| Higashiyama Kaii (1908-1999) is the most eminent landscape painter in contemporary Japanese art history. Landscape is the permanent theme of Higashiyama's arts. His works, while exploring the beauty of landscape, express his understanding of life. Relevant studies concerning Higashiyama Kaii in the past mainly concentrate on the analysis of his particular works, few pay attention to his aesthetic thoughts, which are not only the foundation of any artistic appreciation, but also important components of Japanese aesthetic history. This paper aims to provide a holistic review of Higashiyama Kaii's aesthetic thoughts.The content of this review is threefold. Firstly, Higashiyama Kaii's aesthetic thoughts were greatly influenced by Japanese aesthetics tradition. As the logical foundation, the traditional Japanese aesthetic ideas like"yugen","the sorrow at other"and"decoration"that influence the formation of Higashiyama aesthetic thoughts are explored. Secondly, the permanent motif in Higashiyama Kaii's work-"mountains and seas"-is discovered. Through the various scenes of mountains and seas in Kaii's paintings and prose, a summary of the artistic characteristics of his landscape works is given. Thirdly,"the last sight"and"the heart of self-out", which are proposed by Higashiyama Kaii as the essential factors for the cultivation of an artist and the path to find the landscape in soul, are elaborated. Finally, the significances of exploring the beauty of Kaii's natural world both for the painter and audiences are examined. Aside from the visual enjoyment of beauty, Higashiyama's paintings are able to stir people's spiritual world through the gorgeousness of landscapes. |
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