Western Furniture Cultural Comparative Study

Furniture is an important carrier of human's culture. Due to the difference occurs in geographical position, national character and cultural background, China and the West, represented by western European countries, have created different culture of furniture. Tracing the historic track of Chinese and Western furniture, taking their overall cultural condition into account, the philosophical and aesthetic reasons of their different art feature can be found. The result may be an useful theoretic found for modern Chinese furniture development.The conservatism of continental culture caused the self- sufficiency of Chinese furniture. The opening of ocean culture is the reason why Western furniture is so comprehensive. As a result of different manner of life, the starting points of Chinese and Western furniture differ. Early Chinese people lived on the ground and therefore low furniture existed for a long time, while Westerners sit on high seats at least before sixtieth century B.C. Both China and the West boast splendid classical styles and luxuriant unconventional styles, though the features are not the same. Each era requires its unique art and corresponding disposal of it. On the whole, form of Chinese furniture tends to be lineal component and form of Western furniture is much three- dimension constituted. Chinese lacquer is the main decorative means while the west are good at carving. Influenced by Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism, Chinese furniture seems to be dignified and reserved, and the feudal ethical code gives the gentleness to it, too. Western furniture bears distinctive characteristics of each era, infected by pragmatism, authoritarianism, mysticism, humanism and rationalism accordingly. Chinese furniture progress step by step, Western furniture advanced rapidly.By study on culture of Chinese furniture compared with that of Western furniture, we conclude that they all adhere to a general rule, that is, they not only accord with people's temporal material, cultural life and satisfy their art taste, but also adapt to new era with new and appropriate forms.