Hsieh Ho: The Most Important Theory In Chinese Art

Xie He, also known as Hsieh Ho, was an important painter, writer, art historian, and critic during the sixth century in Southern Qi China. His text and principles on painting became the theoretical foundation and central theory for all art pieces and artists alive and to come in China as well as the broader Asian region. Like the most common art principles, these principles were and can still be used to evaluate the success of an art piece, according to The University of Hong Kong Faculty of Architecture Research Team as well as The Hong Kong Institute of Architects, which have said that they are a “aesthetic-political standard that can be applied to historic buildings or to the appreciation of Chinese art and architecture even today.” Both

in fact Xie He wrote that “Even if the artist is skillful, he will not be able to elevate himself above an ordinary craftsman. Their art will be called painting, but in fact it will not be a true art. The Spirit Resonance is a gift of heavens, a natural talent one is born with. It pours straight out of one’s soul.” This first principal describes the vibrancy and power of the piece and the spiritual relationship that it has with the world. In a painting, spirit resonance is created through the expression of the artist’s balance in their energy and harmony, while in architecture the spatial vibrancy is established through the organisation of spatial sequences and experience when ‘delight’ is passed to the audience. Damian Chavez on Xie He’s principles, has said that “the most important principle of painting [spirit resonance] is the thing least guaranteed by the rules of art and design, yet instrumental for making

This idea can be transferred into architecture through the use of an axis, local symmetry, and expression of structure for example roofing lining, brackets, or exposed steel structures. Where “spatial hierarchy and structural importance are shown in a systematic way, like a skeleton”