Chuang Tzu's Aesthetics And Chinese Ancient Painting Theory

Chuang Tzu's aesthetics had a gigantic and profound effect on Chinese ancient painting theory. Chuang Tzu's aesthetic scene of'Tao'in the special distinction system is a teminal request of Chinese ancient painting theory. The influence is formed from the beginning to the end, connected the whole with details, and shows itself in theory of land, verve, perspective, pattern, temperament and ink-play, etc. The close connection between Chuang Tzu's aesthetic and Chinese ancient painting theory can be probed in both from the aspect of ontology of'Tao'and from a trace of Tao observation, Tao experiencing, Tao obtaining ,Tao enjoying. Study in the close relationship between them is a breakthrough and deepening both to Chuang Tzu's aesthetic and Chinese ancient painting theory.The aesthetic creation of Chuang Tzu's Tao can be traced back to land-theory of Chinese ancient painting. As a key aesthetic category of tri-comlex relation among language, conception and image, the conception (YI in Chinese) of Chuang Tzu had obtained the poetic expression in terms of aesthetic explanation; the image formed between spirit and matter, either as one in Tao or as an approach into"image deceiving(XIANGWANG in Chinese)",which were completely different from the form of image creation of the aesthetic qualities in ZHOUYI and SHANHAIJING with the special philosophic connotation; the land in CHUANG TZU has a forming process from"conception","image"to"image outside"with the extensive, turbid and elegant aesthetic land. The sublimate"Taoism land"of Chuang Tzu had a great effect on land's theories of the ancient painting, whose tradition of conception advocating had undivided relations with Zhuang's arguments of language and conception, while the land's theories of ancient painting had close relations with the traditional doctrines of conception and image which traced back to the aesthetic land of Chuang Tzu.The metaphysic ontology of Chuang Tzu's Tao is in harmony with the verse theory of Chinese ancient painting.The view of Chuang Tzu's figure and spirit(XING and SHEN in Chinese) covered three gradual aspects with"full spirit with complete figure","spirit without figure", and"integrity of figure and spirit". His view of Qi-Hua run through figure and spirit, making mouse and man(everythings on earth) be the whole and forming verve in inherent harmony with figure, Qi, spirit and rhyme, such is his distinctive view of verve. It had a great effect on the view of verve for Chinese ancient painting, for example, the famous theory of"drawing spirit with figure"from Gu Kaizhi,"lifelikeness with Qi and rhyme"from Xie He and etc., have an obvious original relation with Zhuang's view of figure and spirit, and the view of CHUANGSHEN and QIYUN in subsequent painting art had been developed along Gu and Xie's style, forming the metaphysic aesthetic tradition in Chinese ancient painting art.Chuang Tzu's free angle of Tao Observation gives birth to view of perspective with Chinese characteristics in ancient painting. Though it is a western term,"perspective"has been as a universal one in field of painting with all-pervading meaning. It can be used to discuss the unique perspective condition in Chinese ancient painting different from the western ones, such as the example of Chuang Tzu, he opposed the parochialist position with"self-observation", and instead advocating the view of"enjoyment with Tao". On the height of Tao, Zhuang formed his free perspective angle which was the so-called aesthetic view of"observation from the angle of object". With this influence, the perspective angle of Chinese ancient painting formed the style of freedom, agility and levity. Typical arguments with Chinese characteristics such as the view of"obsevervation smallness with grand sight"from Shen Kuo,"full sight in paces"and"tri-farness"from Guo Xi and etc., confirmed Chuang Tzu's philosophy idea of"observation from the angle of object"to the area of painting, having a great effect on the artistic modality of Chinese ancient painting.Chuang Tzu's peaceful feeling of Tao Experiencing helps to produce pattern theory which boasts of a style of peace. Chuang Tzu argued against the view of"cinque color and cinque tone", instead advocating the simple and indifferent attitude. His thought of"simplicity"expressed the three unitive aspects with"desire out""fake out"and"simplicity back"; his thought with"no seeking fame"contained another three gradual aspects with"inaction indifferent to fame","seeking for peace without meeting object outside"and"numerous beauty coming with peaceful mind". His natrual aesthetic pattern with original"simplicity"and"peace"had a great effect on the view of color in Chinese ancient painting, which stepped into the course of aesthetic taste from floweriness back to lightness. The great aesthetic theories like the view of"cinque colors in ink"from Zhang Yanyuan,"best gusto to lightness"from Su Shi,"lightness excelling fine workmanship"from Dong Qichang and etc., typically traced from Chuang Tzu's aesthetic thought, the painting of"peaceful and natural"style turns to be the best one for literators.Chuang Tzu's magnanimous bosom of Tao obtaining starts the view of temperament in ancient painting which approves of sincerity.Chuang Tzu showed himself with sensibility when considering mouse and man rather than constituting precise system of philosophy. His special words like"erroneous and leisure speech, flimflam language, and endless phraseology"had melt philosophical plight into exalted art passion, making logic paralogism towards truth of temper. No taking a stand on being with reason and no resorting to intellectuality and nous, Zhuang's"truth"had been established in kingdom of beauty without the scope of objective reality. His unique artistic charm running through"truth"had represented the exalted painting creation, therefore, those, as a whole, with true and natural images from origin of Zhuang's time to innumerous ones with vivid characters had agglomerated artistic personality with"leisure"spirit enjoyed by Chinese literators in painting history.Chuang Tzu's spirit of Tao enioying develops into"ink play"theory which"fit for one's temporary interest"in Chinese ancient painting.The category of"fit"in Chuang Tzu expressed the close correlation between life individual and aesthetic pleasure. Paying attention to"fit"in man's mind, Zhuang advocated"fit for oneself"and explored"fit with no mind"in harmony between man and nature, rather than considering"fit for man". Turning nature and universe into man's sentiment, philosophy into aesthetics, and man's contented interest with outside objects, His thought of"heaven pleasure"converged heaven, earth and man into one, which carried out the balance and harmony between sensibility and nous, freedom and restriction, truth and beauty in pleasure of game. Zhuang's spirit of"fit"and"pleasure"built up the high view of value i.e."painting for pleasure to be lofty"for literators in his aftertime, emphasizing the function that painting is for pleasure, and developed the ink-play style for"interest with fit to time"in history of painting.In conclusion, Chuang Tzu had a gigantic and durative effect on theories of Chinese ancient painting, whose views of land, verve, perspective, pattern, temperament and ink-play were all from his art spirit. Such influences not only displayed in apparent ways, but largely immerged into the traditional cultural unconsciousness, figuring the basic charaters of literators. Therefore, it had deeply focused on the thought of their painting which lead Chinese painting to exalted aesthetic interest. On the other hand, it is noticeable that not all influence of Chuang Tzu were right and active, some presented negative factors which had a world of bad effection. As everything has its aspect of antinomy, all in all, the most important thing is that how we can treat and use such sword with double-edge.