On the Logic of Imagistic Expression in the Plastic Language of Chinese and Western Art

Abstract

This paper conducts a systematic comparative analysis of the logical expression of imagery in the plastic language of Chinese and Western art, examining dimensions such as philosophical foundations, expressive techniques, aesthetic pursuits, and cultural logic. Chinese artistic creation, guided by the principle of “establishing images to convey meaning” (li xiang jin yi), developed a paradigm centered on “imagery” (yixiang), emphasizing subjective emotional expression and the creation of artistic conception (yijing). Western art, based on “mimesis,” pursues the rational cognition and truthful representation of the objective world. Their plastic languages differ distinctly: Chinese art features linear modeling, scattered perspective, and the interplay of void and solid (xushi xiangsheng), while Western art relies on modeling with points, lines, planes, and volumes, focal perspective, and scientific proportion. In the contemporary global context, these artistic languages are integrating, showing new trends, yet each retains its unique underlying cultural logic.