A Spatio-Temporal Cognition Perspective to the Sino-Western Conceptions of Poetry-Painting Relationship: “Painting in Poetry” vs. “Separation of Poetry and Painting”

Abstract

Western art advocates “the separation of poetry and painting”, whereas Chinese art pursues “painting‑in‑poetry”. This paper addresses three core questions: (1) Why are poetry and painting, as distinct art forms, separated and even opposed to each other in the Western cultural context, while they integrate harmoniously in Chinese culture, giving rise to the aesthetic ideal of “painting‑in‑poetry”? (2) What are the respective epistemological foundations underlying the divergent Chinese and Western conceptions of the poetry‑painting relationship? (3) What is the constructive mechanism of Chinese Liejin verses, which exemplify the aesthetic effect of “painting‑in‑poetry”? Departing from previous scholarship, this paper offers an alternative interpretation of “the separation of poetry and painting” and “painting‑in‑poetry” through the dimension of spatio-temporal cognition. The study reveals that the notion of “the separation of poetry and painting” is rooted in the Western conception of time-space distinction, while “painting‑in‑poetry” derives from the Chinese conception of time-space conflation. These two spatio-temporal outlooks constitute the cognitive origins of realism in Western art and free‑hand expressive aesthetics in Chinese art. Furthermore, the conception of time-space conflation provides a plausible account for the Liejin verses in classical Chinese poetry.