A Study Of The Eco-aesthetical Wisdoms Of Chinese Painting Theories

Since the 20th century, the ecological crisis has posed a huge threat not only to the humankind's material world, but also to our spiritual kingdom, risking us in losing our spiritual home. Hence most liberal scholars, both home and abroad, have began to rethink about our culture and try to find a way out of the present ecological predicament. It was just in such a historical context that Chinese aesthetics advanced the eco-existential aesthetical theory in the 1990s, with the hope to mend the already-broken relationship between human beings and the nature, and also to solve the problem of unbeautiful human existence. In the process of constructing eco-aesthetics, scholars and researchers began to pay more and more attention to explore the eco-aesthetical resources in traditional culture. Such is the background against which the eco-aesthetical wisdoms of Chinese traditional painting theories begin to rise up in our research horizon.The Introduction mainly consists of the significance, structure and method of this study, as well as a literature review of related studies. A study of the eco-aesthetical wisdoms of Chinese traditional painting theories can not only provide theoretical recourses for solving our ecological predicament and constructing eco-aesthetics, but also broaden our understanding of Chinese traditional painting theories, hence contributing to our inheriting of Chinese traditional culture and carrying forward Chinese civilization. Nowadays, although we have had a lot of publications about the features of Chinese traditional painting theories, there are still very few studies about the eco-aesthetical resources in them, so that more effort should be made on this area. Based on the studies of other predecessors, this dissertation chooses five aesthetical categories out of Chinese traditional painting theories about function, creation and criticism, that is, "moral analogy(Bi De)", "smoothing spirit(Chang Shen)", "learning from the exterior nature while inspiring the interior original mind(Wai Shi Zao Hua, Zhong De Xin Yuan)", "Lively Spirit and Vitality(Qi Yun Sheng Dong)", and "neutralization beauty(Zhong He)", which are then reinterpreted under the contemporary eco-existential aesthetical viewpoint, so as to illustrate in what sense are the Chinese traditional painting theories ecological. Here we also try to find some regular patterns that can help the disciplinary construction of Chinese aesthetics and the resolution of the problem of unbeautiful existence. In addition to categorical research and eco-existential philosophical research method, a comparison method is also adopted here. It should be stated that the comparison study between China and the West is by no means intended to praise the former by belittling the latter.Chapter I studies the background of the formation of the eco-aesthetical wisdoms in Chinese traditional painting theories. In the light of anthropological studies represented by Marvin Harris'researches, we put forward that there had been a "golden age" when human beings were in perfect harmony with the nature, the possibility of which is then indirectly proved by Chinese as well as Western people's recollections about the harmonious relationship with nature. To borrow from Edward Osborne Wilson and other scholars'Gene-Culture Coordination Evolution Theory, we argue that the pursuit for a harmony with nature originates from human nature itself, and has become a gene of human nature after millions of years'human evolution. Such a gene being the seed, the excellent Chinese natural environment, the mode of production revolving with agricultural economy, as well as the patriarchal social structure based on consanguinity constitute the realistic soil for the eco-aesthetical wisdoms in Chinese traditional painting theories to sprout, whose well growing is then nourished by the ecological and aesthetical wisdoms in Chinese philosophy and art. It is just under the comprehensive function of all these factors that the human gene pursuing a harmony with nature is smoothly nurtured in Chinese civilization, which is then typically embodied in Chinese traditional painting theories.Chapter II discusses the eco-aesthetical wisdoms of "moral analogy" and "smoothing spirit", which all belong to the functional theory of Chinese traditional painting theories. Different from the Western mimesis that emphasizes the epistemological function of art, "moral analogy" and "smoothing spirit" give expression to the Chinese traditional painting theories'desiring for a poetic dwelling. "Moral analogy", as an aesthetical category stemming from the Confucian idea about the "Union of Heaven and Man", embodies the humankind's intimacy with the virtues of nature, as well as the pleasurable feeling of familiarity evolved henceforward. For Chinese traditional painting theorists, nature is the being filled with virtues and is a companion on intimate terms with human beings. On the other hand, the idea of "moral analogy" leads the humankind to associate with nature to acquire a kind of moral satisfaction and a transcending of life. "Smoothing spirit" was firstly advanced by Zong Bing, the philosophical foundation of which is the Taoist understanding of the "Union of Heaven and Man". Its interest being the "Real Existence State" of human beings, the idea of "smoothing spirit" looks nature as the home of life, and desires to become one with nature in an intuitive observing of it so as to be sheltered. The idea of "smoothing spirit" also lead the human beings to nature, the nature that embodies the natural law itself rather than filled with virtues as is understood by the Confucian school. Though quite different from each other in their philosophical foundations and concrete connotations, both "moral analogy" and "smoothing spirit" look upon nature as a living existence that has an inherent relationship with us, and hence to derive from nature the in-home