A Comparison On Space Consciousness Between Traditional Paintings In East And West

From the traditional opera widely known in both eastern and western countries, this thesis attempts to probe into the space consciousness of traditional paintings in east and west. The role orientation and acting procedure of the traditional Chinese opera bear a lot of similarity to those of the traditional Chinese painting, the space consciousness in particular. So is the relation between traditional western opera and painting. Hence, it is quite obvious that the cultural concept of a nation exerts a tremendous influence on the cultural arts in it. Therefore, to know one art form well, we may start from its sister art forms.In order to make a deep and thorough comparison on space consciousness of traditional paintings between east and west, this thesis adopts the induction method, that is, from specific to general and from part to whole. From the angles of history of development, ideological and cultural concepts, philosophy and science, the thesis conducts analyses of the corresponding branches of in traditional eastern and western paintings, namely, figure painting, landscape painting, flower-and-bird painting and still life painting. It makes a detailed investigation of the paintings in respects like scenography, chiaroscuro, poetry and calligraphy. Through contrast and comparison, the thesis presents the striking differences in space consciousness and expression techniques in eastern and western paintings.Painting is a visual art. As the painting itself best illustrates the difference in space consciousness, this thesis has chosen several typical paintings in east and west as examples. In the process of tasting and appreciating, analyzing and expounding, it has sought out the fact that no matter it is the free hand of a Chinese painter or the delicate portrayal of a west painter, the common artistic concept pursued by every painter in traditional eastern and western paintings is to model the form as well as express the space consciousness.Traditional paintings in east and west all belong to plane plastic arts. When dealing with the problem of space, they share a common mission—to create greater space in a limited plane. Due to the differences in economic condition and cultural concept, painters in east and west employ different means to realize that goal. As a result, outstanding artistic creation and innovation can be found in forming and developing of space consciousness in traditional paintings in east and west.