto
Press.
Xu, Shen. 1981. Shuowen jiezi duanzhu 說文解字段注 (Origin of Chinese Characters with Du Yu Cai’s Commentaries). Chengdu: Chengdu gujishudian.
Zhu, Fangpu. 1962. Yinzhou wenzi shicong 殷周文字釋叢 (Collection of Explanatory Notes on Yin Zhou Characters). Beijing: Zhonghua shuju.
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Published
1. 12. 2011
Issue
Section
The Notions of Life, Values, Philosophy and Aesthetics in Early Chinese Art
How to Cite
Wang, Yi, and Xiaowei Fu. 2011. “The Aesthetic Standard of Wen: A Comparative Study of Chinese and Western Early Artworks”. Asian Studies -15 (1): 3-18. https://doi.org/10.4312/as.2011.-15.1.3-18.
