“社会美”范畴创构六十年之反思

社会美是中国现代美学独创的范畴,也是中国美学对世界美学的重要贡献,首次出现在蔡仪美学中,至今已有六十年的历史。在经历了20世纪80年代的初步繁荣之后,这个范畴逐渐被冷落,甚至被遗忘。社会美理论的确存在许多有待澄清的问题,但其生活指向和现实关注却显示出中国美学的基本特色,当今文论界所推崇的西方审美化理论,完全可以纳入社会美的框架之中。社会美有古代和现代两种历史形态,当前的审美化理论不过以一种后现代的方式强化了社会美的古代特点,实际上是向古代美学的倒退。从美善混同的功利性转变为美真结合的认知性,从漂亮炫目的形式美转变为生活原生态的现象化,这是社会美范畴走出困境的关键;这个问题的提出和解决,也将切实地推动中国当代艺术的发展。

A Reflection on the Creation and Constitution of the Category of "Social Beauty"

Social Beauty,which is an originally created category of modern Chinese aesthetics,is considered as a significant contribution to the world's aesthetics.It first appeared in Cai Yi's aesthetic theory 60 years ago.The category is being desolated even forgot after the initial prosperity in the eighties of last century.There must be many unclear issues existing in the theory of social beauty,however,it still demonstrates the basic features of Chinese aesthetics through its guide to life and concentration on reality.The highly praised western aestheticization theory can be completely brought into it.As social beauty holds both ancient and modern historic patterns,present aestheticization theory has merely strengthened its ancient feature in a postmodernist way,which actually is a fallback toward ancient aesthetics.The key to make social beauty out of the predicament is to convert utilitarianism into cognition,sparkling form into original appearance of life.The raising and solving of this problem will be a real motivation in developing modern Chinese Art.