A New Paradigm Of Chinese Art History Wrining

Craig Clunas,an important scholars of Chinese material civilization and art sociology,is the famous sinologist in contemporary British.Craig Clunas is wealthy in knowledge and has profound attainments in Chinese classical literature.At the same time,he possess the methodology thought of western anthropology,sociology,aesthetics and so on,there is always no lack of unique and navel insights in his research of the Chinese art history.In a word,he is an internationally renowned scholars.But at present,there is still lack of attention of Craig Clunas in China,which is obviously not accord with his enormous influence in academic circles.Though there is sporadic introduction about his research of art history,but we still need a comprehensive and in-depth mining and integration.The whole text is divided into five parts:The preface mainly discusses the feature of the traditional writing paradigm and its blind spots in a staging way,which is exactly the start of Craig Clunas`s writing paradigm of aesthetic sociology.We give an over view of his main work and research in aesthetic sociology,and thorough exposition their methodology,research purpose and logical framework.Chapter one mainly discusses the constructivism of author`s interpretation.Craig Clunas`s interpretation of Wen Zhengming in Chinese art history has dispelled the construction of “myth” image.Building on “the gift”,the concept of anthropology,and on the basis of the literature such as poems,letters,painting,calligraphy inscription and epitaph,he tries to recover the specific context of the favor pattern,social engagement,local nexus and so on,which can rebuild the social network of intellectual elite in Ming dynasty.We also discussed the limitation of this construction.Chapter 2 is about the relativity of works` interpretation.In <Art in China>,Craig Clunas didn't give a definition to “ Chinese art”,and did not follow any specific principle or elements.What he did is to take in a wide range of art works from the perspective of “family similarity” — — just as the practice of Wittgenstein,and expounded the relativity of works in society,which presents as universality,uniqueness,and publicity.Chapter 3 is about the structural of audience`s interpretation.Behind the distinction between elegance and vulgarity,there is the difference of social classes.Comparing the “view” of Craig Clunas and Panofsky,the former tends to restore the meaning of social situation,while the latter focuses on exploring the symbolic meaning of image.Chapter 4 discusses the tension in Craig Clunas`s writing of art history,which is mainly comes from three aspects: the strained relations between Sociology and aesthetics,traditional and western theory,art theory and art history.This part will analyze the property of this tension and its influence to art history writing,at the same time,excavate the beneficial enlightenment in Chinese art history writing that Craig Clunas give us.