For the traditional characters in Chinese mythology, it is generally believed that they should embody strong oriental cultural characteristics as a way to express respect for the myth. Nor should we easily deviate from this fundamental approach when it comes to innovation.
Originally, people often had a negative attitude towards overly innovative works, believing that such works no longer had oriental characteristics. The artistic style of the sculpture of Hou Yi shooting the sun recently created by the Academy of Arts and Design of Tsinghua University is obviously biased towards the West, which is determined by the historical background and creative style of the Academy of Fine Arts of Tsinghua University.
Since its establishment in 1956, the school has adhered to the Western art style, and some people have even caused controversy over the school's adaptation of textbooks. Some people believe that the figures in the sculptures do not behave in accordance with Chinese etiquette.
Some people believe that this phenomenon is just a manifestation of internationalization, and that there is no clear Eastern or Western cultural bias, but the result of popular aesthetics, which is the norm in art display.
However, the frequent occurrence of this phenomenon raises doubts about the hidden intentions behind it, as it seems to be having a guiding effect.
Although Tsinghua Academy of Fine Arts has a low reputation in the world, it has also attracted people's attention with the strong controversy it has caused. There is a humanoid statue standing in the academy, naked**, one knee arched, the muscles of the whole body are tense, showing the posture of pulling a bow to the sky, the curly hair arc and three-dimensional facial features are easily reminiscent of Greek mythology.
However, this statue symbolizes a legendary figure that has been passed down in China for thousands of years, which is thought-provoking.
For the sculptures produced by Tsinghua Academy of Fine Arts, some netizens expressed rejection, which is not a belittling of Western culture. The beauty of different cultures cannot be isolated in reality, just as the Greeks appreciated the beauty of the statue because of the gods they believed in, and these beauties were an important part of their culture.
They firmly believe that the naked body represents freedom and liberation, no longer bound by any rules. In traditional Chinese culture,"Still holding the pipa and half-covering his face"Regarded as a symbol of subtle beauty, this restrained quality is the embodiment of China's thousands of years of cultural accumulation, and is an innate and indelible heritage of the Orient.
However, although Hou Yi comes from ancient times, and in Chinese legend, he and other figures wear animal skins to cover certain parts of the body, which does not mean that they have reached a level of complete unrestrainedness.
Therefore, the statue does not really represent Chinese tradition.
This sculpture has similarities with the famous "David" in the West, although it is the first Chinese legend, but it has the same effect as Western sculpture. One can't help but wonder if the creator of the Western "David" was used as a reference to the Western "David" when creating the statue of Hou Yi Shooting the Sun?
Its posture bears a slight resemblance to Hercules, and some have even found more surprising similarities.
Chinese bows and arrows are characterized by a recurved composite bow, which is made of bonded material that connects two arcs. Although it requires a strong bow arm and is difficult to fire at a higher frequency, it can produce more arrows.
One professor stated this directly.
Most of the Chinese ancestors tied up their long hair, and there are various indications that the creators of the Houyi Sun Shooting Sun statue may have had a lack of in-depth understanding of traditional Chinese culture, or they did not know it, but they chose a non-mainstream approach.
The soul of artistic creation lies in respect for the background and culture of the characters behind it, but this statue called Hou Yi is very different from the real history, and its completely Western aesthetic may cause Chinese to resent it.
More importantly, Houyi shooting the sun is a classic childhood story of Chinese, and this deep emotional connection cannot be easily ignored.
The behavior of the Tsinghua Academy of Fine Arts has made people question the mythology of the East and Hellenize the mythological characters in our hearts, which makes it unacceptable to those who have always believed in the culture of the East.
This also makes the conservative wing of the national culture feel disapproving and even reprimanded for such behavior. This kind of flattery is no substitute for our love and respect for our local culture.
The statue of Hou Yi shooting the sun is not without beauty, the muscle lines are smooth, and the shooting posture is natural and perfect, but it may be that the original intention of the innovation was just to try new expressions, but this kind of innovation that abandons Chinese elements no longer has oriental characteristics.
Although the Academy of Arts and Design of Tsinghua University is an excellent institution, the finished product is still surprising.