kitarist -> RE: East is east (Feb. 24 2018 17:43:17)
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I think in general there are identifiable differences in Japanese vs. western art aesthetics, but I was worried it was just some confirmation bias from recognizing examples and elements as I was reading this. However now that I looked around for actual research, I found some interesting bits and pieces. Still, "Almost any general statement made about Japanese aesthetics can easily be disputed and even disproved by citing well-known contrary examples." Keene (1969). Some interesting (or pithy) quotes from research papers. A number of these ideas resonate with the flamenco experience actually. "while the Western culture typically “believes in control of nature” and “romanticizes technology,” the Japanese culture “believes in the fundamental uncontrollability of nature” and “romanticizes the nature” (Koren, 2008, p.27) Some from Keene (1969): "A number of headings under which Japanese aesthetics might be discussed come to mind: suggestion, irregularity, simplicity, and [impermanence]." "Beginnings that suggest what is to come, or ends that suggest what has been, allow the imagination room to expand beyond the literal facts to the limits of the capacities of the reader of a poem, the spectator at a Noh play, or the connoisseur of a monochrome painting." "The emphasis on beginnings and ends implied a rejection of regularity as well as of perfection." "By choosing suggestion and simplicity the Japanese forfeited a part of the possible artistic effects, but when they succeeded they created works of art of a beauty unaffected by the shifting tides of taste." "Beyond the preference for simplicity and the natural qualities of things lies what is perhaps the most distinctively Japanese aesthetic ideal, perishability. [...] The visible presence of perishability in the cracked tea bowl carefully mended in gold has been appreciated not because it makes the object an indisputable antique, but because without the possibility of aging with time and usage there could be no real beauty." Now from The Moral Dimension of Japanese Aesthetics (2007) by Saito: "Japanese aesthetic concepts, such as wabi, sabi, yugen, iki, and mono no aware, have become better known, some even popularized today. [...] The authors of all these studies generally characterize Japanese aesthetics by focusing on aesthetic concepts and phenomena that are "unique to" Japan and ''different from" non-Japanese aesthetic traditions, the Western aesthetic tradition in particular. [...] I characterize the long-held Japanese aesthetic tradition to be morally based by promoting respect, care, and consideration for others, both humans and nonhumans." "Concern for the aesthetic in our everyday life is neither frivolous nor trivial. It has a close connection to the moral dimension of our lives. Eaton points out that, ultimately, there is a "connection between being a person who has aesthetic experience and being a person who has sympathies and insights of a kind required for successful social interaction."" Keene, D. 1969. Japanese Aesthetics. Philosophy East and West, Vol. 19(3), pp. 293-306. Koren, L. (2008). Wabi-sabi for artists, designers, poets & philosophers. Saito, Y. (1997). The Japanese aesthetics of imperfection and insufficiency. The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, 55(4), 377-385. Saito, Y. (2007). The moral dimension of Japanese aesthetics. The Journal of aesthetics and art criticism, 65(1), 85-97.
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