Aesthetics belongs to two disciplines of philosophy. Learning aesthetics well requires a solid philosophical foundation and artistic accomplishment. It is not only a speculative discipline, but also a perceptual discipline. Aesthetics is closely related to literature and art, psychology, linguistics, anthropology, mythology and other disciplines.
The history of western aesthetics began with Plato. Although Pythagoras and others began to discuss aesthetic issues before Plato, Plato was the first philosopher to discuss aesthetic issues from the height of philosophical speculation. In China, the pre-Qin period was the golden age for the development of China's classical aesthetics. The aesthetics of Laozi, Confucius, Yi Chuan and Zhuangzi laid the development direction of China's classical aesthetics. But the real starting point of China's aesthetics is Laozi.
Laozi put forward and expounded Tao, Qi, image, nothingness, image, reality, emptiness and metaphysics, which had a great influence on China's classical aesthetics. China's theory of vitality in classical aesthetics, China's theory of imagery in classical aesthetics, China's theory of artistic conception in classical aesthetics, China's theory of aesthetic mind, etc. All originated from Laozi's philosophy and aesthetics. In contemporary times, aesthetics plays a more and more prominent role in humanities, and the imagery characteristics of aesthetic experience are considered to be of certain value and significance to the crisis of modern human civilization. At the same time, the role of aesthetics in China's modern Enlightenment cannot be underestimated.
Aesthetic definition:
What is beauty? This is the basic problem to be discussed in aesthetics. Every philosopher has his own opinion on this issue. This is not a simple question, it can radiate the discussion of the original problems in the world. From ancient times to the present, from the west to the east, the interpretation of "beauty" is complicated. For example, Plato in ancient Greece said: beauty is an idea; St Augustine in the Middle Ages said: Beauty is the incomparable glory and brilliance of God; Chernyshevski of Russia said: Beauty is life; Taoism in ancient China believed in the great beauty of heaven and earth without saying anything; The book Aesthetic Principles tells us that beauty can only exist in aesthetic relations, which depends on both aesthetic subject and aesthetic object. Beauty is the representation of abstract things in the spiritual field, and the aesthetic world is purely an image world.
Classical works
Four articles that have an opening effect on aesthetic paradigm
Plato's Epiphane opened the philosophy of beauty.
Shaftesbury revealed the characteristics of aesthetic psychology.
Barto initiated the philosophy of art in On the Boundaries and General Principles of Aesthetic Art.
Wittgenstein's aesthetic lectures have an influence on the analysis of aesthetic language.
Seven monographs that have an influence on the aesthetic system
Kant's Critique of Judgment
Kant's Critique of Judgment has two characteristics in structural aesthetics: one is to explore the essence of aesthetics from the perspective of aesthetic judgment and the relationship between subject and object. It is concluded that the universality of a subject (similar to the essence of beauty) is the basis of aesthetics. Second, divide two kinds of aesthetic judgments, beauty and sublimity, which are the two most common aesthetic types.
Hegel's aesthetics
Hegel's aesthetics has three characteristics in structure: first, from the definition of beauty, beauty is the perceptual manifestation of ideas. Concept establishes the core of beauty, and sensibility distinguishes it from other forms of concepts, thus explaining all phenomena of beauty. Second, there is a hierarchy of ideas in perception, which is consistent with the evolutionary history of the universe. Inorganic matter is the lowest level of perception, art is the highest level of perception, and beauty has a unified definition. Art is the highest and most typical form of beauty. It is enough for aesthetics to study art. There are seven categories of art, but there are five typical categories: architecture, sculpture, painting, music and poetry (poetry includes epic, lyric and drama). Only by studying these five arts can aesthetics obtain the universal law about beauty. From the aesthetic point of view, the five arts can be divided into three types: symbolic (architecture), classical (sculpture) and romantic (painting, music and poetry). These three aesthetic types contain all the objects of beauty. As long as you master the essence of beauty, five major arts and three major types, you will master the beauty of the universe.
De Soto's Aesthetics and Art Theory
De Soto's theory of aesthetics and art is a work of aesthetic principles that insists on the unity of all parts of aesthetics after the essence of beauty disappears. Desso's original intention is not to establish an aesthetic system with this book, but to establish two theoretical systems, an aesthetic system and an artistic system through this book. First of all, he wants to separate art from aesthetics, which is conducive to the clarity of the two disciplines; Then, after the independence of art, we should see that aesthetics and art are linked in many ways, and they often act together. So, finally, put these two systems together through a book. In this way, from the actual effect, it has become an aesthetic system including aesthetic objects, aesthetic experience and art, and this book also represents a turning point in western aesthetic principles. The first part is not about the essence of beauty, but about the aesthetic object.
