Springtime at MAD’s Beauty in All Things Show

February 17th, 2012 at 08:00am Erica

The Groundhog has reported six more weeks of winter, yet the weather outside often suggests spring is just around the corner! When looking at the art in MAD’s Beauty in All Things show, I immediately sought out the pieces whose qualities reminded me of springtime, both in material and mood.

Springtime is especially revered in Japan–the renewal and endurance of nature teaches a valuable lesson about the balance of life. The annual blooming of the Cherry Blossoms is one of the most important national holidays, especially since the bloom only occurs for a couple of days before the petals scatter to the winds. This effect is apparent in Tomoko Ishida’s Co-Twisted (2003), in which bits of twisted paper are seemingly suspended in air, a joyful moment frozen forever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

The Japanese also celebrate springtime with the traditional activity of Ikebana, or flower arranging. According to an expert ikebana practitioner, the arranger is able to extract the true beauty of the materials, and put them together to create a little universe in their arrangement. The overall purpose is to use a few simple elements to suggest meanings that go beyond those flowers in the vase. Ikebana focuses on line and form, and uses both negative and positive space, unlike the Western arrangement, in which the space is filled with color and texture of the blossoms.  Goto Osamu’s Flower (2002) would make an interesting vessel for ikebana use: its crude bamboo material curves gracefully into petal-like forms, which creates an interesting contrast between form and feeling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One famous ikebana incident involving Rikyu, the tea master, and his disciple Hideyoshi goes like this: Having requested a tea ceremony, and expecting to see the magnificent morning glories rumored to be blooming in Rikyu’s garden, Hideyoshi arrived to find they had all been cut down, nothing was in his garden. However, when he entered the teahouse, he found the only one flower was arranged in the dim tokonoma alcove inside. It was not just a single blossom, but one that evoked the existence of hundreds of others. The same effect is apparent when viewing Keisuke Mizuno’s Forbidden Flower (Dark Orange, 2001), a meticulously crafted and stunning ceramic blossom that hides a tiny skull and slug. The piece is meant to simultaneously reference the nature of birth and death and the slow passage of time. Certainly the artist’s perspective is shared by many Japanese, who understand that it’s the very transience of springtime that makes it so special.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And so, enjoy the beautiful weather we have this winter and go visit MAD’s Beauty in All Things!

 

Entry Filed under: beauty in all things