This course offers students an introduction to key elements of East Asian aesthetics. It explores various philosophies and artistic traditions, always with the aim of considering what it truly means to ‘understand’ a different cultural heritage (hermeneutics). The lectures begin with an overview of East Asian thought and aesthetics, placing them in a comparative context between East and West. We then examine the profound influence that major traditional philosophies – including Taoism, Confucianism, and Shan Buddhism – have had on cultural practices throughout East Asia, focusing in particular on the historical development of China.

A foundational understanding of Taoism, through the analysis of the teachings of Lao-tzu (6th century BC) and Chuang-tzu (369-286 BC), is essential for appreciating traditional Chinese landscape painting. Similarly, grasping the principles of Confucianism is crucial to comprehending the underlying spirit of many East Asian cultural practices. For instance, K’ung Fu-tzu’s (c. 551-479 BC) emphasis on the virtue of learning fostered an approach to art education that enabled individuals to actively participate in the harmonious development of their communities. In much the same way, an appreciation of the art from the Sung Dynasty (960–1279) requires familiarity with Shan Buddhism and its Indian origins. What does the Enlightenment of the Buddha (Siddharta Gautama, 560-480 BC) entail? What are The Four Noble Truths (Dharma)? What are the core concepts of ‘suffering’, ‘selflessness’, ‘impermanence’, and ‘illusion’? Additional influential thinkers will be discussed, such as Nagarjuna (1st century BC/2nd century AD) and Bodhidharma (440-543), whose philosophies contributed to Shan Buddhism’s ideal of the absolute and all-encompassing pursuit of enlightenment. Lastly, the lectures will touch upon the impact of Marxism on contemporary Chinese culture, where postmodernism is often equated with post-Maoism – that is, the cultural landscape following the era of Mao Zedong (1893-1976). 

Lectures

1. Eastern and Western philosophical fundamentals

2. Comparative aesthetics: A Western look at Chinese painting, Su Tung-p’o (1037-1101), Huang Kung-wang (1269-1354), Tung Chi-ch’ang (1555-1636) 

3. Introduction to Taoism: Lao-tzu (6th c. BC)

4. Introduction to Taoism: Chuang-tzu (369-286 BC) 

5. The Five Levels in Taoist painting: (1) Brush-Ink; (2) Yin-Yang; (3) Mountain-Water; (4) Human Being-Heaven; (5) The Fifth Dimension

6. Introduction to Confucianism: K’ung Fu-tzu  (551?-479 BC) and the Analects (Lun Yu).

7. The Confucian Classics: The Book of Changes (I-ching); The Book of History, or the Book of Documents (Shang-shu): The Book of Poetry (Shih-ching); The classics of Rites (Li); The Spring-Autumn Annals (Ch’un-ch’iu)

8. Confucianism, society, and art: Reflections

9. Buddhism and its Indian origins: Nagarjuna (150-250)

10. From India to East Asia: Bodhidharma (6th c.) and Shan Buddhism

11. Shan Buddhism and art: the Sung Dynasty (960-1279)

12. Encounter with the West and Chinese revolutionary realism (1890-1976)

13. The question of subjectivity in aesthetics and the arts: post-Maoist China (1976-present)