Longfield's Aesthetic Attitude
Longfield's aesthetic attitude is a typical example of constructing an aesthetic principle only from aesthetic psychology after the essence of beauty disappears. Langfield formed his own system from three aspects: First, it integrated and systematized European psychoaesthetic theories, specifically, it integrated the three theories of Mü nsterburg, Paff and Bloch and the psychological distance theory, the internal imitation theory of Li Furong and Gullers, and Lipps's empathy theory, thus forming the basic framework of psychoaesthetics. Secondly, European psychological aesthetics should be regulated by the enthusiasm and experience of American naturalistic aesthetics. American naturalism is a generalized aesthetic theory, which will make European theory lose its beautiful unity of structure and logic. Therefore, while questioning the unreality and fuzziness of European theory with American theory, Langfield standardized the theory of aesthetic psychology from two aspects: one is art, which proves the correctness of the principle of European aesthetic psychology with examples of art history, and the other is formal beauty. At the same time, it perfects the European aesthetic psychological system with formal beauty. On the other hand, formal beauty combines the artistic aspect of aesthetics in art, and it also exists in nature and society, which logically contains the content of American naturalism aesthetics. Therefore, Langfield's theory actually consists of three parts: one is the aesthetic subject, which is the foundation; Second, works of art are the confirmation of aesthetic subject and the externalization of art. Thirdly, the law of formal beauty is the extensive externalization and logical confirmation of aesthetic subject. Langfield's aesthetic attitude is also in contrast with Zhu Guangqian's On Beauty, which shows the similarities and differences between Chinese and western aesthetics in writing aesthetic principles of aesthetic psychology.
Susan Langer's Emotion and Form
Susan Langer's Emotion and Form is a typical example of reconstructing the aesthetic principles of artistic philosophy after the disappearance of the essence of beauty. Guided by Cassirer's semiotics, this book inherits the formalistic aesthetics of roger fry and clive bell, the aesthetic subject aesthetics of Croce and Langfield, and the naturalistic aesthetics of Santayana and Dewey, and integrates eight arts, namely music, painting, architecture, sculpture, dance, literature, drama and film, into an artistic philosophy. Langer basically divides art into four categories: time (painting, sculpture and architecture in plastic arts), space (music), strength (dance) and life (literature, drama and film). In Langer's exposition of art category, illusion is the general basis at first, and then there are two or even three differences of illusion in various arts. Thus, artistic autonomy and aesthetic independence constitute a major theme of her artistic philosophy. Second, in the discussion of different illusions of each art, the basic illusion, the art form and the emotional form contained in the art form are always linked.
Mikel Dufrenne's Phenomenology of Aesthetic Experience
Mikel Dufrenne's phenomenology of aesthetic experience is a typical aesthetic principle that combines aesthetic psychology with art after the essence of beauty disappears. It has four characteristics in structure: first, it distinguishes aesthetic objects from non-aesthetic objects from what aesthetic objects are, and focuses aesthetic objects on art on the basis of explaining the relationship and differences between artistic works and aesthetic objects. Second, explain the basic structure of artistic works presented to the subject as aesthetic objects. Thirdly, it explains the basic structure of aesthetic perception of artistic works as artificial aesthetic objects by aesthetic subjects. So as not to talk about the aesthetic subject without leaving the aesthetic object, nor to talk about the aesthetic object without leaving the aesthetic subject. It dialectically solves the basic problems of aesthetics. Fourthly, discuss how aesthetics is possible and why people need aesthetics from philosophy.
Dick's Introduction to Aesthetics
Dickie's Introduction to Aesthetics is a typical example of the combination of aesthetic philosophy (conceptual analysis), aesthetic psychology and art after the essence of beauty is replaced by conceptual analysis, and it is also a typical example of the combination of aesthetic history and aesthetic theory. This book is a hierarchical structure and a reversible elastic structure. This structure is still two layers, but these two layers are not important. From ancient times to the present, they have condensed into art theory, and then they have been pushed away from art theory, which is the theory of art, aesthetic attitude and beauty. These six aspects constitute the structure of the whole aesthetic theory, which has the evolution and theoretical logic in history, today and time, forming an aesthetic principle.
