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?
Not all Chinese landscape paintings are "without central human figures", nor do they represent absolutely objective "pure nature". Even when there are no human figures in the paintings, they still implicitly contain the painter's emotions and philosophical thoughts.
2. These views are one-sided.They notice the apparent absence of human figures in Chinese paintings but overlook the humanistic spirit conveyed through seals. They recognize Western techniques of realism but fail to understand that Chinese painting values essence over form.
Part of the ideas are not true. Some Chinese landscape paintings have people, who are very small. And some Chinese paintings would depict reality to some extent.
They misread Chinese "negative space" as "pure nature" and ignore its spiritual role; narrow Western art to realism, neglecting non-representational styles; and equate "tian ren heyi" with "no central humans".
Chinese landscape paintings pursue "artistic conception" and are not without realism; it's just that their way of realism is different from that of the West. Moreover, there are also non - realistic Western landscape paintings, such as some works of modernist schools.
Chinese traditional painting emphases the poetic imagery beauty. They portray the natural landscape, but we can feel the potential concept of tha artist and the artist adds his own emotion into the works.
Partly reasonable. Chinese paintings reflect "tian ren heyi" via scattered perspective and blank space; Western ones lean into realism with linear perspective. Chinese works often have subtle human figures.
They notice Chinese harmony with nature and Western realism, yet ignore that Chinese art also integrates humans naturally, and Western art has many non-realistic styles.
They saw the emphasis on "harmony between heaven and man" in Chinese painting and the pursuit of realism in Western painting. However, they overlooked that Chinese painting can also cleverly incorporate humanistic elements, while Western landscape painting is not always purely realistic and has various artistic styles, such as Western Impressionist works.
The views have merit as they note Chinese "harmony with nature" and Western realism, but overlook the spiritual depth of Chinese art and the diversity of Western artistic approaches.
China's landscape paintings are more emotional expressions, aiming to show the understanding of nature and all things on the earth, while western landscape paintings are closer to the records like photos.
1.Chinese landscape painting does not solely focus on scenery without people; rather, it integrates human figures into the natural environment without emphasizing them as the main subject, reflecting the concept of "天人合一"
When nature and human figures are combined, the figures are small while the natural landscape is grand. However, not all Chinese landscape paintings have a central figure. They conform to the Western tradition but fail to see that modern Western landscape paintings have transcended realism.
There are indeed people who study Chinese painting. Western scholars have noticed the differences in form, but they misinterpreted the profound philosophical depth behind these differences, and wrongly attributed the active choice of Chinese painting to a "deficiency".
Chinese landscape is not only symbolize nature, the feelings, intentions, emotions of people are all lies in nature. Chinese landscape often tends to reflect instead of describing realistic things
i think they are partially reasonable,they note "tian ren heyi"’s role in Chinese landscapes and Western realism,but overlook subtle human elements in Chinese works
I disagree. Traditional Chinese painting does often use scenery as the main theme to convey emotions, which is more subtle, but it does not mean that there is no human presence in the painting.
There are also paintings with illusory themes in the West, which present imagined and abstract things.
These two points are overly absolute.Many Chinese landscape paintings contain subtle human elements,such as a small thatched hut, a fisherman; moreover, Western art also has non-realistic landscape traditions,such as Impressionism.