Chinese_Philosophy_and_Culture__Chinese_National_Arts

Introduction When we talk about Chinese art or art in general, I like to make a distinction between two categories: silent and verbal. I do this, because if we look at the true definition of art we can debate where to draw the line between art and entertainment. This definition being: “Art serves no purpose, but itself”. Im my paper I would like to be very liberal with this line and see Chinese painting and craftsmanship as silent and Beijing (Chinese) Opera as verbal. Both have contributed a great deal to the culture of present China and continue to do so. In the next couple of pages, I will try to make a selective, but thorough summary of these artform. History I would like to write my paper as an history lesson, mixed with the general appreciation of art. I think this will make the history more vibrant and clearly shows changes both in mentality as in forms. When looking at any form of art we have to keep in mind that it changes depending on the changes in the surrounding environment and the people within it. China is no exception and like many countries it has a vibrant and one of the longest history. We begin in ancient times, those running up to the first true Dynasty in China, the Qin Dynasty. Up to and during this point, painting wasn’t really the biggest art form, mainly due to the illiteracy and the simplification and unification of the written language by Qin Shihuang. Because of this pottery and craftsmanship was the biggest art form and is actually the oldest and most globally appreciated at that. Porcelain, Jade, Wood,… nothing was spared to be processed and altered. Transforming simple tools for dinner or good look and emotional objects that can put your mind at ease. Many of the crafts were and still are to some degree, mainly used for superstitious ends or just to look at. The famous Porcelain from Jingdezhen is most likely the most famous example. After the unification of the written language more options other art forms opened up like e.g. calligraphy. Of course in the beginning only a select few amateurs managed to practice this and in the beginning it was mainly used as a training skill to write characters, because even one wrong stroke, makes an entire character wrong. This rules still stands today, the pursuit of perfection, which then lead to separate styles and techniques and eventually calligraphy alterations of characters, but this was strictly to be done by the masters like e.g. Wang Xizhi, also a great deal of emperors were said to be great calligraphists. This was of course not the only new art form to arrive, another one was fast becoming “popular” in selected groups, because they wanted to testify their religion. I’m talking of course about the introduction of Buddhism in China. The religion influenced the perception of a big part of the population and revolutionized the art of carving. Thousands of statues, big and small were to be found, but also paintings of course. This religious change in a formerly atheist country gave birth to some of the most impressive sights in the World, like the ‘Yungang grottoes’ and countless temples. Chinese paintings is one of the few forms, to always have been around and in essence never really changed. It gave birth to new lines like calligraphy, but also new age contemporary art post cultural revolution, which gave artist the opportunity to express themselves without verbalizing hatred or frustration or happiness. The harsh and long Chinese history has given birth to a unique culture, with a lot of traditions, do’s and don’ts within society which then of course also conflicted with those the new government tried to enforce. This gave these new age artist a million of creative ideas and truly made this art blossom, giving birth to some of the best avant-garde art in the world. This is of course all good and well, but we can’t forget the classics. Chinese painting was a style, very different from any other in the world, when it was first introduced in the world. Chinese painting didn’t so much depict people, because they were important or specific scenario’s. The mindset of the painter had to go further, you had to be able to convey a feeling, not a message per se. The drawing of a landscape didn’t only had to show its beauty in details, but also correspond the matching feeling that you would have or the artist had, if he were to be standing there right now. On top of this you had to keep in mind that even with the absence of colors in the majority of these paintings the painter succeeded. Most paintings were just landscapes, animals or a depiction of a city and the livelihood of that, because of this the Chinese paintings commonly lack depth of field, because mountains in the back, miles away, could actually have contributed to the happiness he is trying to convey or the beauty for that matter. So by looking at this you can see how this form of art slowly changed, but in essence always stayed the same and is still alive. Over time paintings were of course also involved by the dynasties in which it took place and the religion. This is the history in short, but we cannot forget other influences like the introduction of much more and brighter colors during the Mongolian reign and the many communistic drawings depicting leaders, messages and foresights or the Party. Their role is equally important of course, but I only want to show the main transformation in the silent art form, if I were to go in details to much the essence of this paper is to become much too vague. Beijing Opera Beijing Opera’s starting point dates back to the days of Emperor Qianlong’s birthday. To pay respect to the emperor, an Opera Troupe from Anhui came to Beijing and performed for him. After the performance the performers lingered around in the city to perform for the commoners and share the beauty of Opera. This started a chain reaction and more troupes started coming to Beijing eventually giving birth to Beijing Opera. Although this art form was popular in the beginning around the 18th – 19th century it’s undergone many changes, due to internal factors, but mainly due to external factors. During the cultural revolution this art form was even replaced by the ‘revolutionary theater’, depicting stories and biographies of many revolutionary communistic leaders. Eventually Beijing Opera or Jingju, regained its status, but interested only a very small part of the population due to its longwinded plots and unique way of storytelling. This the last couple of years Beijing Opera has evolved and now boasts longer acrobatic scenes, but is generally also shorter. These small changes have luckily not interfered with the essence of Beijing Opera, the high pitched singing, wardrobes, specific gender roles and great stories. Each of these elements is what makes Beijing Opera truly beautiful, because these wouldn’t be as they are now if it were not for history. It also sets this Opera form apart from other Asian performing art forms like the Japanese Kabuki theater. Post-face The Chinese National arts are not something a person can discuss in a mere two pages. It’s long history and strong cultural influences set it apart from all other art forms and is what makes it truly beautiful. One thing the verbal and silent Chinese art forms do share is the pursuit of beauty, be it from the stroke of a brush or the pitch of a voice.