Historical Transmutation Of Prototype Image Of The Fish

As the earliest food for human, the fish has captured the ancients’ curiosity, attention and exploration long ago. From the realistic fish image to abstract fish pattern, from the deities on the altar to the free and unfettered image in the works of literati, the shadow of fish has been everywhere. In the process of culture development, the human present fish in various types of art form. As a result there has formed a fish archetypal image with rich content and profound meaning. Until now, the fish archetypal image also owns and reflects its strong vitality in the river of national culture.This paper discusses the art-form of fish archetypal image in the rock paintings, myths, legends, classical literature and other art form along the different stages of understanding for the fish archetypal, trying to explore its cultural connotation and unique aesthetic value. This paper consists of five parts. The first part introduces the origin and research status at home and abroad for fish archetypal image, the object, the aim, and the significance. The second part is the origin of the fish archetypal image. That is the analysis for the historical figures and aesthetic features of it. The demands and observation for fish from ancient human and the fish worship had laid the foundation of fish archetypal image, which decides the inevitable myths at the beginning. The third part describes the evolution of the fish archetypal image, which analyses the evolvement of fish archetypal in symbolic meaning. From the original symbolic significance to a vast material spirit space, and permeate a variety of artistic form. After that, the paper analyses the symbolic significance and aesthetic characteristics of fish image in the classical poetry to prove the historical continuity of image and expediting and promoting to archetypal image from the psychological accumulation of traditional culture. In addition, that reflects the richness of fish image from the other side. The last part is about the remains of the fish archetypal image, analyzes the reservation and future trends in the present customs.