Chapter 3, The Way of the East and the Way of the West in Art Summary and Analysis

The art produced by a people reflects their outlook on life, their understanding of the world and how humans cope with the world, and their understanding of truth and ultimate reality. Again, the Eastern tendency toward spirituality and a non-worldly definition of meaning is placed against the Western rationality and acceptance of the natural world. In this chapter, Hamilton explains how art reflects the outlook of two very different points of view. "The spirit has not essentially anything to do with what is outside of itself. It is the mind that keeps hold of reality. The way of the spirit is by withdrawal from the world of objects to contemplation of the world within and...