Walk slowly, appreciate the scenery!"—The art of living
Up until now, we have been discussing the creation and appreciation of art. In this concluding section, I propose to briefly explain the relationship between art and life. In my opening statement, I emphasized the distinction between aesthetic and practical attitudes, and the appropriate distance between art and practical life. If I had stopped here, you might have misunderstood me as viewing art and life as two unrelated things. That is not my intention. Life is a multifaceted yet harmonious...
Walk slowly, appreciate the scenery!"—The art of living
Up until now, we have been discussing the creation and appreciation of art. In this concluding section, I propose to briefly explain the relationship between art and life. In my opening statement, I emphasized the distinction between aesthetic and practical attitudes, and the appropriate distance between art and practical life. If I had stopped here, you might have misunderstood me as viewing art and life as two unrelated things. That is not my intention. Life is a multifaceted yet harmonious...
Contemplating in Art
I. Immersed in the World of Van Gogh's Paintings Van Gogh is the Western painter most discussed by Chinese people, talked about like a martyr, with his sunflowers, starry night, cafes, and the shot in the wheat field. Back in my university days, my classmates and I discussed anecdotes from Van Gogh's biography: drinking, imagining sleeping with prostitutes one day, madness, poverty, cutting off his ear, his skin tanned black by the scorching sun in Arles, France, and being sent to a mental ho...
Contemplating in Art
I. Immersed in the World of Van Gogh's Paintings Van Gogh is the Western painter most discussed by Chinese people, talked about like a martyr, with his sunflowers, starry night, cafes, and the shot in the wheat field. Back in my university days, my classmates and I discussed anecdotes from Van Gogh's biography: drinking, imagining sleeping with prostitutes one day, madness, poverty, cutting off his ear, his skin tanned black by the scorching sun in Arles, France, and being sent to a mental ho...
Communication fosters art, but excessive communication destroys it.
Has art progressed? Does art feel free from debate? We constantly hear people arguing about whether a poem is good, whether an actor is excellent, or what color curtains should match the floor. Communication promotes art. Dunhuang is one example. Paris and New York are examples. People talk about these things a lot. People seem to talk less; excessive communication destroys art. In the global village, anything not first-rate is immediately eliminated, without waiting for it to slowly demonstr...
Communication fosters art, but excessive communication destroys it.
Has art progressed? Does art feel free from debate? We constantly hear people arguing about whether a poem is good, whether an actor is excellent, or what color curtains should match the floor. Communication promotes art. Dunhuang is one example. Paris and New York are examples. People talk about these things a lot. People seem to talk less; excessive communication destroys art. In the global village, anything not first-rate is immediately eliminated, without waiting for it to slowly demonstr...
The essence of art
Not only philosophy, but all forms of aesthetic art are essentially dedicated to solving the problem of human existence. Any intellectual thinker who has ever examined the world from a purely objective perspective, even if vaguely and unconsciously, will passionately and enthusiastically strive to understand the true essence of things, the true meaning of life, and the true origin of human existence. Only something like this would be interested in treating our intellect as unbound by the dist...
The essence of art
Not only philosophy, but all forms of aesthetic art are essentially dedicated to solving the problem of human existence. Any intellectual thinker who has ever examined the world from a purely objective perspective, even if vaguely and unconsciously, will passionately and enthusiastically strive to understand the true essence of things, the true meaning of life, and the true origin of human existence. Only something like this would be interested in treating our intellect as unbound by the dist...
Early spring
At the end of last winter, I wrote to a friend from afar, saying: "I want to swallow the spring in Beijing this year as much as possible." Spring in Beijing this year came too late, and I didn't know where the spring was, and when I looked up, I suddenly saw green leaves and willow catkins flying in the yellow dust. This is true in the world, last winter was particularly cold and long. Every night, sitting alone under the lamp, listening to the howling north wind hitting the window, the small...
Early spring
At the end of last winter, I wrote to a friend from afar, saying: "I want to swallow the spring in Beijing this year as much as possible." Spring in Beijing this year came too late, and I didn't know where the spring was, and when I looked up, I suddenly saw green leaves and willow catkins flying in the yellow dust. This is true in the world, last winter was particularly cold and long. Every night, sitting alone under the lamp, listening to the howling north wind hitting the window, the small...
