Art Philosophy

Author: (French) Danne/Zhang Wei
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-08-01
Features: The Philosophy of Art is a "monumental work on art, history, and human culture," and it "adopts not the form of a typical textbook but profound insights into the major trends of artistic development." Danne advocated that academic research should "start from facts, not from doctrines; seek to explore laws rather than impart lessons, and prove those laws." He believed that the nature and appearance of material and spiritual civilizations depend on three major factors: race, environment, and era. Based on this principle, he elaborated on the artistic schools of Italy, the Netherlands, and ancient civilizations. The final section, "Ideal in Art," represents Danne's aesthetics. The entire work is not only meticulously organized and lucid but also imbued with passion, vivid imagery, and rich colors, completely free of the dry and tedious flaws common in theoretical essays. The Philosophy of Art in its illustrated (treasured edition) is divided into two volumes: the illustrated edition and the text edition. The illustrated edition features a carefully selected collection of 522 images, including 484 color illustrations, all meticulously retaken by the elderly photographer, Mr. Chen Yuan, who was 80 years old at the time. The Philosophy of Art is a "monumental work on art, history, and human culture," and it "adopts not the form of a typical textbook but profound insights into the major trends of artistic development." Danne advocated that academic research should "start from facts, not from doctrines; seek to explore laws rather than impart lessons, and prove those laws." He believed that the nature and appearance of material and spiritual civilizations depend on three major factors: race, environment, and era. Based on this principle, he elaborated on the artistic schools of Italy, the Netherlands, and ancient civilizations. The final section, "Ideal in Art," represents Danne's aesthetics. The entire work is not only meticulously organized and lucid but also imbued with passion, vivid imagery, and rich colors, completely free of the dry and tedious flaws common in theoretical essays.