Aesthetics

Author: Xing Jianchang, Jiang Wenzhen / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-10-01
Features: Beyond this practical analysis of "beauty," aesthetics itself also holds an irresistible allure for humans. In every primitive society, we find that many of their finely crafted items have external purposes that can be explained. For example, the lamps made by the Inuit from soapstone, if solely for the purpose of emitting light and heat, would not need to be so smooth and uniform. The baskets of the Haida, if woven less neatly, would not necessarily reduce their utility. The Australians often carve their shamanic staffs into symmetrical shapes, of course, even if they are not perfectly uniform, the staffs would still be functional. Therefore, this behavior of consciously or unconsciously infusing aesthetic awareness into production and daily life not only validates that aesthetic awareness originates from the instinct of aesthetic impulse but also demonstrates that the inherent charm of "beauty" is powerful enough to enhance human aesthetic perception and evoke a strong sense of aesthetics. Of course, we must also recognize that the establishment of aesthetic value ultimately must follow the trajectory of social progress to be realized. The improvement of productivity during the development of primitive society indeed created conditions for the transformation of practical value into aesthetic value. The advancement of hunting tools enabled successful hunting activities. On this basis, after fulfilling their practical value, primitive people began to focus on these tools with an aesthetic awareness, carving beautiful patterns onto them or decorating handles and other parts. Without compromising their practical value, they them aesthetic value. When the level of primitive life had already allowed primitive people to gain free time after physical labor, they could engage in activities with aesthetic implications. For example, the San people would derive great pleasure from imitating the somewhat incorrect movements of special people and animals. What more vividly demonstrates the richness of the connotation of aesthetic value is the waist ornament of the Australians, adorned with three hundred rabbit tails. This captivating waist ornament signifies that the Australians not only fulfilled the practical value of the ornament but also it a new aesthetic value. Moreover, this ornament represents the wearer's exceptional hunting skills, adding a deeper spiritual significance related to aesthetics to the aesthetic value. P64