Slow Photography #49 A Bonzai tripod

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Hoseki Shinichi Hisamatsu was a Japanese artist, Buddhist and philosopher. In Zen and the Fine Arts, he proposed seven properties that exemplify the art of the Bonsai tree. His concepts harmonize with the awareness we seek when making photographs.                                             







  1. Asymmetry. For a Buddhist, perfect form is impossible. Suffering is eased by letting go of striving for perfection. Informality and imbalance pervade nature. This is reflected in a work of art.


  2. Simplicity.  A photograph contains only what is necessary, and no more. It seeks to avoid complexity.


    3. Austere sublimity. Zen art is not youthful, sensual or opulent. It fits better with advanced age. It exhibits rigor and austerity. Fancy touches can be removed in order to lead into the heart of the message. The texture of some old printed photographs, tainted by time and faded by the sun, may show this sublime quality.


    4. Naturalness. A photograph is not reality. It does not occur in nature, it is an impression of reality. It may show the essence or idea of a place like a forest or mountain. It appears effortless, not conscious. Such photographs seem informal, as if the scene had always been that way, timeless.      




    5. Subtle profoundness. A photograph may express more than the shown subject. This is the idea of equivalence. The image may refer to dignity, perseverance, a season, time, or closeness to death. These photos may compel their viewer to see the implications, associations, depth of thought. Their profoundness is beyond verbal description, but is revealed over time.                                                    



    6. Contemplation. Contemplative, slow photography is free from attachment. It needs no conventions or customs. The transgression of conventional ways of thinking is an essential feature of Zen. A photographer who places classical rules ahead of meaning misses the core of the Zen aesthetic. Guidelines are helpful to beginners, but if it lessons the Zen character of a photograph, a rule can be released. Rules should enable, not restrict.



    7. Tranquility, loneliness, peace of mind. Zen art is directed inwards. Everything that disrupts this peace needs to be eliminated.


    All photographs Copyright 2014 Jim Austin Jimages, all rights reserved. Thanks for your visit. Jim

     More...
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shin%27ichi_Hisamatsu


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