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15November 2007Photo Life
WABI-SABI BY RICHARD MARTIN“WABI-SABI IS A BEAUTY OF THINGS IMPERFECT, IMPERMANENT, ANDINCOMPLETE. IT IS A BEAUTY OF THINGS MODEST AND HUMBLE. IT IS A
BEAUTY OF THINGS UNCONVENTIONAL”LEONARD KOREN
Wabi-sabi represents a comprehensiveJapanese aesthetic focused on the accept-
ance of impermanence or transience. The phrase,meaning an aesthetic sensibility, comes from twoof the key Japanese aesthetic concepts: wabi andsabi. Their definitions are difficult to explain ortranslate precisely in Western terms. The aestheticis sometimes described as one of beauty that is“imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete,” accord-ing to Leonard Koren in his book Wabi-Sabi: forArtists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers. It is a con-cept derived from the Buddhist assertion of the firstnoble truth: Dukkha, or in Japanese, mujyou(impermanence). According to Koren, wabi-sabi isthe most conspicuous and characteristic feature ofwhat we think of as traditional Japanese beauty
This article is about looking at the everyday, the commonplace, and finding magic in theordinary—a reminder that nothing in life, or design, is perfect. It is about appreciating theaesthetic concept of wabi-sabi, finding it or seeing it in things that already exist in the visualworld around us—to encourage and develop an intuitive way of seeing that involves becomingaware of the moments that make life rich and paying attention to the simple pleasures that canbe over-shadowed by the chaos and excess of our consumerist society.
Andrew Juniper suggests, “If an object or expression can bring about, within us, a sense of serene melancholy and aspiritual longing, then that object could be said to be wabi-sabi.” Richard R. Powell summarizes by saying, “It (wabi-sabi) nurtures all that is authentic by acknowledging three simple realities: nothing lasts, nothing is finished, andnothing is perfect.”
and it “occupies roughly the same position in theJapanese pantheon of aesthetic values as do theGreek ideals of beauty and perfection in the West.”
The idea of wabi-sabi speaks of a readiness toaccept things as they are. This is contrary toWestern ideals that emphasize progress andgrowth as necessary components to daily living.Wabi-sabi’s fundamental nature is about process,not final product, about decay and aging, notgrowth. This concept requires the art of “slow-ness”, a willingness to concentrate on the thingsthat are often overlooked, the imperfections andthe marks recording the passing of time. For me,this is the perfect antidote to the invasive, slick,saccharine, corporate style of beauty.
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DEFINITIONS:Wabi Wabi symbolizes rustic beauty and quiet-ness. It also denotes simplicity and stillness andcan apply to both man-made and natural objects.It can also refer to quirks and anomalies in things,a unique one-of-a-kind flaw, for example, whichsometimes occurs during the process of produc-tion or creation.
Sabi Sabi refers to things whose beauty can comeonly with age, indicative of natural processes thatresult in objects that are irregular, unpretentious,
“Wabi is the quality of a rustic, yet refined, soli-tary beauty. Sabi is that trait, be it the green cor-rosion of bronze, or the pattern of moss andlichen on wood and stone, that comes withweathering and age.”Reflections of the Spirit: Japanese Gardens inAmerica, by Maggie Oster
“The word wabi (...) does not lend itself readilyto translation, for it can mean a number of things:loneliness, desolation, rustic simplicity, quiettaste, a gentle affection for antique, unostenta-tious, and rather melancholy refinement.” The Classic Tradition in Japanese Architecture:Modern Versions of the Sukiya Style, by Teiji Itohand Yukio Futagawa
“Wabi-sabi is a beauty of things imperfect, imper-manent, and incomplete. It is a beauty of thingsmodest and humble. It is a beauty of thingsunconventional. (...) The closest English word towabi-sabi is probably ‘rustic’. ...Things wabi-sabiare unstudied and inevitable looking. (…)Unpretentious. (…) Their craftsmanship may beimpossible to discern.”Wabi-Sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets &Philosophers, by Leonard Koren
“A certain love of roughness is involved, behindwhich lurks a hidden beauty, to which we referin our peculiar adjectives shibui, wabi, and sabi.It is this beauty with inner implications that isreferred to as shibui. It is not a beauty displayed
and ambiguous. It refers to the patina, such as avery old bronze statue or copper roof turnedgreen. It also incorporates an appreciation of thecycles of life.
An article published in the Nanaimo Daily News,describes sabi as, “a word that originated inJapanese poetry. It expresses the feeling that youget in the autumn when the geese are flying southand the leaves are falling. It is a sort of sombrelonging that is felt in the muted colours and earthyaroma of a forest preparing for winter.”
FURTHER VIEWS ON THE SUBJECTThe following excerpts are from a selection ofbooks on the aesthetic concept of wabi-sabi.
