INVISIBLE Z AXIS : Art history through the Lens of Astrological Archetype

Author: Jansword Zhu
Publication year: 2020 (China)
Publisher: Hunan Art Publish
Book number: ISBN 978-75356-9033-3
Character: About 200,000 words.（in Chinese）
Image: 588 images (All authorized by artists or museum)


This book is a brand-new art history written based on the ten astrological archetypes, rooted in Jungian art psychology, semiotics, and celestial culture. It breaks the X-axis of time and the Y-axis of geography to reveal the invisible Z-axis of art history under the astrological archetypes. The book also attempts to balance the narrative between Eastern and Western art. Xu Bing wrote the foreword, praising it as an effort to avoid the traps of society and politics, instead starting from the natural and human essence. Through the astrological theory, the book offers a meticulous comparison of "art," seeking its "method" and "truth"... introducing a new sequence into the seemingly ordered cultural ecosystem.
The book has received image authorizations from over 70 internationally renowned contemporary artists.
The book balances both academic depth and readability, with each section introducing an engaging question. Each planetary chapter also includes a astrological aesthetic energy Diagram.

Astrological Archetype Aesthetic Energy Diagram
In each chapter on celestial aesthetics, you will find a "Astrological Archetype Aesthetic Energy Diagram" that visually connects the entire chapter. Various circles within the diagram represent semantic elements related to the celestial body. The colored sections are the concrete semantics (signifiers/formal characteristics of the signifiers), while the gray sections represent abstract semantics (signifieds).
The larger circles with borders are the titles of the main sections within each chapter. For example, in the Venus diagram, you can find the titles of three sections: "The Beauty of Elegance and Harmony," "The Beauty of 'Surface'," and "The Beauty of Abundance, Tranquility, and Melancholy."
The content is generally arranged in a chronological order from ancient times to the present, moving from the outer circles to the inner circles.

Table of Contents
Every chapter in this book revolves around an aesthetic term and begins with a relevant question from everyday life as an introduction. For example:
"Are we all playing some kind of role on social media platforms like WeChat or Weibo?"
"Why do so many middle-aged men enjoy playing with stones?"
"Do people with a compulsion for tidiness have the potential to become artists?"


Xu Bing's Full Recommendation for "The Celestial History of Art" (Preface to the Book)

My first reaction upon picking up The Celestial History of Art was: Earth has an art history, but do celestial bodies have one? Right from the beginning, the author Jian Chen introduces a conceptual challenge, disrupting our conventional thought patterns and preparing us for a journey of new thinking.
Humanity has never ceased to interpret its own artistic creations. However, over time, these interpretations have finally rendered art increasingly complex and ultimately unclear. The author of this book has made a fresh attempt to avoid the pitfalls of societal and political influences, starting from the fundamentals of nature and humanity. Using the theory of celestial bodies, the author meticulously compares and seeks the "form" and "essence" of art. This endeavor is inherently artistic, like injecting a new sequence into an ostensibly orderly cultural ecosystem. Valuable artistic creation is like an unknown virus, mysterious in origin, waiting to be categorized and reorganized. This reorganization is infinitely complex, as valuable art continually mutates with the progress of civilization, presenting new challenges. The author, with his high-density intellectual thinking, continues this work of organizing and rediscovering.
Xu Bing
February 22, 2020