feeling of familiarity as well as a poetical feeling of life.Chapter III revolves around the eco-aesthetical wisdom of the idea of "learning from the exterior nature while inspiring the interior original mind" which belongs to the creation theory of Chinese traditional painting theories. "Learning from the exterior nature while inspiring the interior original mind" refers to the principle of aesthetic creation put forward by Zhang Zao, an ancient Chinese painting theorist in Tang dynasty, which takes the "Union of Heaven and Man" as its philosophical foundation. In Chinese culture, the universe is believed to be a course of natural life. The artistic activity as a kind of human creation is no exception and should also follow the natural law of life. "Learning from the exterior nature while inspiring the interior original mind" means that the artist should learn from nature and let the artistic creation begin from the heart, so as to create art just like nature creates life. Different from the "mirror theory" as well as the "expressionistic theory", "learning from the exterior nature while inspiring the interior original mind" embodies the intimate emotional relationship between human and nature. In the process of artistic creation, the leisurely and careless artist takes an attitude of equality and amiability towards nature, encounters nature in the most innocent situation, and eventually merges into one unity with it. Artistic creation is the artist's return to nature. It is just in such an artistic creation that the artist, in a harmonious unification between Heaven and human, finds his way back to his homeland, a life condition of free play, and hence obtaining his spiritual freedom and liberation. The artist is not so much creating his art than desiring and pursuing for his source of innocence.Chapter IV is about the eco-aesthetical wisdom of "Lively Spirit and Vitality", an aesthetic category put forward by Xie He, a famous painter in Nanqi dynasty of ancient China, the philosophical foundation of which being the life spirit and the thinking about "Yuanqi" as human essence of Chinese culture. "Lively Spirit and Vitality", referring to the natural rhythm of life, is an admiration of the universal life. It is both a standard of criticism and a principle of artistic creation. As a critical standard, it put its interest in whether the artist has given full expressions to the vivid life of nature as well as to the whole of universal life. The beauty of "Lively Spirit and Vitality" is not the pleasure derived from relating the aesthetic phenomenon to the subject, but the sympathetic pleasure stemming from a blending together of human and nature. As an artistic creative principle, it requires the artist to permeate his creation with an ecological consideration and always abide by the natural law of life creation. For Chinese artist, beauty is just created out of the endless process of life creation dominated by the circulation of qi, rather than out of a subjugation and possession of the object. No matter it being a critical principle or a creation principle, "Lively Spirit and Vitality" is an embodiment of classic ecological humanism.Chapter V discusses the eco-aesthetical wisdom of "neutralization beauty". As the aesthetic ideal of the Chinese people, "neutralization beauty" takes as its theoretical foundation the pre-Qin Dynasty highlighting of mean and harmony as well as a combination of them two, that is, the thinking about Zhong He, which is a way of thinking filled with ecological consciousness about existence. "Neutralization beauty" refers to the beauty of unity, or the beauty of life, whose base is the moderation principle of "holding both ends but adopting moderate (Zhi Liang Yong Zhong)", and whose focus is the harmony between Heaven and human. It not only reflects the ancient Chinese people's understanding of the harmonious symbiosis between human and the universal life, reveals the ecological laws of natural life breeding, but also embodies their humanistic feeling and aspiration to breed life according to the natural law. Chinese painting theories take the general harmony of the universal life as their supreme realm, which is particularly reflected on four levels, that is, the harmony between human and themselves, the harmony between human and society, the harmony between human and the natural life, as well as the harmony between human and nature. During the process of artistic creation, the artist should abide by the principle of mean and keep a peaceful and moderate feeling, so as to breed and nourish all the life in the world with his kindness. The form of art, such as its structure and color, should also be permeated with ecological consciousness, for the artist should create a situation of ecological existence in which human and nature are in perfect harmony. The idea of "neutralization beauty" is a eulogy of life harmony, an ode for the great human nature that cherishes every life in the world.In Conclusion, I mainly talk about the contemporary significance of the eco-aesthetical wisdoms of ancient Chinese painting theories. Throughout the whole dissertation, I have argued that the ancient Chinese painting theories are aesthetically infiltrated with ecological consciousness, among which, the interest in living situation, the philosophical foundation of "the union of Heaven and man", the amiable attitude towards nature, as well as the classic ecological humanism are all important theoretical resources for our contemporary aesthetic constructions. The ecological wisdoms of ancient Chinese painting theories can not only help the artist to overcome the anthropocentrism in modern art, but also will help us to build up our modern ecological humanism and solve the ecological and living problems. To sum up, ancient Chinese painting theories, though the products of agricultural civilization contain with them important ecological wisdoms, not only for the past, but also for the present as well as for the future.