In his series of pictures, Michael Barth unites the basic principles of Japanese aesthetics of balance and harmony. Following the 'utsukushii mono',
'The Creation of the Beautiful', coherent, traditional conceptions are made clear here. Beauty is generally described by the term '美bi'. It finds his counterparts in almost all parts of life, from everyday life over aesthetic education up to the fine arts. In contrast to Western aesthetics, where the focus is on man-made, Japanese aesthetics characterizes the 'non-conflict with nature'. Here the cultivated human being is like the wind, with free self, without attachment able to overcome the substantial ego, which is recognized by Buddhism as an illusion. The free self is described as 'empty' or as Buddha nature. The invisible space corresponds to this emptiness, defines the material level and is considered to be the connection to the spiritual world.
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間
間 ma, the space in between.
間 ma is a spatio-temporal concept of Japanese culture whose roots lie in Shintoism and Zen Buddhism.
The character 間 ma (also kan, ken, aida, or awai read) shows a gate in which the sun (early moon). Depending on the context, 間 ma is the emptiness, the silence, the interval, the split time, the break, the distance or the difference. The gate encloses as it were the image of the sun or the moon. The light-filled space between the drawing elements is the actual content.
In everyday life, the sense of keeping a distance is one of the typical characteristics of Japanese culture. The harmony of the whole is equated to the individual good, and is an expression of mutual respect.
In conjunction with other characters, 間 ma is conspicuously common.時間 jikan - time or hour, kukan-empty space, or ningen, humanity, man. Starting from this word ningen-human, we designate the being-in-the-world as well as the individual human being in the world. Therefore, man is not just the individual, but he is not just the 'society' any more. You are always aware of the dependencies, conditions and interactions among peoples and the whole environment. This shows a polarity that is mutually conditional and therefore one. In the reversal of the two signs for ningen, the term kanjin results. This term indicates a human being's way of becoming aware that relationships are the self within interpersonal relationships.
間 ma is used to create a specific aura and is part of everyday Japanese life. Since 間 ma defines the gap, it is the invisible link and shows how things are interwoven, mutually dependent and can not exist independently of each other. One side of the 間 ma concept - the idea that the mind is an essential feature of the place. This mind can be something that is projected from the subjective feelings; but it can also be an external, objective quality that comes to mind. "I remember the mood of places better than their exact characteristics, because places are more likely to evoke life situations than geographic locations." The use of 間 ma indicates that the identity of a place is both in the mind of the beholder and his physical properties.
In music, 間 ma is the break between two notes, the silence. This silence or emptiness creates the music, gives it pace and rhythm; sounds can only emerge from the void. The emptiness on its part depends on the existence of the sounds, without which it in turn can not exist. Thus, no part is more important than the other; Balance and harmony is considered important and desirable. In architecture, 間 ma is the space between material boundaries such as walls, columns or frames. In this void lies the actual space. This invisible space is a feeling that can be concentrated and experienced by the senses.
In sumi-e painting with ink, the Japanese masters have defined or left the space between figurative elements in the color white. Only through these voids do space, perspective and the resulting temporal distance come about. Anyone who practices calligraphy quickly realizes that it is not just about mastering the form of the characters, but also about the relationship of the form to the surrounding non-form. This balance of form and space is always taken into account in the final artistic judgment.
The merging of the polarities of the 間 ma into a whole is derived from the relations of forces in nature.間 ma is universal and not conditioned by the material level. In Buddhism, 間 ma is used to express the idea of emptiness. This emptiness is not rationally comprehensible, but requires a far-reaching meditative debate that has mental clarity in the sequence, and the goal of enlightenment (to awaken emptiness).
In excerpts Copyright courtesy by Prof. Dr. Ingrid Fritsch, Bonn, Germany
These pictures are an reflection of the true, the good and the beautiful, free from the split between subject and object.
A reflection of true reality. An emptiness that can not be comprehend by thoughts.
Michael Barth