A Study On Paul Tilly 's Artistic Philosophy

As an important philosophical theologian in the 20th century, Paul Tillich has an outstanding reputation with his great thoughts. The character of his system thoughts with the ultimate of Christian metaphysics and deep concern with human’s living situation in the eye of Christian existentialism, which made him have a positive reflection to the culture in his times. His philosophy of art have enlightening significance till today, especially in the theory of literature and art. Religions thought and theology are the vital sources of literature and art theory in the history of western thought. In this article, I will probe into his works about series points of art, especially view arts, and comb a general of system thoughts, including standing in the position of finite existence to penetrate freedom of art creation activity, art’s expressive force and the symbolic characteristics of religious art.Paul Tillich anticipated a new culture order with the center of "Theonomy", in his reaffirm protestant principle critical perspective. Before the new order has not coming yet, Tillich had a positive attitude to seemingly gloomy despair humanity and the situation of culture. He attempted to construct a kind of culture theology based with the ultimate concern in the broad sense of religion, which state clearly as "culture is the form of religion, and religion is the core of culture". Tillich believed that the ultimate concern is the metaphysical foundation of culture. As the inner quality of art, expressive give the force to the art, and made it to be a splendid form to manifest metaphysical desire. In the human’s essentially living, social culture and religion, art’s expressive force confirm the ultimate concern of culture. Especially the expressionism in the broad sense, has a great quality to express the ultimate concern. It is a potential style to the religious art.