What was the highest aesthetic ideal in the pursuit of ancient Chinese art?

Ancient China took "gentleness and generosity" as the purpose of poetry, which is closely related to the temperament of the Chinese nation, living conditions, geographical environment, philosophical thinking, ethical and moral concepts and other cultural factors. This is closely related to the Chinese temperament, living conditions, geographical environment, philosophical ideas, ethical and moral concepts, and other cultural factors. The other art is also the pursuit of this, which is manifested in the art of modeling is the beauty of subtlety, inner beauty.

Sculpture is also the same, the ancient Chinese sculpture gives people the feeling of not like the Western classical sculpture as a glance under the eyes, but the dragon does not show the tail, containing not all the meaning of the elephant outside. There is no swords drawn, outwardly flaring fire, but like Chinese painting and calligraphy with the brush to hide the front like the power wrapped up in the interior, giving people more to savor the aftertaste. For example, the Terracotta Warriors of Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum, the female figurines of the Han and Tang Dynasties, the Tang Dynasty Tianwang Rex, and even the strong and fierce North and South Dynasties and Tang Dynasty stone lions, all have this effect.

When we compare the intense burst of power of the discus thrower and the intense emission of emotion of the Laocoon group of elephants, we are able to appreciate the beauty of ancient Chinese sculpture that is characterized by containment without emission. It is consistent with the aesthetic ideals of other ancient Chinese arts, just as Western sculpture is consistent with the aesthetic ideals of painting. The fact that Chinese sculpture may not be as pleasurable as Western sculpture is like the difference between drinking tea and coffee. Drinking tea requires taste, and if you don't know the way of tea, you will never enter the realm of tea.

Western classical sculpture is closer to the former system, but has few of the stylistic features of the latter. The Greek ancient style of the period of the ancient and clumsy is the natural product of artistic skill childish stage, not deliberately pursued style. Chinese painting and sculpture, however, intends to return to simplicity and authenticity, and to pursue an inner beauty, a primitive beauty, and a philosophical and spiritual realm of clumsiness. These pursuits are difficult to stand in the Western art perspective to understand, so generally accustomed to appreciate the realistic sculpture of people, appreciate the ancient Chinese sculpture there are always obstacles. This will need to improve the Chinese traditional culture, from the root to recognize the Chinese art, otherwise it is difficult to appreciate or to create, it is difficult to enter the hall.