Poetry in the Chinese Tradition

Abstract

This chapter mentions a definite “impersonality” in an emperor's portrait: the real subject of the painting is the awesome imperial role, not the mere individual who happens to sit on the throne at any given moment. Order, harmony and vitality can be use to summarize the aesthetic ideals expressed in Chinese art. Chinese stone sculpture is essentially a linear rather than a plastic art, its beauty being of movement rather than of mass. The stylistic and technical range of Chinese painting is far greater than the Westerner generally imagines. It is also noted that long before the idea of four-dimensional art was discovered in the West, the Chinese had made it their natural mode of pictorial expression. The language of Chinese painting is rich and varied. Some traditions are more accessible than others.