Wabi Sabi: The Japanese art of impermanence
Andrew Juniper
(Tuttle Pub., Boston: 2003)
READ: December 2005
For most people, what jumps to mind when they think of the Japanese aesthetic is "all things Zen". Well, Andrew Juniper has gone beyond Zen and provided an introduction to wabi sabi. From the back of the book:
Wabi sabi describes a traditional Japanese aesthetic sensibility based on an appreciation of the transient beauty of the physical world. It embodies the melancholic appeal of the impermanence of all things - especially the modest, the rustic, the imperfect, and even the decayed. With its focus on the delicate subtleties, objects, effects, and environments of the natural world, wabi sabi promotes an alternative approach to the appreciation of both beauty and life itself.
I'm a librarian so probably not even supposed to admit to thoughts like this, but if there was ever a book I didn't want to return to the library and wanted to keep for myself, this book is it. (But I'll be good and bring it back!) I will just have to find my own copy to have and to hold. There are beautiful images, philosophies and ideas that combine to make this a great book. I don't think I can review it any better than that.
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