COPYING WORKS OF ART AS A PART OF CULTURE OF EAST ASIA

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to outline the Chinese discourse of copying works of art and its spread in the countries of East Asia. The article focuses on the functions and approaches to copying. The issues of the original, copy, forgery, authorship, and identification are discussed. Methodology. The methods of historical retrospection, phenomenological, formal and content analyses were used in the development of the problem of the article. The results. The difference in copying in European and Eastern cultures, the absence of an idea of an original and perceived difference between an original and a copy are established. The role of Buddhism and Confucianism in the development of copying culture as the reproduction and preservation of artistic samples and exemplary practices is emphasized. The main approaches to copying that had been developed in China and widespread in countries that were influenced by their culture are identified. The peculiarities of collecting culture in East Asia, the defining role of China and the place of collecting in intellectual life of medieval society are considered. The role of colophons and seals in Chinese painting, their importance in artistic communication and expert examination is highlighted. It is emphasized that China has not only copied reference samples for thousands of years, but also acts as a source culture for the spread of visual motifs and artistic technologies. Scientific novelty. The research boundaries of the problem of copying in artistic tradition of China are expanded, its influence on artistic practices of neighboring countries is outlined; the necessity of rethinking and reevaluating the Chinese tradition of copying as a process of reproduction of a prototype, preservation and transmission of artistic experience is substantiated. The practical significance lies in the possibility of using the research results in the development of strategy of expert actions, the concept formation of relevant training courses and the search for new approaches to exhibiting works of art of East Asia.