Известия Уральского федерального университета. Серия 2: Гуманитарные науки (Dec 2015)
The Wen “Celestial Pattern” and Its Role in the Plastic System of Chinese Art
Abstract
The concept of wen is one of the most specific categories of Chinese aesthetic thought, the central concept of Chinese culture as a whole. The article is an attempt to define its role in the plastic system of Chinese art. The wide range of values that make up the semantic field of wen enables the author to consider it as a principle that to a significant extent determines the artistic identity of Chinese works of art. The perception of the world as an infinitely fluid and changing “celestial pattern” in the wen concept caused the peculiarity of Chinese fine arts tradition where decoration and ornament received the status of a phenomenon that lies outside the essence of being.
