Season of Art (Written on the Edge of History)

Author: Zhu Xiaoyuan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-02-01
Features: The author's intention is to describe life and examine art using a "quasi-historical" method. "Quasi-historical" is my personal term, meaning that this is not writing produced by adhering strictly to historical scholarship, but rather the heartfelt reflections of a historian who has immersed themselves in history for many years and has gained an intuitive understanding of historical scholarship. This inevitably means it is not the kind of writing that fashion loves: its method, though wise, is somewhat classical; its language is too elegant, not sufficiently vivid; its thoughts are too profound, not light enough. Within it, I see the effort of a historian: he tries to break free from the shackles of reality to vindicate history. In the author's view, history is "life's concern in time and space," an excuse that stirs the heart. With the temporal and spatial coordinates of history, the author indulges in the past, seeking a connection between ancient and modern life, thereby bridging the distance between history and reality, making history a form of contemporary concern. This is history as seen through the eyes of a historian, moving yet tinged with sorrow. There is a historian's conscience in it, as well as a historian's helplessness. Ultimately, we cannot but yield before reality, finding a reason for history's existence to prove ourselves. And in my opinion, these reasons are nothing but defenses, defending a belief called history. Life no longer leaves room for history, so this defense appears so spirited. Without history, life would be too frivolous, so I choose a belief called history and defend this belief along the way. The author of this book is a professor of history at Peking University. This book collects more than twenty of the author's lectures on art. From this book, one can see how a historian views art. The traditional Chinese belief in the inseparability of literature, history, and philosophy has made me feel that it is indeed an unparalleled happiness to explore the beauty in history with a pure heart. When history had not yet been invented, or had not yet reached the perfection it enjoys today, our humanity was actually very unsafe. We lacked references, and it was easy for us to get lost and disoriented. Fortunately, history exists—it is the experience gained by humanity at the cost of countless lives and countless mistakes, and it illuminates the world. Before history, even the most proud people may suddenly become humble, because only it is truly perfect. When it reveals to us the ordinary truth in a perfect manner, we know that this is the fundamental purpose bestowed upon humanity by nature—to strive to the utmost, to nurture happiness.