Film and Television Art History

Author: Zhou Xing
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-01-01
Features: This series of "Art Classroom" books is compiled for the purpose of art education in universities. Education is not merely about the transmission of knowledge and the cultivation of skills, but more importantly, it is about nurturing the character that marks the progress of human civilization and social advancement, and this is particularly true for university education. Confucius said, "When you enter a country, you can know its education." Confucius meant that by teaching the people through different subjects and educational models, such as poetry, books, music, the I Ching, and rites, different effects would be achieved in the cultivation of their character. Since the Industrial Revolution in Europe, the modern education system has gradually taken shape, greatly enriching the connotation of education. National education has long since moved beyond being limited to a single textbook and educational model. From the perspective of character cultivation, an educational model that combines multiple subjects is more suitable for cultivating comprehensive talents needed for social development. However, for China, the introduction of this education system has been too short, and it is far from being mature. There are inevitably many shortcomings, and the severe lag in art education is one of the important manifestations of these shortcomings. Compared to subjects that can more directly cultivate people's practical abilities, especially natural sciences and other practical subjects, the importance of art education, especially its position in the entire basic education system, has far from been given enough attention. Humans are animals that have spiritual lives and need spiritual lives. In the process of character cultivation, the special significance of art education lies in tempering people's temperament and enriching their souls through a poetic approach, thereby enriching their spiritual world. In an era where human material desires have exploded to the point of severe imbalance between material and spiritual pursuits, and where character has been distorted, art's corrective role in promoting healthy character development has become increasingly prominent in the face of human survival and the future. Over two thousand years ago, Confucius recognized that "gentleness and kindness, that is the teaching of poetry" and that "gentleness and kindness without folly, then one is deeply versed in poetry." Indeed, the gentleness and kindness in one's character cannot be innate; they require post-natal education and cultivation. If we the character ideal that Confucius advocated, it is not difficult to recognize the value of art and the value of art education. Indeed, as more and more knowledgeable individuals begin to advocate for quality-oriented education, the significance of art education has also become a social consensus. Since the mid-1990s of the 20th century, art education in China has begun to rapidly heat up. In addition to the existing art professional colleges and secondary art professional schools that have been upgraded to become art professional colleges, ordinary comprehensive universities have also established art departments and majors based on their public art teaching and research sections. However, due to the long-term focus on technical-level teaching in the field of art professional education, basic historical and theoretical research has lagged significantly. Everywhere feels a lack of suitable textbooks and teaching reference materials, and the need for basic art history and theory textbooks, especially qualified textbooks and teaching reference materials for popularizing basic art knowledge for non-art majors, is particularly urgent. Therefore, organizing experts to compile a series of works on art history and theory, forming a relatively complete library of art history and theory with works from different categories, is a timely measure. With this in mind, we invited famous experts from various art disciplines in China to compile this series, which includes five major categories: music, fine arts, theater, dance, and film and television. Each category is divided into three volumes: history, theory, and materials. This allows readers to gain a basic understanding of the overall situation or the basic principles of the art discipline with just one volume in hand, and to master the most important historical documents in the field. The authors of this series are all experts who have immersed themselves in their respective fields for many years, possess expertise, and have sharp minds and insightful views. Therefore, it is possible for them to convey the core knowledge and thought-provoking ideas of each art discipline in a relatively moderate volume. The design of this series aims to make the library more practical and distinctive than similar books on the market, and it is also more suitable for the teaching of art departments in non-art professional colleges, for art college teachers and students to study non-major art disciplines, and to cultivate the interest of ordinary university students in encountering and appreciating art. Art has emerged with the birth of human civilization and has continuously evolved with the progress of human civilization; therefore, each nation has developed various categories of art, but the art that emerges in the process of each civilization's development is different. Even within the same art category, different nations may have significant differences in aesthetic orientation and development paths. Art is often national, yet it is also a cause of all humanity; how to balance the national and global aspects of art is a great challenge for all the authors of this series. To view art as a common spiritual pursuit of all humanity and to give art research a global perspective is a new artistic view that this series strives to embody, and it is also a special response of many experts in the field of contemporary Chinese art research to the era of globalization. Therefore, during the compilation process of this book, we have always paid attention to discussing each nation's art as an integral part of the global art system. To ultimately achieve this goal, it requires the joint efforts of more experts and scholars; what we have done is only a new attempt. Whether we are relatively close to the desired goal and to what extent we have achieved it is yet to be tested by readers and peers. We look forward to feedback from readers and peers, and hope that this series can open the door to art for readers and that readers will enjoy it. This book emphasizes the grasp of the social and cultural background. It should be noted that the unavoidable secularization and popularization of social culture have led to heightened entertainment, strong demands for human instincts, and the supremacy of objective market standards, thus severely eroding the tradition of art. Art is a spiritual need of humanity, and the joy of creation that transcends the material level and is far removed from material gains while being close to spiritual needs is generally a beautiful creation in the spiritual realm, characterized by individuality, uniqueness, and emotional investment. This book leans more toward the genre and creative expression of film and television art because the spirit of art encounters the harsh reality of the market and the judgment of popular culture, leading to an unavoidable tragedy. This book is the result of collective research. The editor-in-chief Zhou Xing planned and determined the overall framework and chapter outline, decided the writing approach and key points, and the deputy editor-in-chief Wang Yiwen assisted the editor-in-chief in revising the completed manuscripts.