Volume 2,Issue 3
A Comparative Study of Aesthetic Ontology Theories from the Perspective of Divergent Visual Concepts in Chinese and Western Art
This paper conducts a comparative study of the theory of artistic ontology from the perspective of the differences in visual conceptual frameworks between China and the West. By tracing China’s imagery tradition of “capturing the spirit through form” and the Western representation tradition of “imitating nature,” this study analyzes the essential differences between the two traditions across three dimensions: visual cognition, formal language, and aesthetic aims. The research demonstrates that the theories of artistic ontology in China and the West are rooted in their respective philosophical soils and cultural contexts, exhibiting systematic distinctions—such as the contrast between scattered perspective and focal perspective, between brushwork/ink lines and color/lighting, and between the harmony of heaven and humanity and the subject-object dichotomy. This comparative analysis contributes to deepening the multifaceted understanding of artistic ontology and provides a theoretical reference for the construction of contemporary art theory and cross-cultural dialogue.
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