New Step in American Art Education

Author: Wang Ke-ping, Yang Ping, Li Zhong-ze, Huang Shui-ying / Country:
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: In the current so-called knowledge economy era, the immense pressures of real life are growing day by day. People not only need various useful knowledge as means to find employment and make a living but also require aesthetic wisdom as a for self-redemption. Such wisdom, in the realm of artistic expression, helps achieve the creation from nothing or the establishment of innovation by breaking conventions; in spiritual life, it fosters a taste for appreciating the world or aesthetic freedom for self-entertainment. With this wisdom, people can hope to restore their true self-knowledge, improve their quality of life, and further see the true essence of life from calm seas and quiet skies, recognize the nature of the mind from faint tastes and sparse sounds, listen to the harmonious melodies of heaven and nature in the rustling of pine trees and the gurgling of springs, and perceive the wondrous beauty of the universe in the misty light at grassy edges and the reflections of clouds in water. In environmental design and artistic decoration, one can savor the elegance and refinement, and from fine works such as calligraphy, painting, music, and dance, one can gain various aesthetic experiences. It is worth noting that in Western cultural tradition, love of wisdom is philosophy, and wisdom has two wings. One is the theoretical focus on contemplation and reflection, while the other is the practical approach of taking concrete actions. This original meaning has endured for over two thousand years and was transformed into a "two categories, four dimensions" system in Croce's spiritual philosophy. Following this line of thought, the human pursuit of wisdom in cognitive activities is divided into two major categories: theory and practice.