General content
The scope of aesthetics exists with the universe and human beings. As an aesthetic principle, what should be discussed? This not only involves aesthetics as an academic logic related to itself, but also involves the restriction of the discipline classification of the education system on the concrete presentation of aesthetics. In China, one is aesthetics of two disciplines under the first-level discipline of philosophy, and the other is the following four first-level disciplines of art: art theory, art design, drama, film and television art, music and dance; Third, the first-level discipline, China language and literature, various disciplines and first-level disciplines about literature, foreign language and literature, fourth-level disciplines, architectural art related disciplines under architecture and garden plants and ornamental gardening under forestry. The most important thing here is the relationship between the introduction of art (or the introduction of art) and aesthetics, which is produced by the separation of art and aesthetics. It can be said that the artistic types of beauty and the content of art introduction overlap a lot. Therefore, we should also consider the content of subject division. Combining these two aspects, an aesthetic principle should first list the problems to be discussed, and then let people have an overall understanding of the whole aesthetic problem after clarifying these problems. Based on this, the most important issue in an aesthetic principle is as follows: 1, aesthetic phenomenology, which clearly explains what the specific situation is when people face beauty and appreciate it, how aesthetics begins, how it proceeds and what the final result is. Aesthetic typology clearly points out that beauty can be divided into several basic categories and types, such as beauty, sadness and joy. There are small categories under the big category, excellent under the beauty, magnificent and elegant. What are the characteristics of these types? 3. Aesthetic culturology, clarifying that different cultures have different aesthetic concepts and forms of expression, and further understanding why there are such concepts and forms. 4. The law of formal beauty clearly explains the basic laws of beauty beyond culture and time and space, such as shape, color, symmetry and balance. 5. The origin of beauty. From the perspective of human culturology, how beauty is produced and how people realize it. 6, the history of aesthetics, explain clearly how aesthetics came into being and developed, and what its laws are. Among these six problems, the most important ones are aesthetic phenomenology, aesthetic typology, aesthetic culturology and the law of formal beauty. As an aesthetic principle in the education system, if we know these four aspects, we can basically grasp aesthetics.
The development of world aesthetics can be roughly divided into four stages: first, from the appearance of ceremonies and art 40,000 years ago to the primitive times before Egyptian civilization and Sumerian civilization 4000 BC, the human concept of beauty was reflected in the primitive art of this period; Second, from the five civilizations (Egypt, Two Rivers, Indus River, Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties in China and Olmec Civilization in America) which started from Egypt and Sumerian civilization to the temple culture period before the Axis era in 700 BC, the concept of beauty was expressed by a national religious art; Thirdly, from the axis era before 2000 to the modernity of17th century, at this time, all major cultures, including Greek, Hebrew, Persian, Mediterranean, China, Indian, and later Islamic culture and orthodox culture, achieved philosophical breakthroughs, treated people and the world with a rational thought and began to tell aesthetics in the form of theory. Among them, western culture has established an aesthetics from Plato's pursuit of the essence of beauty. On the other hand, China and India talk about aesthetic phenomena in a different way from Western culture. Fourth, it has a history of more than 400 years since modern times. At this time, on the one hand, the aesthetics of western culture has been evolving with its own logic; On the other hand, under the influence of the mainstream culture in the world, non-western cultures learn from the west and establish their own aesthetics according to the western discipline, which constitutes the interaction between western aesthetics and non-western aesthetics. Among these four stages, the first and second stages are potential aesthetics, which can be ignored from the perspective of discipline. What matters is the third and fourth stages. These two stages of aesthetic evolution constitute the historical context and overall style of world aesthetics.
History of western aesthetics
The history of western aesthetics is the development history of aesthetic thoughts from ancient Greece and Rome, the Middle Ages and Renaissance to modern Europe and America. Western aesthetics has a long history, and there are many famous aestheticians, works and schools, which have influenced all over the world. China's modern aesthetics was also influenced by it.
history of chinese esthetics
China's ancient aesthetic thought started from the slave society, and thinkers in China directly linked aesthetic and artistic issues with the fundamental issues of the universe, society and life to observe and think. Although it is not systematic in expression and argumentation, it is fundamentally permeated with their own unique and profound philosophical concepts. In several countries with developed ancient civilizations, China's aesthetics has formed an independent and rigorous system.
China's aesthetic research "Aesthetics came into being and developed with the globalization of world history and the modernization of China culture", while China's aesthetic research has a process of introduction, dissemination, development and innovation.
The Introduction of Aesthetics in China
At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, intellectuals studying abroad, represented by Mr. Wang Guowei, introduced the thinking method and discipline system of western aesthetics into China. With the inclusion of aesthetics in the revised syllabus of Mr. Wang Guowei, it marks the establishment of aesthetics in China. Later, a group of aestheticians, represented by Mr. Zhu Guangqian, further introduced western aesthetic theories to China. In particular, Mr. Cai Yuanpei, who returned from studying in Germany, put forward the idea of "replacing religion with aesthetic education", which made aesthetics widely valued in China.
