China's Modern Art Education Research

The paper deals with the modern Chinese theories of art education in the first half of the 20th century. At the beginning of the 20th century, the modern Chinese theories of art education was established during the modern theories of aesthetic education had been introduced. As the main practice way of aesthetic education, the art education got the significance of emotion education and aesthetic education. Freed from the moral education and sloid, the art education is independent in the aesthetic sense. As a necessary part of modern education, the art education relates to all-round development of human being. The goal of education is to educate and train the personnel that the society need. In the first half of the 20th century, the society was filled with crisis and changed severely. The goal of art education is to reform people and rebuild the society. The emotional significance of art education was developed to build national character and to accomplish all-round development of people and shun one-sidedness of knowledge education and technical education. During the war of resistance against Japan, the art education was set to arouse and agglomerate the vitality and energy of nation. So in the whole the modern Chinese theories of art education integrated the concept of aesthetic disinterestedness and utilitarian aim of education. The theory characteristic is "usefulness through uselessness". Just with the vigorous push of the modern Chinese theories of art education, the modern Chinese art education developed, especially in school education. So it is significant to summarize the historical contribution of the modern Chinese theories of art education and to commentate its value. It is significant for us to improve the overall quality of students, ensure that they improve in terms of their moral, intellectual and fitness level as well as in their appreciation of aesthetics.The full text follows.Chapter 1, the content is to describe and analyze the course of the modern Chinese theories of art education.Firstly, it is necessary to realize the background in which the modern Chinese theories of art education established. From the end of 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, the subject of drawing and handwork used as sloid became the common subject used to improve the quality of citizen. In 1902 and 1904, the principle of education prescribed the subject of drawing and handwork should be set in education of elementary school and middle school. And the principle mentioned the aesthetic meaning. The variance of education modality is related with the holistic change of the society, and is related with the change of the educational thought and the aesthetic idea. Just because the reformation got deep into regime, so the object of education changed from initiating knowledge and training skill to develop the quality of citizen in order to achieve the reformation of regime. Just as the direction of 'to learn from the strong enemy', Chinese learned the education thought and education policy from Japan. During the course of learning from Japan and the west, the concept of 'fine art', the modern art works and the aesthetic thought had been introduced. All above these factor accelerated the transformation of the theories of art education.In 1901, Cai Yuanpei introduced the concept of 'aesthetic education' in his work of Philosophy Pandect. He defined the aesthetic education as emotional education and placed it as independent subject juxtaposing with intellectual education and moral education. In 1903, Wang Guowei expatiated the value and function of he aesthetic education in the paper of Dissertation about the tenet of education. From 1903 to 1907, Wang Guowei studied the aesthetic education systemically. Just in the course of the introduction of the concept of the aesthetic education, the modern Chinese theories of art education had been established. For example, Wang Guowei regarded the art as the typic aesthetic object. So he emphasized the significance art education.Secondly, the modern Chinese theories of art education had been established at large relating to the aesthetic education brought into the education guideline in 1912. It not only produced to set art subjects in schools, but also radicate the aesthetic meaning of art subjects. In the 1920's the modern concept of art education was accepted by people at large. The educator practised and discussed the modern art education. They contacted the function of art education with the reform of life and society. In this period, a lot of publication about art education had been published. And the Chinese Association of Aesthetic Education was founded. The association was set to develop the modern art education.Thirdly, the modern Chinese theories of art education developed during the practice. The theory had been summarized and deepened. During the war of resistance against Japan, the art education was set to arouse and agglomerate the vitality and energy of nation. Guided with Chinese Communist, the revolutionary art education such as the campaign of left wing art education had developed.Chapter 2, the content is to analyze and summarize the foundation of the modern Chinese theories of aesthetic education in reality and the theory resources.Firstly, the goal of art education set in the social and historical reality was to reform people and society by the function of emotion. So the art educator emphasized the aim of all-round development to shun one-sidedness of knowledge education and technical education in the Enlightenment May 4th Movement. And the goal of art education was set to arouse and agglomerate the vitality and energy of nation during the war of resistance against Japan.Secondly, by introducing the resources of modern western esthetics and the modern theories of aesthetic education, the modern Chinese theories of art education got the modern form of knowledge and modernity. The first, the Cant's division of mentality introduced as the theory function. The second, Cant and Schiller viewed the aesthetic action as the media for human beings to move from a natural to a rational status via an aesthetic status. This theory introduced as the basis to explain how the art education relate with the intellectual education and the moral education. The third, the concept of aesthetic disinterestedness became the theory resource used to define the character of art education. The forth, the Schopenhauerian, the Nietzschean and Bergsonism had been introduced too. The fifth, the Marxist art theory was introduced as the theory of revolutionary art education,The art education tradition had been carried on and reformed. The first, the Confucian or feudal ethical was reformed in the aspect of moral content and the mode of moral education, replaced with the all-round development of modern personality. The second, what was carried is the principle how the emotion affect moral and the aesthetic thoughts of Tao and Zen.Chapter 3, the content is to dissertate the theory content and characteristic.Firstly, on the theory content, it is including three parts. The first, the object of modern education is to achieve the all-round development of person. In this structure, the art education is established as the emotional education. The second, based on the emotional character of art education, art was viewed the best tool of emotional education. And the concept of the aesthetic disinterestedness was the theory foundation to explain the quality of art education. Relatively, the value of form in art education was emphasized. The third, the relation of art education and other parts of the whole education is to develop all-round by harmonizing. Wang Guowei and Cai Yuanpei emphasized the art education to assistant the moral education. And Cai Yuanpei always emphasized the science and art to develop together. The osmosis of art subjects to other subjects had been studied too. In a word, because the theories of Wang Guowei and Cai Yuanpei has the modern meaning which according with the development of society, we emphasized it.Secondly, on the theory characteristic, the concept of aesthetic disinterestedness and utilitarian aim of education was integrated. The theory characteristic is "Usefulness through uselessness".Chapter 4, the content is to analyze the effect of the modern Chinese theory of art education, including art subject set in ordinary school and schools of art, departments of art.Firstly, the achievement of practice in schools is main about the art subjects that is aesthetic are set. Especially in 1912, the principle of education prescribed detailedly about the name, the content, the goal, and the schedule of art subjects. And just because the practice based on the theory the art subjects is not formalization, but developed virtually. In the same time, the art department was first built in normal university. And a lot of special art schools were built. The establishment of the public special art schools is viewed as the beginning of normalization of special art education. Secondly, the practice of art education in society consists of two hands. One is to actualize the aesthetic function of the art education, the other is to utilize art education as weapon in revolution by its emotional function. The first emphasized the aesthetic meaning and the second emphasized to obey the revolutionary policy.Chapter 5, the content is to summarize the historical contribution of the modern Chinese theories of art education and to commentate its value.Firstly, the modern Chinese theories of art education defined the relation of art education and education ,the art education and life, the art education and society. Based on the theories, the modern Chinese art education developed in queasy reality.Secondly, the theories about improve the modern personality to achieve all-round development is significant. It is guidable for us to develop education nowadays. And the wisdom of the modern Chinese thinker and educator and their spirit of practice are revelatory.Historical study and logical reasoning was used as method in this paper. Based on the acquisition work and arrangement, the course of the modern Chinese theories of art education was described and analyzed in detail and comprehensively. It was accomplished the whole study in depth by discoursing the theory content and characteristic, analyzing the effect in art education practice.