In Asia, light and darkness seem to be much closer together than in our minds. As two sides of the same coin they belong to each other. What our occidental intellect divides into particles, opposites, contrasts, and cause and effect, in the holistic world view of the Orient appears as a whole, a totality with no distinct borders, both this and the other, yin and yang, darkness and light.
“In Praise of Shadows” is a pensive and still provocative essay on the oriental perception of beauty, written in the 1930s by the Japanese novelist Jun’ichiro Tanazaki. He reflects upon the different attitudes between East and West with regard to darkness and light:
Darkness does not distress us; we surrender to it as inevitable. If light is scarce then light is scarce; we will immerse ourselves in the darkness and there discover its own particular beauty. But the progressive Westerner is set upon always to better his lot. From candle to oil lamps, from oil lamps to gaslight, and on to the electrical one. His quest for better light never ends, he spares no pains to eradicate even the slightest of shadows.
The ceramic tradition in Japan is the most ancient on earth, yet one that has found vital forms of expression in the modern world. The oldest Jomon pottery was created over twelve thousand years ago but still informs the work of some living artists. Some contemporary Japanese ceramics reflect centuries old traditions while others incorporate elements from an increasingly international arena. Many do both simultaneously.
The Vase to the right is of Bone, most likely of The Edo Period, 1603-1868 (Go-Kômyô). While the Vase to the left incorporates a base so that it may be placed upon another vase, as the mini allows for a flower stem to pass completly through, and is of contemporary manufacture by Nagae Shigekazu (born 1953)
funny coincidence my dear friend...the white vase can be found in my place in Germany as well...take care...Verena PS: no need to comment on the real darkness here as I see from the earlier comments
Ooops... I just noticed that the uploaded submission is far darker than the print or the scan upon this fancy dancy screen... so on that point your are sooo correct.
I have taken a moment to wander through your submissions and especiall your comments, having noted your statewith within your submission of http://www.usefilm.com/image/1139994.html
I have not been around very much recently, but I have to commend you, the very essence of sites such as UF PN PP et al, was conceived to allow for Critiques and not mutual adoration amongst members.
Your comment allows for further thought, and maybe another klik 1day1day of the same set-up+?
In my case I am hardly qualified to proffer critiques... and tend to be verbose... but that's just me!
I appreciate the long and informative notes. And I like the arrangement that you have created.
But I find the image too dark for my taste. The vase on the right does not separate enough from the background and I find myself wanting to see the soft glow that comes from a fine glaze.
From the distinct shadows I surmise that you had a strong light source and then presented a greatly underexposed version of what you shot. I'd like to see a somewhat brighter version.
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{K:15233} 7/9/2006