THE IDEA OF WABI-SABI SPEAKS OF AREADINESS TO ACCEPT THINGS AS THEY ARE.
Sabi is beauty or serenity that comes with age, when the life of the object and its impermanence are suggested in itspatina and wear.
The essence of wabi-sabi is that true beauty, whether it comes from an object, architecture, or visual art, doesn’treveal itself until the winds of time have had their say. Rusted metal, for example, has an essence that is lacking innew polished material. Beauty is in the scratches, the worn spots, and the imperfect lines.
© RICHARD MARTIN © RICHARD MARTIN
18 November 2007 Photo Life 19November 2007Photo Life
rustic, imperfect, or even decayed, an aestheticsensibility that finds a melancholic beauty in theimpermanence of all things.”Wabi-Sabi: The Japanese Art of Impermanence,by Andrew Juniper
“The term wabi-sabi suggests such qualities asimpermanence, humbleness, asymmetry, andimperfection. These underlying principles arediametrically opposed to those of their Westerncounterparts, whose values are rooted in theHellenic worldview that values permanence,grandeur, symmetry, and perfection.”Wabi-Sabi: The Japanese Art of Impermanence,by Andrew Juniper
before the viewer by its creator. A piece that willlead the viewer to draw beauty out of it for them-selves. The world may abound with differentaspects of beauty. Each person, according to hisdisposition and environment, will feel a specialaffinity to one or another aspect. But when theirtaste grows more refined, they will necessarilyarrive at the beauty that is shibui.”The Unknown Craftsman: A Japanese Insight intoBeauty, by Soetsu Yanagi and Bernard Leach
“Wabi-sabi is an intuitive appreciation of a tran-sient beauty in the physical world that reflects theirreversible flow of life in the spiritual world. It isan understated beauty that exists in the modest,
Make a selection from the list below and go out and make a series of images utilizing some of thesewabi-sabi qualities as themes for a photography assignment. Document flowers past their prime, visitjunkyards, explore the underside of sailboats during dry dock, torn posters, and alleyways. In nature,explore organic texture, pursuing an unhindered natural process.
UnpretentiousUnderstated
Irregular Earthy Simple
AmbiguousUnassuming
Suggestion of natural process
ASSIGNMENTS
“‘Greatness exists in the inconspicuous and overlooked details. Wabi-sabi represents the exact opposite of theWestern ideal of great beauty as something monumental, spectacular and enduring. Wabi-sabi is about the minor andthe hidden, the tentative and the ephemeral: things so subtle and evanescent they are invisible to vulgar eyes.” FromWabi-Sabi: for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers, by Leonard Koren.
© RICHARD MARTIN
© RICHARD MARTIN © RICHARD MARTIN
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Fineline
20 November 2007 Photo Life
Koren, Leonard, Wabi-sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers (Berkeley: Stone Bridge Press, 1994).
Juniper, Andrew, Wabi-Sabi: The Japanese Art of Impermanence (Boston: Tuttle Publishing, 2003).
Powell, Richard R., Wabi Sabi Simple (Adams Media, 2004).
SUGGESTED READING
BIO: A long-time contributor to Photo Life, Richard pursues photography as a medium of visual expression. Well-known for sharing his enthusiasm, creative vision, and passion for the medium, Richard has been leading annualphotography and visual design workshops in his native Kingston, Ont. for 15 years. He also conducts workshops, tours,and seminars around the world, including in Cuba, Sicily, Venice, Tuscany, Provence, Seattle, San Francisco, Vancouver,and Montréal. For up-to-date information about Richard’s workshops and schedule, subscribe on-line to receive hisnewsletter at www.richardmartinphoto.com. You can also contact Richard at [email protected].
© RICHARD MARTIN
2 NATIONAL GALLERY OF CANADA
EXHIBITIONSSNAPJUDGMENTSNEW POSITIONS IN CONTEMPORARYAFRICANPHOTOGRAPHY
12 October 2007 to 6 January 2008
Organized by the International Center of Photography, with lead support from Altria Group, Inc., and the ICPExhibitions Committee.
PASCALGRANDMAISON
16 November 2007 to 17 February 2008
Presented by
Organized and circulated by the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, a provincially owned corporationfunded by the Ministère de la Culture, des Communications et de la Condition féminine du Québec.
The CMCP is an affiliate of the National Gallery of Canada.
PHOTOGRAPHY
380, Sussex Drive, Ottawa613-990-1985 1-800-319-ARTS national.gallery.ca
Boubacar Touré Mandémory, Colors of Fishing (detail), from the series Capitales Africaines, c./v. 2000-2005. © Boubacar Touré Mandémory. Courtesy of the artist. Pascal Grandmaison, Verre 2, 2004-2005. Collection of Pierre Bourgie,Montreal. Courtesy of the Galerie René Blouin.
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