The importance of cultural globalization in the creation and aesthetic orientation of Chinese painting

Yan' Zhui PhD in Art History Postgraduate Student, Department of Theory and History of Art, Moscow Pedagogical State University 109052, Russia, Moscow, Ryazan str., 9 yanrui@bk.ru Other publications by this author

Artists give their works vitality, which is transmitted through an exquisite modernized artistic language, as well as a number of other expressive techniques. In any era, the works of Chinese painting were the spiritual support of the author, and the creation of each painting language requires a whole process of selecting objects, processing them, generalizing and sublimation, giving them a unique meaning and rich spiritual overtones ^[1,68c].

1. Traditional Chinese Painting as the source and driving force of the transformation of Chinese painting

Chinese painting is basically a traditional art.  Any innovation is a change, primarily based on tradition. It is pointless to consider innovations in isolation from traditions, since such innovations do not contain any basis, having only emptiness. Precisely because traditional ink painting is comprehensive, it can accept and share the fruits of human civilization. With the development of society and the deepening of globalization, the environment and the rhythm of human social life have changed dramatically. At the same time, psychological factors and aesthetic representations of the viewer have also undergone significant changes. That is why the art of Chinese painting has also undergone significant changes, introducing innovations within the framework of its development, which allow this art direction to meet the requirements of modernity, as well as more accurately reflect modern society at the moment.

The fundamental driving force and the main support for the development of Chinese painting in the context of globalization should be traditions integrated with new creative elements and techniques ^[2,17-22c]. Combining these features, Chinese painting is able to bring peace and quiet to the viewer, satisfying the inner needs of a modern person, constrained by intense competition and the accelerated rhythm of exhausting work, which are so characteristic of modern society.

2. Prints of the era and integration in the content of paintings

The subjects of traditional Chinese painting can be very clearly divided into three categories, namely: landscape painting, flower and bird painting and figure painting, which are relatively independent of each other. Landscape paintings mainly depict natural scenes such as pavilions and gazebos, rivers and mountains, similar to Western landscape paintings. Painting of flowers and birds is mainly represented by the image of flowers, birds, fish and insects, fruits and vegetables, also known as "still life" in the West. Figure painting, as the name implies, is an image of the main characters, depicting rich facial expressions, dynamics and features of clothing with simple lines and strokes, thereby conveying their character and inner world. As shown in Figure 1, in the traditional Chinese painting "Yang Guifei riding a horse", the author depicts figures in detail without background elements. In the West, this is called portrait painting. It is not difficult to find that there are common features between China and the West in terms of creative themes.

                            Fig. 1 Qian Xuan. "Yang Guifei riding a horse" Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) 117 cm x 29.5 cm

   The theme of traditional Chinese painting reflects the social landscape of the periods of the past, demonstrating the peculiarities of social life in various historical periods. Each work of art is a microcosm and a product of the social development of the epoch to which it belongs, naturally changing along with the transformations of social life. Modern Chinese painting presents the viewer with a social landscape of the era, with a strong sense of time, while more modern Chinese paintings combine the plots of figures, landscapes, birds and flowers into one, forming a single and harmonious plot of the painting.

Zong Baihua wrote: "The picture should not only describe the appearance, but also express the inner spirit, it should rely on internal experience and translate one's own imagination into the image of the object, which is "imagination"; after some turns, catch the true expression of the object, that is, "miracle". That is, it expresses the true characteristics and inner spirit of an objective object. [3.52c] "As in Figure 2, the work of the modern Chinese artist Luo Hanlei combines figures, birds and flowers with a distant landscape, while both figures and birds are carefully drawn. The figures seem thoughtful, and the environment in which they are located is peaceful and elegant, creating a sense of calm in the viewer in the midst of a busy and noisy social life, reflecting the state of life that people in modern cities strive for.

Fig. 2. Luo Hanlei. "The figure of a girl in the style of gunbi". Present time. 218 x 600 cm

3. Attempts to introduce the Western concept of frontal composition

In order to adapt to modern exhibition halls, Chinese ink painting strives for visual effects and visual impact, and influenced by the flat composition of Western painting, has led to the creation of a more holistic picture, focusing on the visual effect of dividing the picture. Secondly, the compositional idea of the frontal composition is a feature emphasized by the development of modern Chinese ink painting, with thoughtful white space, perfect filling of gaps and attention to the processing of the edge lines of the figure, combined with a purely expressive technique that enhances the overall visual impact of the painting. Finally, the expressive space of images can be called a common feature that modern ink artists adhere to, and its emergence and popularity are closely related to the current trend of globalization, the spread of artistic origins from ancient times to the present day, the aesthetic requirements of the audience and the development of society.

As a result, modern Chinese ink painting tends to be compositional, patterned and abstract. For example, the painting "Riding in the Mountains of the Wilderness" depicted in Figure 3 is painted by the contemporary Chinese artist Cheng Zhongcheng, whose concept of art moves between China and the West, using color to horizontally divide the painting and subtly leaving white space to create his own artistic style and express his own understanding of modern Chinese painting.

Fig. 3. Cheng Zhongcheng. "Horseback riding in the mountains of the wilderness", 2013 80 cm x 140 cm

Modern works of art use frontal composition to create Chinese painting, simplifying complex objects and transforming them into a pictorial style unique to modern aesthetics^[4,26-29c]. In general, this makes the visual effect of the painting more attractive. Graphic composition in Chinese painting can also be understood as the division of the picture and the distribution of space, which creates a sense of rhythm and rhyme.

