Metaphor of Divinity: Features of Artistic Transformation in Contemporary Chinese Religious Painting

Chinese religious painting, which includes Buddhist and Daoist lines, has developed over two thousand years. One of its main functions and reasons for its emergence lies in addressing the question of how to depict the form of the invisible deity in such a way that it embodies transcendent holiness. In light of this, the subject of the study is contemporary religious painting in China, while the object is the transformation of its meanings and artistic-creative components in comparison with images created by authors from other eras, the continuation of the traditional line, and its reinterpretation. The aim of the article is to explore how Chinese artists seek ways to represent the presence of unreal objects and raise questions about their nature in the realm of art. The methodological framework of the work includes several approaches, namely the synthesis of art historical and cultural studies approaches, which allows for an exploration of how the metaphor of divinity functions at the intersection of art and religion. Artistic transformation is viewed as a dynamic process in which traditional images are reinterpreted, adapted to contemporary realities, and/or radically redefined, influencing the perception of metaphors of divinity. The study shows that for a long time, images on religious themes were understood as vessels of sacred essence, a peculiar symbol of the presence of the deity. This was expressed in the artists' striving for figurativeness and metaphorical meaning. The first component, relying on rituals, iconography, and traditional visual experience, indicated visual presence and identification of images. The second facilitated the translation of ideas through symbolic coding, spatial constructions, composition, styles of execution, and color. These two elements are inseparable even in the space of contemporary art, as they ensure the balance between the form of divinity and its sacred meaning, as well as set new paths and creative solutions, creating remarkable viability for such art in the art world of China in the early 21st century.