Study On The Cultural Tradition Of Yi In Chinese Book Art Design

Book and culture combine together tightly forever. Book is a fruit of culture and immersed in culture. The taiji theory of Yi is the panadigm of Chinese people, and it pilots all Chinese thoughts and actions obviously or secretly.The Basic theories of Yi are taiji theory and Five Elements theory. The quintessence of Yi is dialectics and harmony. Taiji theory draws forth a series concept. Some of them are relevant to arts:"transience"and"reality","simplicity"and"complexity","stillness"and"movement","chaos"and"order","artistic conception","harmony between the heaven and human"and so on. All these concepts and notions have been embodied in Chinese book design art.Analyzing traditional Chinese book design art by semiotics and semiotic aesthetics, we come to the conclusion that the book design art language is a typical sign system. The substantial material of book conveys certain cultural connotation, and it can be divided into two stratifications: media and content. Media include printing materials, printed materials, printing methods and binding methods; and content include types, graphics and colors. Looking through those book design art signs'signifier, the cultural tradition them signified can be discovered. Then conclusion comes out that the traditional Chinese book design art embodies the essential philosophical and aesthetical ideas in the Yi mentioned before, such as"transience and reality"and"simplicity and complexity"and"stillness"and"movement"and"harmony between the heaven and human"from omni-bearing and multi-angle.In modern times, the Chinese book art designers inherit and improved the cultural traditional of the Yi. The period from the end of Qing dynasty up to now may be divided into five phase: from the end of Qing dynasty to the May 4th Movement was a transitional phase in which western book design method was introduced for the first time; from the May 4th Movement to 1949 was a time of war and revolution in which modern Chinese book art design grown up little by little; Chinese book art design came to a climax in 1959 but declined afterwards; from 1966 to 1976 was book design art's tragedy time; from1976 to now, Chinese book design art become many-faceted. Innumerable examples prove that many brilliant works of book art design still carry out cultural traditional idea of the Yi from the end of Qing dynasty until today.More over, modern western design theory holds notions similar to those in the cultural tradition of the Yi. So Chinese book art designers should learn the cultural traditions of the Yi, and inherit and improve it consciously.