The Eastern Echo of the Thinking of Being: A Study of Zao Wou-Ki’s Painting from the Perspectives of Heidegger and Taoism

Abstract

This paper focuses on the art of Zao Wou-Ki, interpreting it through the dual perspectives of Heidegger’s philosophy of Being and Taoist thought. In response to the current lack of application of cross-cultural philosophical dialogue in the field of art, and the fact that existing studies on Zao Wou-Ki tend to emphasize stylistic analysis rather than philosophical depth, this research aims to reveal that Zao’s abstract paintings visually articulate both Heidegger’s “ontological difference” and the Taoist notion of “mysterious unity”, thereby demonstrating the universality of fundamental issues in the aesthetics of art.