Study On Contemporary Chinese Miniature Arts And Their Aesthetic Culture Features

Miniature is a unique form of art.It often has a small object for creation,with the aesthetic standard of exquisiteness,with the requirements of “micro without distorted,micro with rhyme”,as well as the characteristics of “big in small,macro in micro”.Its common forms include micro-carving,micro paintings,miniature architecture and landscape.Compared with foreign research,“miniature art” is not a complete academic concept in Chinese academia,and its research is scattered in “micro-carving art” “snuff bottle art” “inside painting art” and “Miniature model” and other fields of arts and crafts.There are two reasons for this.First,for the "miniature art",the academia follows the traditional criticism and always believes that its "technology" is greater than "art",and then naturally classifies the “miniature art” into "engraving","painting" and "architecture" from the perspective of techniques and crafts.Secondly,the lack of necessary observations on the artistic,aesthetic and cultural values of miniature modeling has caused the relevant study remaining at the level of “technology”.In recent years,in the collection market,the cultural and creative industries,and the handicraft market,contemporary Chinese miniature art has shown a strong influence.Therefore,from both creation and theoretical criticism perspectives,it is necessary to break the normal pattern of classifying miniature art by technique.Based on this,this text takes the contemporary Chinese miniature art as the object of investigation,and has made a detailed study on the artistic form,cultural value and aesthetic characteristics of miniature art since the founding of the People’s Republic of China,especially from 1979 to the present.This text also tries to explore its artistic pattern and contemporary value in the context of the new era,and put forward deliberate thinking on its dilemma and countermeasures.Chinese miniature art has a long history and can be traced back to the primitive society.Although humans recognized the exquisite beauty of small objects long ago,they had not deliberately developed them as an independent art form for a long time.The miniature art was originally a microscopic part or fine decoration that appeared in large labor tools,artifacts,or images,and more as an attachment.By the Song and Yuan Dynasties,the artisanal industry had become more sophisticated,and the required external conditions for development were established so they have begun to mature.Additionally,because the object was small in size,the miniature art was more in line with the “hidden culture” and conformed to the aesthetic orientation of this period.People were eager to explore more subtle and microscopic art.As a result,the unique charm and artistic appeal of microscopic art was awakened.It gradually separated from other large art and became an independent art form.Craftsmen also began to challenge the limits of “micro”,and artworks of different materials and different techniques appeared one after another.From the Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China,China’s miniature art first flourished not only was the material more abundant,the technology was more mature,but also the variety increased,and the number of works increased.Besides,an independent,unique local artist group was gradually formed and famous masterpieces began to emerge.After the founding of the People’s Republic of China,the handicraft industry got rid of the backward relations of production and embraced an unprecedented development opportunity.During the planned economy period,under the guidance of the general line of “one change and three reforms”,the miniature art was greatly supported by the country,the social status of craftsmen was improved,the inheritance was more open,the artists’ enthusiasm of creation was unprecedentedly high,and the most common themes reflected the features of the era.After the reform and opening up,the miniature art experienced the short-term influence of reform,but immediately presented a brand-new look.A variety of corporate forms coexisted,international exchanges increased,and development became more open and diverse.In the new century,protected as a national intangible cultural heritage,the miniature art was developed into a trend of industrialization and branding,and artistic creation is more active,the forms of exchange and exhibition are more diverse.Since new era,the country has given new essence and mission to traditional handicrafts.Miniature art not only satisfies the needs of the people’s spiritual and material life,but also contributes to the promotion of China’s economic and cultural exchanges.In this this article,an important part is a comprehensive review of the artists and important works of contemporary Chinese miniature art.Since 1979,in order to protect traditional arts and crafts,the country began to organize the "Master of Chinese Arts and Crafts".By the end of 2018,it has been held for seven times.During this period,a total of 531 masters appeared,of which 20 were born in the field of miniature arts.It can be said that these twenty masters are the connecting generations of contemporary Chinese miniature art.Most of them are coached by the "old artists" in the early days of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.(In the early days of the People’s Republic of China,the country awarded the title of "old artists" to some of the most famous artists,which is the highest honor in the field of arts and crafts at that time),a large number of students were trained by these 20 masters both before and after the reform and opening up.These artists deserved to be the mainstay of the creation and promotion of contemporary miniature art.Based on these 20 Chinese art masters and a comprehensive survey of the miniature art artist groups,analyzed the composition of the artist group,the important genres and their styles,the themes and works series,as well as the materials,techniques and tools used in their work.Besides,the creative features of contemporary miniature art are summarized.Throughout the history of art in China,a large number of exquisite and amazing works were produced in different periods.These works are not only the embodiment of Chinese artisans’ superb skills,but also the concentrated expression of Chinese culture and aesthetic taste.It is a symbol of Chinese culture,which is grand and inclusive,and the delicate Chinese artisan spirit also symbolizes Chinese culture.Among them,the ethical concept of " theory is based on objects",the ecological concept of " be harmonious with time,environment",the technical aesthetics of "be harmonious with materials and craftsmanship" and the life view of "hand-made temperature" reflect the ideological connotation of traditional Chinese handicraft culture.In recent years,with the increase of foreign exchanges,contemporary Chinese miniature art has become a "cultural symbol" of cross-cultural communication.In particular,it is not only known as an image symbol,but also contains Chinese culture,especially traditional Chinese handicraft culture.Cultural capital in a cross-cultural communication has important value and significance in foreign exchanges.Since the new century,with the involvement of science and technology in the process of artistic creation,miniature art has undergone new changes.On the one hand,the “echtheit” of original handicraft works has been weakened,while the “aura” has been exhausted,on the other hand,the “reality” of artistic works vitality has been enhanced,and these changes are inextricably linked to the enhancement of mass culture in contemporary life.The miniature art in the era of mechanical reproduction actively combines with contemporary life,and the tendency of “popularization”,“functionalization” and “fun” has begun to appear.Due to the special small size of the miniature art,its aesthetic characteristics are also different from other large-scale art forms.In particular,due to the weakness when it comes to the display of miniature art,it is especially important to conduct an in-depth examination of the psychology behind people’s acceptance and why and how the pleasure of appreciation come into being.First of all,the aesthetic acceptance of micro art comes from the "small beauty",the large art makes people "worship",and the small art makes people "adore".when facing miniature art,there is no pressure on the viewers.Sometimes,in order to appreciate the details of tiny works,people hope that they can put the works in hands and actually touch them with affection.Secondly,the aesthetic acceptance of miniature art and the viewer’s awareness of the difficulty of creating this work are closely related.The more difficult and complex the creation process of a microscopic art work,the higher the audience’s recognition of the work.From this perspective,the audience’s acceptance of microscopic art is not only from the work itself,but also on the creation of the work.The understanding of the process is also very important.Moreover,the method of appreciation is unique.The viewer places the work close to the eyes,sometimes even with the help of optical magnification equipment.During this process,his attention is highly focused on the appreciation only,excluding the external environment.And the aesthetic process of this "small horizon" also directly affects the aesthetic feeling of miniature art.Finally,the commercialization of art consumption has also promoted the aesthetic acceptance of microscopic art.Any form of art cannot be separated from the people appreciating its beauty.Compared with other large-scale arts and crafts,the miniature art is accepted by a small group.Therefore,in the current new media environment,it is necessary to expand its audience.This requires the joint efforts of the art world,including the artist’s re-recognition of miniature art,the re-discussion of media on miniature art,the transformation of ideas to promote the re-development of miniature art,etc.On this basis,the article put forward thinking on the expanding of the audience of contemporary miniature art.