A Study Of Contemporary Western Environmental Aesthetic Model

Environment aesthetic experience and appreciation has been existed since ancient times,whereas Environmental Aesthetic Model is a theoretical category which appearedcomparatively late. The study of Environmental Aesthetic Model originates from modernwestern Environmental Aesthetics and has been discussed in its further development.Environmental Aesthetic Model refers to the study on the nature, features, the modalmechanism of environmental aesthetic experience. It reveals the characteristics ofEnvironmental Aesthetics, relates to Environmental Aesthetic theory and practice, thus it hashuge theoretical and practical significance. Environmental Aesthetic Model is a core issue inEnvironmental Aesthetics, meanwhile, it is a question of arguments and requires for furtherexploration.The broaden of “nvironment’”oncepts, complexity of human perception, and variety ofresearch foundation lead to the pluralism of the research aspect, exploring views and thediversity in categories of Environmental Aesthetic Model. These are the main causes ofresearchers’ home and abroad different understanding and statement on its concept category,connotation features, typical model, and existing questions, and for their criticism, referenceand argument. Therefore, based on the specific survey of Environmental Aesthetic Modelhome and abroad, focusing on this core subject, this paper adopts synchronic and diachronicapproaches, attempting to illustrate, analyze and evaluate its background, connotation,structure, diachronic development, discussing focus and solution, theoretical and practicalmeaning. Thus it indicates that the operation way of environmental aesthetic experience is thetheoretical blind zone of modern studies on Environmental Aesthetic Model. So this paperattempts to analyze and explore the operating system and inner logic of environment aesthetic experience in view of metaphoric cognitive theory of Cognitive Linguistics, so as to offer atheoretical view to the unity of aesthetics, science, culture and ecology.This paper is composed of seven parts, introduction, five chapters, and conclusion.The introduction presents the origin of the topic, research status of EnvironmentalAesthetic Model home and abroad, research thought, approaches, and innovation. For itscomplexity and pluralism, the paper first makes a survey of the appearance of EnvironmentalAesthetic Model theory, the research aspects, exploring paths, and developing trends homeand abroad, in order to reveal its main characteristics. On this basis, combined with theresearch deficiency and discussing focus home, the research thought and methods of thispaper are defined.The first chapter introduces the practical background, theoretical basis, and disciplinebackground for modern western Environmental Aesthetic Model which is based on theintrospection of traditional Natural Aesthetic Model. Natural Aesthetics and its relatedexperience are of great significance to protect and preserve nature. Modern westernaesthetics’ neglect of natural beauty and the dissimilation of its core concept “AestheticDisinterestedness” applied in natural environmental appreciation is one root of environmentdeteriorations. Environmental Aesthetic Model is the criticism and reformation of the“Disinterestedness”and “Formalism” in Natural Aesthetics and landscape design, and a branchof the team reforming Kant’s “Aesthetic Disinterestedness”since20th century. In this sense,Environmental Aesthetic Model is a theoretical type of the Post-Modern Intervention Modelof Western Aesthetics.The second chapter is the definition and summary of conception tools, connotationfeatures, structure elements and diachronic development for Eironmental Asthetic Model. Inthe study field of Contemporary Western Environmental Aesthetics, concepts like“Environment”,“Nature”,“Landscape” and “Ecology” are not isolated, but interconnected andmutually explained.“Environmental Aesthetics”,“Natural Aesthetics”,“Aesthetics of theNatural Environment”,“Landscape Aesthetics”,“Landscape Ecology”,“Eco-Aesthetics” and“Life Aesthetics” are not isolated, too. They are interrelated and representing their respectiveresearch fields and unique significances.