The spread of aesthetics in China
At the beginning, China's aesthetic research was basically transplanted from the works of western aesthetic principles. From 19 17 to 1930, China published six standard works on aesthetic principles (Introduction to Aesthetics by Xiao Gongbi, Introduction to Aesthetics by Lu Cheng, Introduction to Aesthetics by Lu Cheng and Chen Wangdao). There are also three books on the principles of aesthetic education (Principles of Aesthetic Education by Li Shicen, Implementation Methods of Aesthetic Education by Cai Yuanpei, and Aesthetic Basis of Education by Da Xuan and Yu). If Zhu Guangqian's and Cai Yi's aesthetics represent the transplantation of China's aesthetics to western aesthetics and Soviet aesthetics, then Wang Guowei's direction, that is, emphasizing China materials, especially China's art, is reflected in Zong Baihua's and Deng Yizhe's works, especially Zong Baihua's exploration of the uniqueness of China's aesthetics from the background of world cultural comparison under the influence of western Spengler's thought and domestic nationalism, and has made considerable achievements.
The Development of Aesthetics in China
In 1950s and 1960s, there was an academic discussion about the essence of beauty in China. Among the aesthetic types based on the essence of beauty, exploring the essence of beauty became the basic project to rebuild China's aesthetic system in the early Republic of China. This discussion has drawn four views: 1, objectivism: beauty is objective, represented by Cai Yi; 2. Subjective school: beauty is subjective, represented by Gao Ertai and Lu Ying; 3. Unity of subject and object: beauty is the unity of subject and object, represented by Zhu Guangqian; 4. Socialism: Beauty is the unity of objectivity and sociality, represented by Li Zehou. These four viewpoints contend with each other, from the debate in the 1950s to the aesthetic upsurge in the 1980s, which is the continuation of the debate among these four schools and the systematization of all schools. The practical aesthetics represented by Li Zehou has become the mainstream of China's aesthetics.
Innovation of China's Aesthetics
At the beginning of the 20th century, aesthetics entered the period of localization and innovation in China, with three outstanding highlights: 1, and the establishment of Zeng Fanren's ecological aesthetics school. Since 1990s, Zeng Fanren has put forward ecological aesthetics. Ecological aesthetics is the product of communication between China and the West. What Zeng Fanren saw was the profound cosmopolitanism and China rationality contained in ecological aesthetics. Ecological aesthetics is to inject a new sense of beauty into people's hearts and make people's attitudes towards life and nature fundamentally change. Its characteristics are: first, it is in line with the mainstream thoughts in the world, and it is also related to the ecological situation brought about by the development of China; Secondly, the mainstream of China's aesthetics has always been to raise aesthetics to a philosophical height of world outlook, and ecological aesthetics represents the change of aesthetic holistic view; Thirdly, this school laid the foundation for the great prosperity and development of China's aesthetics. 2. The establishment of Zhang Fa's aesthetic theory. Zhang Fa's Introduction to Aesthetics (first edition1999 65438+February, second edition 2004 65438+1October, third edition 201July) has been published three times in more than ten years, marking Mr. Zhang Fa. Its characteristics are: first, to make the aesthetic principle a real "aesthetic principle": knowledgeable, theoretical, systematic and especially instructive, and become the basic principle to guide the aesthetic research of this department; Secondly, it innovatively solves a series of aesthetic problems, such as the origin and essence of beauty, aesthetic experience and recognition of beauty, departmental aesthetics and aesthetic principles, objectification and symbolization of beauty, aesthetic types of beauty, and cultural essence of beauty. Thirdly, its basic theory laid the theoretical foundation of departmental aesthetics and marked the foundation of China's aesthetic principles. 3. Chen Changmao's new discovery in the field of tourism beauty. In the long-term practice of tourism research, tourism teaching and tourism work, Mr. Chen Changmao put forward and demonstrated the category of "tourism beauty", thus creating a new aesthetic field after artistic beauty, natural beauty and technical beauty in theory. Its characteristics are as follows: firstly, it is pointed out that the research object of tourism aesthetics is tourism beauty; Secondly, the beauty of tourism lies in five aesthetic experiences: fairy poems, lyric poems, refreshing poems, carnival poems and dream poems; Five aesthetic objects: mimicry landscape, landscape landscape, environmental landscape, place landscape and tourist souvenir landscape; Five aesthetic realms: image realm, real realm, artistic realm, field realm and fantasy realm; Thirdly, the system has created a new paradigm for the study of China's tourism aesthetics.