The essential elements of a dry Japanese garden are few: rocks; gravel; moss. Simultaneously a sensual matrix; a symbolic form and a memory theatre; these gardens exhibit beautiful miniaturization and precise craftsmanship. However; their apparent minimalism belies a deeper complexity. In Zen Landscapes; Allen S. Weiss takes readers on a journey through these exquisite sites; explaining how Japanese gardens must be approached according to the play of scale; surroundings and seasons; as well as in relation to other arts; thus revealing them as living landscapes rather than abstract designs. These gardens are inspired by the Zen aesthetics of the tea ceremony; manifested in poetry; painting; calligraphy; architecture; cuisine and ceramics. Japanese art favours suggestion and allusion; valuing the threshold between the distinct and the inchoate; between ï¬guration and abstraction; and Weiss argues that ceramics play a crucial role here; relating as much to the site-speciï¬city of landscape as to the ritualized codes of the tea ceremony and the everyday gestures of the culinary table.With more than 100 stunning colour photographs; Zen Landscapes is the ï¬rst in-depth study in the West to examine the correspondences between gardens and ceramics. A fascinating look at landscape art and its relation to the customs and craftsmanship of the Japanese arts; it will appeal to readers interested in landscape design and Japanrsquo;s art and culture.
#429801 in eBooks 2005-09-10 2015-03-09File Name: B00OQEA58I
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Good Book - Bad on KindleBy John F. PiacenzaThis is a good book! It is very informative about daVinci and it nicely ties together art and science/mathematics (although the author goes a little overboard with the golden ratio). However; DO NOT buy the kindle version! The photographic plates contained in the paper copy of the book did not appear in the kindle version. Also; it was very difficult to go back and forth between the endnotes and the text in which they were referenced on my kindle.John Piacenza0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Excellent historical; artistic and scientific insight; very enjoyableBy Marc ShepanekThis is a fun and educational read! People are people; and the author helps us see a transformational genius of the past; on whose shoulders science stands and art can be viewed. Weaving history; science; mathematics and art into an accessible and understandable tapestry that will beautifully adorn any library. And an excellent read for anyone looking for some of the many linkages between art and science that many feel are either opposing arenas or somehow unrelated. The author makes some of the best of math and science available to the artist and art accessible to those who may have only studied math or science or engineering. The book is a wonderful gift.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Not what youd expectBy Mr. LeoplurodonThe book actually has very little about the math included in the Mona Lisa; but it was a very good book about math and the golden ratio. Overall not what I was looking for but still a great book.