“Environment” is broad and inclusive concept whichnot only refers to various entities and dynamic life related to mankind, but also implies a dynamic, plural, inner and outer combined, inclusive thinking way. Environmental AestheticModel research is to explore the universal rule and inner logic in the generation and operationof environmental aesthetic experience and appreciation by examining environmental aestheticexperiences’ generating mechanism and the interrelation of different values in its generationprocess. There is an evolvement from “Aesthetic” to “Appreciate” in Western Aesthetics. Kant’s“Aesthetic Disinterestedness” and its extended theory are mainly about aesthetic experienceand appreciation in aspect of accepters. As a rethinking and connection to “AestheticDisinterestedness” in nature and landscape appreciation, Environmental Aesthetic Model isalso an aesthetic appreciation theory. It is a theoretical depiction of categorization and modalmechanism of aesthetic experience elements and their relations. Natural Aesthetic Model,Landscape Aesthetic Model, Art Aesthetic Model and Environmental Aesthetic ModeL basedtheir arguments on the perspective of aesthetic object,and Eco-Aesthetic Model based theirarguments on Aesthetic style. The Natural Aesthetic Mode is not only an important part of theEnvironmental Aesthetic Model,but also the premise and the foundation of EnvironmentalAesthetic Model to explore. Landscape Model is a development type of Natural AestheticModel. The Eco-aesthetic Model is an important theoretical position and the future directionof the development of Environment Aesthetic Model, and it exists in every forms of aestheticappreciation. Environmental Aesthetic Model is inclusive, it is suitable for the nature,landscape,cultural environment’s aesthetic appreciation, and also applies to Art and Life’saesthetic appreciation. Whereas the distinction is a theoretical analysis, rather than thedescription of aesthetic experience in practice.The third chapter is a detailed discussion of three Environmental Aesthetic Models. Thispart adopts theoretical survey and practice analyzing methods to discuss and analyze themfrom perspective of concept definition, theoretical foundation, inner thinking path, andsignificance limitation.“Art Model” is a model which appreciates nature and environment as itwas an artwork. And its theoretical basis is modern “aesthetic disinterestedness” and itsextended art philosophy and art theory.“The Object of Art Model” and “the Landscape orScenery Model” is two Paradigms of “rt Model”.“The Object of Art Model” appreciatesnature and environment by means of statue appreciation, while “the Landscape or SceneryModel” contemplates environment by way of contemplating landscape painting. lthough “Art Model” is an important experience mode of mankind’s environment appreciating and still playsan important role in our aesthetic appreciation and evaluation, nevertheless, narrowingenvironment to an object, scenery or a scenery unit, and contemplate nature in specific wayand proper psychological distance will simplify the richness of natural aesthetics and lackrespect of nature in ethics. Carlson’s “The Natural Environmental Model” is proposed incriticism of “The Object of Art Model” and “The Landscape Model” and compared with theother Natural Aesthetic Models and views.“The Natural Environmental Model” takes natureand environmental science as the key points in nature and environment appreciation. It is anaesthetic model taking object as core, backed by knowledge, stressing its cognitive dimensionand its relativity. The two objective principles of natural aesthetics, Art Appreciation Model,and Positive Aesthetics are theoretical foundation of Carlson’s Natural Environmental Model.Though it criticizes the Art Model of natural aesthetics, communicates environmentalaesthetics with environmental cognition, lay objective position for Environmental Aesthetics, inits construction, it compared with art, emphasized too much on object centered and scientificknowledge, thus it transforms into Environment Core Doctrine on the nature of naturalenvironment. Berleant’s “Engagement Model” attempts to describe environment aestheticexperience phenomenological while Dewey’s experience aesthetics and Merleau-Ponty’sbody phenomenology are the philosophical bases for “the Engagement Model”. The corecategories of Berleant like “Aesthetic Field”,“Aesthetic Engagement”, and “AestheticsEmbodiment” are theoretical basis of “The Engagement Model”. Although “The EngagementModel” criticizes and re-explained modern aesthetic theory in four aspects like environment’sfeatures as an aesthetic object, the expansion of aesthetic Sensory, the continuity of aestheticperception and the conversational style of aesthetic theory, which greatly broadens the scopeand space of studies on aesthetic experience. However, it just constructs framework of somequestions in environmental aesthetic model and proves its correctness, and many specificquestions are not discussed in details.The fourth chapter is the innovation part. Analyzing and evaluating the arguments focusin Environmental Aesthetic Model and Chinese and Western different solutions, it points outthe blind zone in this area and holds that Cognitive Linguistics based on philosophy