Abstract
The theory on “Shen Si” in the Chinese aesthetics commensurates to a large degree with the theory on “inspiration” in the Western aesthetics. However, the two are very different in attributing the source of “Shen Si.” The Chinese theory believes that “Shen Si” occurs to a creative artist moved by physical objects which stimulate his artistic associations. That is to say there is a serendipitous interaction between the mind and objects. The Western theory, on the other hand, is premised on such driving force as “god-send”, “genius”, and “unconsciousness.” “Being stimulated to make artistic associations” captures the main characteristics of “Shen Si” in its generative stage. At the same time, it illustrates the generative principle of that “imaginative” aspect in “Shen Si.”
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Zhang, J. (2021). The Generative Mechanism of Artistic Stimulation and Associations in “Shen Si”. In: The Soul of Creation (Shensi). Key Concepts in Chinese Thought and Culture. Palgrave Pivot, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-0496-6_2
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