Phenomenological Aesthetics from ChuCui Palace’s Perspective: Experiencing East-West Fusion in Chinoiserie Style

Phenomenological aesthetics stem from the philosophy of phenomenology, particularly the theories of Edmund Husserl, later developed by Martin Heidegger and Maurice Merleau-Ponty. Husserl introduced the concept of “returning to the things themselves,” emphasizing direct, unmediated experience. Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology of perception further developed this theory, exploring the central role of perception in shaping our understanding of the world. He argued that perception is not merely a sensory response but a complex experience closely related to our body, emotions, and consciousness.

Chinoiserie, a popular art style in Europe from the 18th century, is fundamentally an imaginative recreation of Chinese and East Asian culture. The term comes from the French “Chinois,” meaning “Chinese.” Chinoiserie aesthetics do not authentically reproduce Chinese culture; rather, they are a European fantasy, mixing Chinese elements with European artistic traditions.

Phenomenological aesthetics offer a unique perspective based on the observer’s perception and experience when analyzing the Chinoiserie style. This theory allows us to delve into how Chinoiserie, through artistic elements like form, color, and symbols, evokes a sense of the “exotic other” and generates an aesthetic experience that feels both familiar and strange.

The Viewer’s Perceptual Experience

Phenomenological aesthetics emphasize that the aesthetic experience of art is not obtained through intellectual analysis but arises through direct sensory and emotional engagement. When viewers encounter Chinoiserie works, their aesthetic experience is immediate, unbound by prior conceptual frameworks or cultural symbols. Chinoiserie often attracts viewers visually through Chinese-style architecture, furniture, paintings, and its distinctive decorative style, vibrant colors, and flowing lines. These elements directly engage the viewer’s senses, drawing their attention to the visual features of the artwork.

The plaque, anonymous, circa 1720–1750, housed in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, image courtesy of Rijksmuseum Amsterdam

In this experience, viewers do not necessarily need to understand the specific cultural or historical significance of these elements but can form an intuitive perceptual reaction through aesthetic elements such as color, texture, and spatial composition. For example, in the Chinoiserie Plague at the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, viewers may not fully comprehend the precise meanings of the floral patterns, phoenix, or ruyi motifs, yet they can perceive the exotic allure through the visual impact and beauty of the artwork. This is an intuitive experience beyond cultural context, which is central to phenomenological aesthetics.

Artworks as a Way of Experiencing the World

Phenomenological aesthetics stress that art is not merely a passive object for display; it serves as a way for viewers to experience the world. Chinoiserie, as an art style, provides a unique aesthetic experience that offers viewers a channel for perceiving the intersection of “exotic culture” with their own through a new lens.

ChuCui Palace Hidden Dragon Earrings

The jewelry pioneer, ChuCui Palace, exemplifies this with their iconic “Hidden Dragon” earrings, where viewers not only experience the clash of Eastern and Western cultures on a sensory level but also unconsciously begin to reflect on the complex relationships between cultures, and how they understand and imagine “the other.” The work rethinks and clarifies the cultural boundaries between East and West, between Eastern traditions and the contemporary world.

In transcending the rigid representations of both the traditional Chinese dragon and the ferocity of Western dragons, the “dragon” becomes a symbol for cultural and aesthetic themes that exceed mere decoration. Instead, it guides viewers toward a redefinition of self-identity and experience. Through an interaction between visual perception, cultural emotion, and aesthetic appreciation, viewers experience the world in new, multi-layered ways that extend beyond simple symbolic interpretations.

A Sense of Familiarity and Strangeness

Chinoiserie, as a hybrid art form blending Eastern and Western cultures, stimulates a dual sensation of “familiarity and strangeness” in the observer. This duality, as emphasized by phenomenological aesthetics, is not a logical contradiction but a common phenomenon in perceiving the world. Chinoiserie employs art forms familiar to Western viewers, such as Baroque or Rococo architectural layouts and decorative techniques, while simultaneously incorporating a large number of Chinese cultural symbols and elements. This blend manifests in the viewer’s phenomenological experience as a familiarity with form but an unfamiliarity with content.

The Delftware plate, circa 1720–1740, housed in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, image courtesy of Rijksmuseum Amsterdam

For instance, a porcelain plate from the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, dating between 1720 and 1740, may feature colors resembling blue-and-white Chinese porcelain and central Chinese-style figures. The aesthetic form is familiar to the viewer and aligns with their aesthetic expectations. However, when Rococo-style floral decorations are added to the porcelain, the viewer becomes aware of its unique exoticism. This foreignness is not jarring but is harmoniously integrated through the artistic form, generating a pleasurable “strangeness” in the viewer’s experience—one that breaks pre-existing aesthetic expectations while delivering aesthetic delight through visual harmony.

Through a phenomenological aesthetic lens, we can more deeply understand Chinoiserie as a complex aesthetic experience of East-West cultural fusion. Chinoiserie not only displays the confluence of Eastern and Western elements through form and visual symbols but, more importantly, it offers a new way of experiencing the world. Viewers are not only aesthetically engaged with the exotic but also stimulated on a cultural level to reflect deeply on identity and “the other.” Whether through the formal beauty of the artwork or its cultural metaphors, Chinoiserie presents an aesthetic feeling of being both familiar and strange, transcending traditional aesthetic analysis and forming a multi-layered aesthetic experience.