ofexperience can offer theoretical support for it. And it analyzes its possibility. Learning from Chinese scholars’“controversy of engagement and separation” it defines the focus as threeparts in Contemporary Environmental Aesthetic Model that is environment’s characteristicsas aesthetic object, the difference and connection between environmental aesthetics and artaesthetic, the connection between environment, human beings, and their related backgroundsuch as daily experiences, scientific knowledge, cultural accumulation, and aestheticexperience. Concerning the above focus the combination of Calson’s cognitive accession andBerleant’s experience accession is regarded as the trend for Environmental Aesthetic Modelstudies by the western world. Their solution is put forward in their framework, either themodification and supplement or comprehensive application. Compared with this, Chinesescholars’ discussion remained in theoretical level the combination of classical illustration andphenomenology reconstruction is the important method in their environmental aestheticmodel controversy solution. The “image” as object of environmental aesthetic appreciation,environmental aesthetic experience as present or manifestation, and Ecological OntologyAesthetic are three solutions for Environmental Aesthetic Model’s controversy. Aestheticexperience process is complex and varied. Not only Kant’s “Aesthetic Disinterestedness” butalso “Engagement model” and “Natural Environment Model” or various solutions in thecontroversy are some theoretical description of the state or the relationship of some elementswhen environmental aesthetic experience reaches. But the operation of these elements beforecomplement has not been referred yet. Adopting metaphor cognition view of CognitiveLinguistics, we can understand well of the operating system in aesthetic experience and makea deeper depiction and analysis of aesthetic experience model and connection in differentfields.The fifth chapter is the discussion on the theoretical and practical meaning ofEnvironmental Aesthetic Model. Research on this topic can not only clarify the categories,connotation and significance in Contemporary Western Environmental Aesthetic Model, offertheoretical reference to Chinese Environmental Aesthetics and Ecological Aestheticsconstruction, but also search for values unified basis, thus it provides an illustrationperspective for Modern Aesthetic reformation and argument. As an important embodimentconnecting Environmental Aesthetic theory to practice,Environmental Aesthetic Model revealsthe practical values in Environmental Aesthetics and is of great guiding significance to the evaluation, design, and Aesthetic Education of Environment. As an important theoreticalposition and component of Environmental Aesthetic Education, Eco-aesthetic Education iswidespread accepted and giving high hopes in China. Therefore, after surveying thedevelopments, practical embarrassments of Chinese Aesthetic Education, combined thebackground and significance of Eco-aesthetic Education proposed and the latest researchachievements in Environmental Aesthetics Model, this paper makes an analysis of ChineseEco-aesthetic Education’s discipline definition theoretical construction questions anddeveloping direction from the understanding ecological values and studies on environmentalaesthetic experience.The conclusion part indicates that environmental aesthetic experience process is adynamic, complex and varied comprehensive process. No single theory can cover its nature orits full aspects. The present studies are mainly theoretical description of the nature, features,operating mechanism of environmental aesthetic experience, the states and some connectionsbetween its components and elements. In real aesthetic experience and appreciation ofenvironment, there is neither an unchangeable aesthetic object nor a specific aestheticappreciation way. Under most circumstances, many appreciation ways are mingled andchanged. However, they are still not analyzable and describable, for they relates to each otherby cognitive structure and have inner consistency. The distinction is to explore the aestheticlogic in environmental experience, cultivate a mingled and overlapped aesthetic way to avoidsingle, objected appreciation way in order to solve environmental and cultural crisisfundamentally. In the end, the whole of environment and mankind in environmental aestheticappreciation, the experience, embodiment and unity in environmental aesthetic appreciation,which stressed by Environment Aesthetic Model, are inner conformity to some concepts inChinese classical and modern natural aesthetics,like “oneness”,“image”,“experience”, and“body”, and have favorable prospect in thewestern and Chinese aesthetic communication.