WABI-SABI

Wabi-Sabi is sometimes referred to as a style of art, but it may be more accurate to say that wabi-sabi is a style of perceiving it. The medieval monks in their efforts to express the transience and solitude of existence, developed art forms which reflected these sentiments.

In the mid sixteenth century Sen no Rikyu, a renowned Master of the Tea Ceremony, upon noticing the austere beauty of a roof tile, asked the tile maker to produce some pieces for the tea ceremony using the same materials and firing technique. The result was pottery with a great freedom of form, sublime colours, and a simplicity that seemed to embody the essence of Zen.
Since wabi-sabi represents a comprehensive Japanese world view or aesthetic system, it is difficult to explain precisely in western terms. According to Leonard Koren, wabi-sabi is the most conspicuous and characteristic feature of what we think of as traditional Japanese beauty and it "occupies roughly the same position in the Japanese pantheon of aesthetic values as do the Greek ideals of beauty and perfection in the West."
Wabi-Sabi is often spoken of as one concept, but it is actually a combination of two concepts.
Wabi is a concept/aesthetic which cannot be truly defined.
Some of the aspects of Wabi which seem to be agreed upon by most authorities are:
· relates to the natural world
· earthly elegance
· has a feeling that an object with wabi seems to be growing from or decaying back into nature
· is artistically quiet, not harsh or jarring
· is peaceful and unimposing
· is subtle-the longer you contemplate an object the more nuances you will discover.
· understated elegance
Sabi is a quality of having age or history. Sabi can be an irregularity or flaw such as a chip, crack or discoloration caused by age or use. Other aspects of sabi include serenity, melancholy, and loneliness.
Wabi-sabi is a beauty of things imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete.
It is the beauty of things modest and humble.
It is the beauty of things unconventional.
The concepts of wabi-sabi correlate with the concepts of Zen Buddhism, as the first Japanese involved with wabi-sabi were tea masters, priests, and monks who practiced Zen. Zen Buddhism originated in India, traveled to China in the 6th century, and was first introduced in Japan around the 12th century. Zen emphasizes "direct, intuitive insight into transcendental truth beyond all intellectual conception." At the core of wabi-sabi is the importance of transcending ways of looking and thinking about things/existence.
· All things are impermanent
· All things are imperfect
· All things are incomplete