1)Describe: from the layout of the paintings, what are the obvious differences between Chinese and Western paintings?
2)Argue: Some western scholars argue, based on the apparent formal differences between Chinese and Western landscape paintings, first that the Chinese have the idea of“heaven and man merging into one”( tian ren heyi 天人合一), man is not separated from nature and Chinese landscape thus represents pure nature with no human figures in the center"; second, "Western landscape tends to be more realistic than its Chinese counterpart". How do you agree with these two points? Do they seem reasonable to you? What do they see? What do they overlook?
To be honest,I do not really know its diffence.From my view, I think the painting of west more focus on specific animal ,but the painting of China centers on natural scenery.We are good at depicting more content by less elements that were showed in picture.
The core difference in layout lies in the spatial concept and visual focus, which directly reflects the two cultures’ distinct views on the world.Chinese paintings advocate "scattered perspective" and Western paintings prioritize "linear perspective".
Chinese paintings often use landscapes to express emotions and convey truths, while Western paintings tend to focus on presenting a real story or a powerful scene.
Chinese paintings are commobly vertical scrolls and focus on the landscapes, whereas Western paintings use more different scrolls to describe the whole scene.
Chinese painting is inward-looking. It explores the harmonious relationship between man and nature, between the heart and the universe, and is a philosophical and poetic art.. Western painting is outward-looking. The challenge is how to simulate the visual effect of the three-dimensional world in a two-dimensional plane in a scientific way.
Chinese paintings use scattered perspective and blank space to convey artistic conception. Western ones adopt linear perspective, with rich elements to highlight visual impact. Chinese painting emphasizes freehand brushwork , while Western painting emphasizes realism.
Technically Chinese paintings often employ a scattered perspective and the layout tends to be fluid, with empty spaces .Western paintings typically adhere to a fixed linear perspective. Chinese paintings prioritize spiritual essence over physical likeness.Chinese art seeks to capture the essence of a subject, which is a form of realism beyond physical appearance.
Chinese painting is inward-looking. It explores the harmonious relationship between man and nature, between the heart and the universe, and is a philosophical and poetic art.. Western painting is outward-looking. The challenge is how to simulate the visual effect of the three-dimensional world in a two-dimensional plane in a scientific way.
Claiming Western landscape paintings are more realistic is one-sided, as Chinese "freehand" style isn’t unrealistic, and Western works also include non-realistic types.
Chinese paintings use scattered perspective and blank space to convey artistic conception. Western ones adopt linear perspective, with rich elements to highlight visual impact. Chinese painting emphasizes freehand brushwork , while Western painting emphasizes realism.
These two arguments about Chinese and Western landscape paintings have partial surface rationality—they note Chinese "unity of heaven and man" and Western realism—but overlook the traditions’ internal diversity and complexity.
Western scholars partially recognize the superficial "harmony" in Chinese tian ren heyi and Western realism but overlook human presence in Chinese landscapes and the diversity of artistic styles.
Chinese painting is not without people, but it conveys information with artistic conception. Sometimes when we see some beautiful scenery, we Chinese people will sigh and say wow, it's like the scenery in Chinese painting. Therefore, Chinese painting is inseparable from people.
Chinese landscape paintings still feature human figures, but they are not fictional. They simply do not emphasize a realistic style. Chinese landscape paintings are more often presented in a way that conveys the artistic conception, much like the difference between free translation and literal translation in language. We choose to interpret reality in a way that is akin to free translation.
I don't agree with this view. In Chinese landscape paintings, there are also people, but the emphasis of the depiction lies in the landscape rather than the people, thus the presence of people is weakened. Secondly, Chinese landscape paintings are realistic and can better express the artistic conception and form of the landscape.
Disagree.Chinese landscape painting emphasizes brushwork, and seeks to convey the artist's emotion and natural charm through pen and ink, rather than realism.
These views are flawed. They misread Chinese art—many Chinese landscapes have human figures (e.g., scholars) as harmony symbols, not "pure nature". Western art also has non-realistic landscapes, denying their "more realistic" claim.
Of course, people can be found in Chinese landscape paintings.No, Chinese landscape paintings are also based on real scenes. It's just that the paintings often combine with poetic sentiments, so there are many imaginative elements beyond reality.