art appreciation is the discovery and perception of beauty, so where is the beauty? Beauty lies in your own psychology. The beauty created by painters and poets is the image created by their hearts and the unique soul. So what is artistic conception? The author gives us an analysis that there are five realms of human contact with the world due to different levels of relationship: (1) there is a utilitarian realm to meet the needs of physiological materials; (2) Because people love each other, they have an ethical realm; (3) There is a political realm because of the mutual influence of crowd combination; (4) because of studying physics and pursuing wisdom, there is an academic realm; (5) There is a religious realm because of the desire to return to nature and the harmony between heaven and man. The utilitarian realm is dominated by profit, the ethical realm is dominated by love, the political realm is dominated by power, the academic realm is dominated by truth, and the religious realm is dominated by God. But in the middle of the latter two, take the concrete life of the universe as the object, enjoy its hue, order, rhythm and harmony, so as to get a glimpse of the deepest reflection of the self; Turning the real scene into a virtual scene, creating an image as a symbol, and making the highest human mind concrete and physical, this is the "artistic realm". The artistic realm is dominated by beauty.
Therefore, all beautiful light comes from the source of the soul, and there is no beauty without the refraction of the soul. Therefore, a natural landscape is a spiritual realm. Artistic conception is the crystallization of emotion and scenery. Therefore, China artists are not satisfied with purely objective mechanical modeling, but always reflect the noble style of personality in the reflection of objects. Silent observation and leaping life constitute two elements of art. Therefore, the creation of the artistic conception of Zhong Guo requires the lingering side of Qu Yuan and the super-emptiness of Zhuang Zi. Only by touching the fence can we go deep into the core of everything, and the so-called "get in the ring." Super-ethereal, can be a flower in the mirror, a moon in the water, a gazelle hanging in the corner, no trace to be found, the so-called "super-image outside." Color is empty, and empty is color, and color is not different, and empty is not different. This is not only the poetic scene of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, but also the painting scene of the Song and Yuan Dynasties. These two sentences, "With the pen of chasing the light and creeping the shadows, writing the sky and doing one's best", show the final ideal and highest achievement of China's art. Poetry in Tang and Song Dynasties and painting in Song and Yuan Dynasties are all the same. The realm of China's greatest works of art is rooted in an active, dynamic and rhythmic mind.
The author uses his consistent view to guide us to appreciate China's poems, paintings and music, especially China's calligraphy. China people's feelings of sadness and joy can be expressed in calligraphy, just like in poetry and music. No other nation has written in this way. The author thinks that writing the history of western art is often based on the changes of architectural styles in various western times, and the architectural styles in China have not changed much, so it can't be used to distinguish the changes of painting and sculpture styles in various times. However, since the Yin Dynasty, the style of calligraphy has changed significantly, which can replace the position of architecture in the history of western art and use it to spy out the characteristics of art in various times.
For example, the calligraphy in Wei and Jin Dynasties is represented by Wang Xizhi's father and son, which is the concrete embodiment of the philosophical beauty of Wei and Jin people's simplicity and elegance. The appreciation of art is to form artistic personality, and the beauty of Wei Jin's personality is the most wonderful and moving chapter that distinguishes China's art history from other nationalities and shows China's artistic spirit. Before this era, thought was fixed on one statue, and art was too simple; After this era, thought was dominated by the confluence of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, and art was too mature. Only these few hundred years have been a great liberation in spirit and a great freedom in personality and thought. The beauty of Jin people is the highest peak of this whole era.
Jin people discovered the beauty of mountains and rivers, and Wang Xizhi said, \ "Walking up the mountain path is like swimming in a mirror. \ "They are natural and unrestrained, and they don't dwell on things. But for the exploration of philosophy, it is infatuated. Wang Rong said that "the bell of love is in our generation", and Gu Kaizhi's painting is unique, talented and idiotic, and idiocy is especially unattainable. Jin people discovered nature outward and their deep affection inward. The landscape is empty and spiritual, and it is also emotional. Tao Yuanming and Xie Lingyun's landscape poems are good because they have a fresh interest in nature. They are appreciating nature with their hearts.
the beauty of Jin people lies in its charm. Charm can be said to be \ "there are far-reaching things outside \", and it does not stick to the free spirit of things, such as watching you return to Hong and waving three strings in your hand. This is a kind of spiritual beauty, which can be carved into a calm and fearless spirit when expanded. The most beautiful is the most powerful. Wang Xizhi's calligraphers say that the characters are powerful and easy to escape, such as dragons jumping into heaven and tigers lying in phoenix. Feishui triumph is rooted in Xie Anmei's personality and demeanor. Liu Kun, Zu Di, and Zhou Chu, who are ready to die, are all vigorous figures who have lived for thousands of years. This era is the most lively, lively and beautiful in China's history, and the achievement of beauty is extremely high. This is an aesthetic attitude towards life, which is also manifested in the following two points: first, to play with the present and seek extreme richness and enrichment in the instant present; Second, the value of beauty lies in the process itself, not in the external purpose, and the so-called "doing nothing" attitude. For example, when the prince offered a snowy night, he suddenly remembered Dai 'an Road, that is, he took a boat, stayed at the door and returned. People answered and said, "I came here on a whim, but I came back in full swing. Why should I wear it?" Zong Baihua believes that this kind of interest in the process of life itself rather than sticking to the purpose shows the typical aesthetic life of Jin people.
In this book, Zong Baihua, with his lyrical brushwork, loves beauty and leads readers to appreciate the hearts of great artists in China and the West, as well as those romantic Jin people. When we come back from a walk, we find that our hearts have been sublimated and purified.