新中国建立初期,蔡仪的美学思想在强化无产阶级文化领导权的历史氛围中受到吕荧的批评:蔡仪的美学体系是在唯物论的前提下发展了唯心论的美学理论。蔡仪在此后批判胡适、胡风的运动中,向毛泽东文艺思想靠拢,在运用意识形态话语的同时从所谓唯物主义的角度批判胡适、胡风的唯心主义理论,初步扭转了理论困局。美学大讨论中,蔡仪一方面批评自己美学思想的形式主义、唯心主义倾向,另一方面却在坚持美的物性客观说、客观形象说和美的种类说等自己的基本美学理论的基础上批判他人美学思想为唯心主义,使其成为当代中国美学流派之一家。在《文学概论》的编撰中,蔡仪与周扬在美学观、艺术观上高度一致,并在周扬的左右下进一步疏离文艺的上层建筑性质,将具有浓厚形式主义色彩的形象客观性的美学思想借助《文学概论》成为中国当代美学之主流。
In the early days of PRC,Cai Yi's aesthetic thought was criticized by Lv Ying in the historic atmosphere of strengthening the proletariat leadership of culture.Lv Ying declared that Cai Yi had developed the idealistic aesthetics under the premise of materialism.But in the follow-up cultural movements,under the guidance of Mao Zedong's thought of literature and art,Cai Yi criticized Hu Shi and Hu Feng's thoughts.Then Cai Yi's fate changed gradually.In the discussion of aesthetics,on one hand,Cai Yi criticized the formalism and idealism of his own aesthetic thought; on other hand,Cai Yi insisted on his basic aesthetic thought such as physical objectivity,image thinking,the theory of beauty types.Cai Yi's aesthetic thought became famous in modern Chinese aesthetics.Under Zhou Yang's control,Cai Yi acquired the edit right of "Introduction to Literature" by partly abandoning the theory of literature as superstructure of politics.Then Cai Yi's aesthetic thought became the official thought.