The Category of Imagery in the Study of Fine Arts in China in the Second Half of the 20th — Early 21st Century: Chinese Art Discourse

Abstract

The article is devoted to the important problem of studying the imagery principles of fine art in China in the second half of the 20th — early 21st century. The focus is on the category of imagery. Today, this category is among the main ones within the research apparatus of Chinese art critics. Today the fine art of China has a very interesting art history ground; almost all the main vectors of Chinese art development need theoretical generalization. The categorical apparatus of research, which in many aspects differs from the conceptual and terminological discourse familiar to European scientists, is of great importance for the analysis of the development of Chinese art. Based on the analysis of a wide range of professional literature, which covers current research of the last decade (2012–2022), the authors of the article offer the following conclusions. Chinese scholars are actively using the traditional spectrum of art analysis: from the search for formal characteristics of works of art to the generalization of the system of imagery principles. In most cases, the category of imagery is interpreted as part of the axiological apparatus of art. This allows us to explain the essential features of the artistic idea of a work of art in relation to the properties of technical and compositional aspects. The main artistic elements that make up the content of the analytical apparatus include technical and technological, formal, compositional and plastic aspects of the analysis. They represent the “material” imagery nature of the work of art. According to research by Chinese scholars (including Fu Qiang, Jia Xiaodong, Zhang Chaohui, etc.), the system of means of expression is an integral part of the organization and expression of the artistic nature of art. At the same time, the interpretation of the artistic imagery of the work determines the “immaterial” (aesthetic and philosophical) nature of the evaluation of the work of art. It is often based on literary or religious reminiscences. In many studies, Chinese scholars have sought to show the direct relationship between two groups of artistic elements that generally make up the conceptual field of the imagery category.