Aesthetic Appreciation of Chinese Gardens: Between Art and Nature
Keywords:
Chinese gardens, art, nature, dialectical relationship, harmonious relationship, positive aesthetics, negative aestheticsAbstract
Gardens include not only art but also nature. According to different relationships between art and nature, this
article clarifies five types of gardens: the French-style gardens, the English-style gardens, topiary gardens, Japanese
gardens, and Chinese gardens. Based on this clarification, this article argues that Chinese gardens follow the lead of the
essential qualities of art instead of the essential qualities of nature. With “borrowing” and “following”, the natural elements
in Chinese gardens extend to the field of art. The boundaries between art and nature are erased. The aesthetic
appreciation of Chinese gardens challenges the “positive aesthetics”, which is prevalent in contemporary environmental
aesthetics, and endorses a “negative aesthetics”, which we can find its supports in traditional Chinese philosophy.
