今日讲座｜包华石系列讲座第二讲：从图像学看“任人唯贤”与“平等”

时间： 2024年10月16日（周三） 14:00-17:00

地点： 北京大学百周年纪念讲堂202会议室

主讲人 ：包华石

主持人： 刘晨（北京大学艺术学院研究员）

对话人： 黄小峰（中央美术学院人文学院教授）

从古希腊之前到18世纪晚期，欧洲社会是根据世袭地位的等级来排序的。这种排名对治理体系至关重要。地位高的人享有特权，地位低的人受到粗暴对待。中国在古典和中世纪时期也是如此。等级社会制度植根于这样一种观念，即不同等级的人是由高价值或低价值的物质组成的，这些物质永远不会混合在一起。这就是为什么社会等级在中古时期的中国以及中世纪和早期现代欧洲的图像内容和结构中都可见到。中国的汉宋时期，以任人唯贤的社会制度消除了等级制度。因此，在不同社会背景的个人得以参与国事。这些新的社会理想在中国的汉宋艺术中都可以清晰地看到。17世纪初，欧洲人了解了中国的任人唯贤制度。很快，中产阶级的文人开始提倡这种思想。对于英国的自由思想家和美国的开国元勋们来说，“平等”仅仅是消除继承的地位。对他们来说，中国的任人唯贤的社会是贵族制度之外的唯一选择。这些新理想的影响在18世纪的欧美绘画中也可以清楚地看到。

From before the time of the Greeks until the late 18th century European society was ranked according to hereditary status levels. This ranking was essential to the system of governance. High ranking people were privileged while low ranking people were punished. This was the case in China also during the classical and medieval periods. A ranked social system is rooted in the idea that the people in different ranks are made of high value or low value substances that can never mix. That is why social ranking is visible in both the content and structure of pictures from medieval China as well as medieval and early modern Europe.  The merit-based social system of Han and Song China eliminated the ranking. That freed individuals from many social backgrounds to participate in government. These new social ideals can be seen clearly in the art of both Han and Song China. In the early 17th century Europeans learned about China’s merit-based system. Soon middle class literati began to promote the idea. For English Free Thinkers and  America’s Founding Fathers, “equality” was simply the elimination of inherited status. For them, China’s merit-based  society offered the only alternative to an aristocratic system. The effects of these new ideals also can be seen clearly in European and American pictures of the 18th century.