Each epoch has its own characteristic graphic style, and different epochs, different living conditions, different authors and different psychological activities complement and closely link the created works. Such is the charm of time; society is constantly changing, and the products of art that it brings to us necessarily change with it, so that a work of art will show its value ^[5,87-95c].

4. Updating the language of painting and artistic concepts

4.1 Modern graphic language

Studying modern Chinese painting, it is easy to notice that the image models meet the national specifics and the specifics of modernity, to meet the aesthetic needs of a modern audience. The line as an addition to the surface is the main means of expression, changing the visual habits of the viewer through the formal elements of the composition and thereby transforming a new pictorial style. Over time, the contexts to which the artist aspires change, and the painting styles change ^[6,46-54c]]. The appearance of a unique image model is not only the author's reaction to any external stimulus, but also a close connection with factors such as cultural literacy and social experience that have settled inside the author for a long time. At the same time, character traits, cultural upbringing and inner emotions play an important role in this creative process.

The image model, dating back to the Song Dynasty landscape painting, reflects a perfect creative system, representing a style very different from modern ink painting. With the development and progress of society, the standard of living of people increases significantly, as does their desire for spiritual culture. Figure 4 shows a landscape painting of the period of the Five Dynasties (907-960). Figure 5 shows a landscape painting by a modern artist, in particular, the image of trees, plant species, the way they are written and composition — all this reflects the peculiarities of that period and causes the viewer a completely different visual and aesthetic experience.

Graphic language is the most important element in the creation of a work, and each successful work has its own graphic style. The whole picture reflects a sense of progress and time, allowing the viewer to escape from the hustle and bustle - a concept that corresponds to the modern Chinese awareness of aesthetic values and the urgent need for spiritual culture ^[7,32-33c].

Fig. 4. Li Chenghua. "Stone stele". The era of the Five Dynasties (907-960). Silk, 104.9 cm ? 126.3 cm

Fig. 5. Lu Yushun. "The poetic design of the eastern suburbs". Present time. 68 cm x 68 cm

4.2 Sustainability of traditions

During the gradual introduction of globalization, the development of modern Chinese painting has also experienced an overemphasis on innovation. Such innovations meant undermining traditional forms of artistic expression, and there were even attempts to break or sever ties with traditional ink painting in order to forcibly build what is considered a new space for modern ink painting. Many artists have made efforts to innovate for the sake of innovation.

According to Lu Peng, "The best way to understand a civilization or just a phenomenon is not to look for its definition and interpretation from an ontological point of view, but first to understand the history of its origin, development, change ^[8,1-2c]. For this reason, many modern Chinese artists, within the framework of their work, primarily proceed from an attempt to oppose traditional means of artistic expression. This allows us to consider new approaches in painting more deeply, actively apply them in practice, compare them with the experience of the past, as well as combine innovations with already established traditional methods in Chinese ink painting. Thus, at the present stage of the development of Chinese painting, significant transformations are taking place, in the process of which innovative concepts and the traditional language of painting become complementary components. In addition, the transformation of the ideology of modern artists, as well as the expansion of creative horizons, allow us to form fertile ground for the further development of ink painting, which is gradually acquiring more and more innovative features based on traditional artistic methods and approaches.

4.3 The language of decorative painting

Under the influence of the language of Western painting, modern Chinese painting adopted some of its components, as a result of which various decorative elements appeared on a variety of works. The language of decorative painting differs from painting presented through the direction of realism^[9,36-39c]. An artist using decorative painting is more flexible in the process of painting a picture, and also more actively applies his subjective feelings and creative potential when painting a picture, which allows him to make images of objects more unusual and having their own uniqueness.

Point, line and plane are the most important elements of the picture. At the same time, any picture is a combination of various patterns formed from these elements, which at first may seem quite simple. However, in reality, before presenting various forms to the viewer, the artist must fully devote himself to the creative process, step by step observing, sketching, pondering, clarifying, simplifying, combining and creating what will later be presented in the picture. At the same time, in this process, the artist should also strive to achieve the most appropriate effect based on the decorative style of painting, which should meet the aesthetic ideas of modern viewers. For example, in Figure 6, Lu Yushun's work "Spring Night" uses a combination of dots, lines and planes based on carefully selected white space, due to which the overall plan of the picture is divided into various color and patterned blocks. It is this feature that gives this painting decorative features.

Fig. 6. Lu Yushun. "Spring overnight". Present time. 68 cm x 68 cm

Conclusion

    "The life path of many writers, artists and musicians shows that their work began with imitation of certain models, the purpose of which was to discover their own unique style. At the same time, artists in the course of their creative activity were influenced by external circumstances, which additionally gave uniqueness to their style" ^[10,224c]. Considering the features of modern Chinese artists, it can be noted that almost every artist especially emphasizes the love of life in his works, and also pays special attention to the visual effect of the work, which is formed through the active use of traditional methods and techniques of ink painting. At the same time, the formation of the artist's own style is the result of his creative work, his perception and understanding of the subject of painting, which often affects a significant period of life. Thus, the accumulation of life experience, a deep understanding of life, the formation of character, as well as the regular honing of their skills are the most important factors in the creative process of the artist. At the present stage of development, many Chinese and foreign artists in their work accept the influence of external factors such as social and technological development, as well as general global trends of globalization, which allows them to find new ways to develop a unique artistic style based on a combination of modern innovations and traditional artistic methods.