Xuwei’s "True-self" Theory And Artistic Practice

Xuwei in the Ming dynasty was well versed in poetic proses, painting, and Chinese opera. His attainments were unique in many fields. His distinctive artistic ideas greatly manifested and led the social mores at that time. The theory of art subjects, based on the theory of "true-self", was the core of Xuwei’s literature and art opinions, which was absorbed in the artistic practice throughout his life span. In this thesis, by choosing Xuwei’s theory of "true-self" as the study object, the extension and presentation of this theory in his works are comprehensively studied, aiming to reveal this theory’s rich intensions and interactive relationship with artistic practice.In section 1 of this thesis, the formation of the theory of "true-self" is first introduced in terms of the social backgrounds in the mid Ming dynasty:the politics was in chaos, and the Confucian orthodoxy collapsed; the commodity economy was prosperous, and the civilian classes were expanded; the culture to emulate the literature of the ancients prevailed among the people. These stimulated the self-awareness of literati such as Xuwei. Next, Xuwei’s teachings succeeded from his teachers as well as academic interaction and exchanges are discussed:he learned at Wang School, was taught by Jiben and Wangji, and received the "philosophy of the mind" emphasizing human’s subjectivity; he understood thoroughly Buddhism and Taoism and also assimilated the useful parts from the two sides; he traveled to Yuezhong, and was subtly influenced by the regional culture.In section 2, the intensions of the theory of "true-self" are discussed from the evolutions of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, and Wang School to search after its inherent philosophical background, including two aspects:(1) the definition on the intension of the "true"; (2) the rediscovery of the value of the "self". Then, by extending the theory of "true-self" to the realm of art, Xuwei’s theory of art subjects cored at "reflecting the true feelings", unique appeal to "creating works based on the selfs experience and feelings", aesthetic pursuits of "more popular, more authentic" and "newer, more amazing" literary works, and viewpoint on "appropriate" and "reasonable" artistic functions are expounded.In section 3, the presentation of the theory of "true-self in Xuwei’s artistic creation is comprehensively analyzed from all kinds of works of art to discuss the theory to develop from the philosophy system to the world of art. Specifically, the analysis is conducted from three aspects respectively:identity verification, true-self construction, and true-self materialization.In section 4, the position and influence of Xuwei’s opinions in the art history of the ancient China are discussed, and also his opinions are reviewed from the modern perspectives to analyze his call for human nature. His practice in artistic concepts is of beneficial enlightenment and profound value to the development of the modern art.