Define Non-Western Aesthetics

Non-Western Aesthetics
Aesthetics is a branch of Philosophy that deals with the study of beauty and taste. It can take various aspects such as comic, sublime or tragic. It is a unitary and self sufficient kind of human experience. Non- western aesthetics is the study of beauty and taste of art objects originating from the societies and cultures outside the western world. The western world comprises of cultures from Europe and countries like Canada whose artwork roots from, European aesthetics. Arts from countries like Japan, India, Iraqi, China, Indonesia and African countries are referred to as non-western aesthetics (Oakes, 2007).
An example of non western aesthetics dating from 1980 to present that I will discuss here is Chinese aesthetics. Chinese art entered a new error of revived holistic development in 1980. This was the period during which China opened its gates to the global community. Western formats and styles have contributed to a significant body of work through use of oil painting, video arts and installations in the United States of America and Europe in the recent times. People expect that cultural homogeneity would come as a result of the globe reducing in size, but, on the contrary, intense reconsideration of China's native artistic cultures has emerged from continued interaction with the outside world. Remarkable varied work in China’s cultural medium of ink on paper called ‘guohua’ has been created in the last couple number of years.
In the past, ink painting was the only serious painting in China. In 20th century, Chinese art world was encroached with western formats, styles and media. These took a central position. Alternatives of traditional painting are well known to the artists who work in ink at present. Literati-expressionism, neo-traditionalism, and post-traditionalism are the three major trends in the use of ‘guohua’. Issues which remain critical to the Chinese art world in totality are exemplified by these three. The way in which they negotiate the rising complex relationships between cultural and global art world is what is of great importance to the Chinese artists at this moment in history (Mavrikos, 2003).
Traditional painting tools and formats can be used by artists today for purposes which could not be imagined in the past one century. It has been noted that western frames have replaced traditional scrolls and album format. Abstract oil painting, work like that of Zao Wouki may inspire current ink painters. New innovations emerging from improvement of unachieved goals of different modern and post modern schools of Western art have moved Chinese painting in new directions. These are clear portions of hybridization of the existing global art. A section of painters are strongly opposed to this mainstream. The main reason being, wanting to achieve the highest aspirations of China's original painting in the present world. These artists and their audience belief that an art based on China's na...