Japanese Aesthetics

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_aesthetics
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/japanese-aesthetics/#6

The above article will prove useful as I embark on this independent study. It outlines a number of concepts that are dear to the Japanese artist. Wabi-sabi, Austere Beauty; Yugen, mysterious grace; and Kire, beautiful severing. These concepts are rooted in the idea of transience. Nothing is permanent, and the earth moves in cycles. Hence, all art is imbued with a wistful quality of impermanence. This is embodied in the reverence for the cherry blossom, or sakura. As the Stanford article points out, cherry blossoms are no more attractive than those of, say, pears or apples. But cherry blossoms are only visible on trees for a week before they flutter to the ground. The transience of the cherry blossom makes it all the more unique.

These concepts inform the wide array of Japanese art, from tea-making to the 'dry garden' (rock garden). It is rare that a culture pays so much attention to the aesthetic importance of seemingly trivial objects. I was pleasantly surprised, first and foremost, that there even is a list of concepts that form the aesthetic profile of an average Japanese person. I have always been interested in cultures and the differences between them, and this is solid evidence of the differences between the Japanese and Americans. Architecture is one example that throws the differences between the cultures into sharp relief. American architecture falls into a few categories – one is the symmettrical, nightmarishly huge Gothic structures with piercing spires and arched windows. Then there are the more modernist inventions – the oblong, unusual Frank Lloyd Wright-type buildings that draw on unconcious tendencies. Japanese structures similar to neither of these. They tend to be square, or at least balanced equally on all sides. They are much more humble. The Stanford article tells the story of a Japanese temple that was renovated and covered in gold foil. It looked stunning. But when it was unveiled, the locals complained, saying that it was garish and unnatural. The structure was an affront to the concept of transience. Nothing in the natural world looks that stunning, and, if it does, it can not always look that way. This is where the notion of wabi-sabi comes in. Wabi: "simple, austere beauty". Sabi: "rustic patina". The beautiful structures to the Japanese are those that have bent and changes with the winds of time, not those that attempts to defy time. In a way, this is a rejection of perfection as something completely impossible, and instead embracing the beauties of imperfection.

Perhaps the Japanese aesthetic that interests me the most is Yugen, or mysterious grace. “When looking at autumn mountains through mist, the view may be indistinct yet have great depth. Although few autumn leaves may be visible through the mist, the view is alluring. The limitless vista created in imagination far surpasses anything one can see more clearly.” Yugen is hard to articulate into words, it is easier to show than tell. The word comes from the Chinese word which means darkness and mystery. Art which has qualities of yugen is mystical and perhaps doesn't quite make sense. Yugen deals with the imagination. It favors allusiveness to explicitness. Thus, it interests me greatly.

Related to this is Kire, or "cutting." When the Chinese exchange people came to our creative writing class, they told us that Hemingway was very popular in China. And, as I see now, this is related to Kire. Kire is the philosophy that states "you can say loads by not saying anything at all." An example of this is haiku, where the author gives you only the bare essentials of an image.

Keep in mind I have only just begun to explore these concepts, but they are all incredibly fascinating and they were just what I was looking for in terms of finding art that is uniquely East-asian. I look forward to exploring real examples of these aesthetic ideas and hopefully trying to express the myself.