A Contrastive Study between Chinese and Western Painting

by 丛阳

化工国际1201

201247044

Prof.丁蔓

2012-12-23

A Contrastive Study between Chinese and

Western Painting

【Abstract】In today′s world, images are everywhere. We tend to assume that we understand the meaning of the pictures we see, but this is often not the case. It’s usually involved in the difference between the western and Chinese culture. Exclusive research on the contrastive study between Chinese and western painting under cultural difference is still incomplete. This thesis analyses cultural differences under Chinese and western painting from the angle of culture and presents some views on appreciating Chinese and western paintings: pay attention to the different thoughts between Chinese and western artists. Artistic creation always contains philosophic thoughts and culture which is significant for research.

【Key Words】painting techniques thoughts culture

1. Introduction

To study an artistic works, we often start with the certain thought, certain concept and certain emotion artists convey to us. It′s the foundation of understanding the artists′ purposes but often ignored by people. The second step is to study the painting techniques which can express the artists' purposes appropriately. We might as well proceed to compare the differences both Chinese and western painting have in the two aspects.

2. Distinction between Chinese and Western Thoughts

2.1 "The unity between man and Heaven" in Chinese Culture

The basic mode of thinking in Chinese culture is comprehensive, emphasizing

the universally related "the unity between man and Heaven", which considers universe as the harmony of Heaven, earth and man. It also considers man as a part of nature and that the foundation of universe is in correspondence with the soul of man. The thought of "the unity between man and Heaven" is the keynote of typical Chinese classical philosophical thoughts-Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism.

Daoism advocated a return to nature, following "the Way" and exercising non-action. It emphasized the harmony between man and nature, as well as inter-personal harmony. Rooted in the traditional holistic mode of thinking, Taoism is based on "the unity between man and Heaven". It is of great significance for meeting challenges and moulding an ideal personality. ①Based on the philosophic concept of "the unity between man and Heaven", following the way of nature is particularly emphasized on the relationship between people and people as well as people and society. Confucious also stressed “There are three things that a gentleman fears: he fears the will of Heaven, he fears great men and he fears the words of the Divine Sages.” The individual mode of thinking not only influences people’s political attitude and principle of dealing with things but also leads to the distinction between Chinese and western appreciation of paintings.

2.2 Western Philosophic Thoughts

The mode of thinking and the philosophic tradition of western people feature the concept that man is antagonistic to nature. That is to say, the relationship

between man and nature is either the religion has the supreme power or man can conquer nature. In ancient Greece humanistic thoughts, the final destination of life is to know and conquer nature so that happiness can be acquired. During the past 400 years since Galileo’s period, from this psychological foundation, natural science has taken an analytical path that everything in objective material world divides into two, tinier and tinier. This is the distinction between eastern and western thoughts and characters, also the aesthetic habits.

3.Branches of Chinese and Western Painting

Chinese painting has many branches. With regard to the content of paintings, it can be classified into figure drawing, landscape painting and flower-and-bird painting; according to techniques of expression, it can be classified into painting with meticulous details and freehand drawing. On the basis of this classification, painting with meticulous details can be further categorized into line drawing in traditional ink and brush style, meticulous light coloring (“ light coloring ” for short) and meticulous heavy coloring (“ heavy coloring ” for short) ; freehand drawing can be further categorized into large freehand drawing and small freehand drawing.

Western painting has more schools of painting like Classicism, Neoclassicism, Romanticism, Symbolism, Impressionism, Post-impressionism, Fauvism, Abstract art, Cubism and other modern western schools of painting, according to techniques of expression.

4.Techniques of Chinese and western painting

4.1 Structure and Color of Chinese paintings

Traditional Chinese painting displays uniquely oriental features both in composition and in its treatment of color. First, there is the trend of emphasizing spirit and despising form in composition. So called “spirit” refers to the mental outlook and characteristic traits of objects; “form” refers to the external shape of objects. As for the relation between form and spirit, spirit is ranked the first, playing a dominating role. Therefore Chinese portraiture is not taken to involve imitation of shape or appearance, but is still lifelike, in portrait and freehand. Therefore, painters and critics of successive generations have had vividness as the highest standard.

“Modeling through bold lines”is the main modeling method of traditional Chinese painting. As for Chinese painting, not only do lines undertake the function of modeling, they but also exist as independent aesthetic factors and unique carriers of the painter’s cultivation, personality, and artistic emotions. The Chinese are keen on the black-white world created by means of specially prepared Chinese ink and silk. In the beginning of Techniques on Landscape painting, written by someone claiming to be Wang Wei, there is a sentence: “ Of all the ways of painting, ink and wash painting ranks the first, reflecting the mysterious features of nature ”. As far as the use of color in national painting is concerned, black is of more importance than any other colors. Black and white is the gorgeous color to the Chinese people and the color of prepared Chinese ink is the closest of the nature.②

4.3 Techniques in Western Painting

Western painting accentuates the creation of objects’structure and space relations by imitating natural objects’ hues and their actual condition. In western painters’ minds, the image of an object is made up of a “plane surface” and a “body”, where the lines are only the shrunken form of the geometric plane surface.

5.Conclusion

After the comparison, we can draw a conclusion that Chinese painting is freehand, still and calm, philosophic and literary, implicit and subjective while western painting is realistic, moving and enthusiastic, describable and objective. These distinctions, in the final analysis, are the distinction of cultural system. Neither is it due to the individual thoughts of painters, nor the differences of techniques and materials. Hence, it is significant to attach great importance to the distinction between Chinese and western culture so that we can have a comprehensive understanding of an artistic works.

References

①Chen Jiangfeng. A guide to traditional Chinese culture［M］Beijing: Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics Press, 2010 (255)

②Chen Jiangfeng. A guide to traditional Chinese culture［M］Beijing: Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics Press, 2010 (378)