“天使境界”的终结——西方文艺随笔

End of the “Angels' Time”:A Study on Western Art

艺术的诞生源自人类本能的对立,是对自由的渴望,是对社会制约的妥协。追求神性至上理念使西方艺术在中世纪达到了"天使"的境界,而随着自由主义,特别是浪漫主义运动的兴起,西方艺术开始进入了鼓励自我实现而造就的"群魔乱舞"的时代,再无统一性。当今西方艺术虽不会回归由神性统一引导下的"天使时代",却也不会去破坏社会契约,这种终极妥协之后的艺术可以说是死亡了,或者可以说是重生了。

Human art originates from the opposition of human instinct, and it is the desire for freedom and a compromise of social constraints. In the Middle Ages, the pursuit of divine supremacy in Western art ushered in the ＂Angels＇ Time＂; however, along with the rise of liberalism, especially the rise of the Ro-mantic Movement, the unity of art was displaced by the diversity of art and entered the Macabre Era when self realization was encouraged. Although impossible to return to the ＂Angels＇ Time＂ guided by divine u- nity, contemporary Western art will by no means destroy social contracts after an ultimate compromise. In this sense, the Western art can be said to be dead or has been given a new birth.