Chinoiserie

Introduction

Chinouazeri was the artistic expression of the Western vision of China. The style began at a time when exchanges between China and the West were rare. The few street traders who had the opportunity to visit China returned with products such as silk, porcelain, tea and lacquer, which were unknown to Europeans at the time and therefore seemed fascinating to them (Yeung).

Politics

Chinouazeri can be understood in four interrelated ways. First, as a Western phenomenon, which Hugh Honor describes as "the expression of the European vision of Cathay"; This vision of China not only represents Western thoughts about the Chinese, but also reveals the basic human instinct to define "us" from "them." Secondly, at its most basic level, chinouazeri is a decorative system that can be applied to a range of art forms – from paintings, blue and white ceramics, to architectural monuments such as the Brighton Pavilion. It can also be understood in relation to more abstract art forms, such as music, through the manipulation of musical signifiers that, through learned cultural codes, evoke concepts related to all kinds of things "Chinese". Thirdly, this decorative system often evokes a visual or auditory utopian concept of Chinese shepherding. Finally, such works of art became fashionable and highly marketable commodities (Kang, Musical Chinoiserie).

Arts

In terms of art, Chinouazeri artists did not intend to authentically reproduce the Chinese style, but represented European interpretation and understanding of it (Yeung). Chinouazeri as a style was characterized by exuberant décor, asymmetry, focus on materials, stylized nature, and focused on themes considered by Europeans as features of Chinese culture (‘Chinoiserie’).

Music

As far as chinouazeri music is concerned, composers had begun references as early as the Baroque period, with the work Chinese of Cuperin, and continued when John Adams wrote the play China Gateway (Yeung). "Authenticity" can be defined as sources believed to be inherently "Chinese." It seems necessary to invoke an element of reality within the imaginary world being created. The incomprehensible voice further emphasizes the border between China and the West. It can be seen as a voice without words, a device that became common in representations of the "emotional" eastern. The lack of recognizable words that indicate a contrast with the "rational" Western. In addition, the simple use of the minor key is used as an obvious indicator of national difference (Kang, Chinoiserie as Musical Gesture).

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