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Why did Japanese artists often emphasize the natural qualities of materials such as wood and clay?
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Japanese art
The Breaking Wave off Kanagawa, woodblock colour print by Hokusai, from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, 1826–33.
Japanese artists emphasize the natural qualities of materials like wood and clay due to a profound, long-standing respect for the natural world as a source of spiritual insight. This aesthetic, which generally avoids artifice, is deeply rooted in an indigenous religious sensibility—often associated with Shinto—that perceives the spiritual realm as manifest in nature.12
Key factors influencing this preference include:
- Spiritual Connection: Nature is viewed as an instructive mirror of human emotion and a realm where spirits reside. By highlighting the inherent qualities of materials, artists integrate these spiritual values into their work.12
- Acceptance of Transience: Influenced by both indigenous beliefs and Buddhism, Japanese aesthetics embrace the cycle of birth, fruition, death, and decay. Consequently, pristine or perfectly formed works are often considered cold or distant, while those showing natural imperfections or the "impress of the hand" are highly valued.123
- Wabi-Sabi: This philosophy celebrates the beauty found in simplicity, imperfection, and the transient nature of life, encouraging an appreciation for objects that appear uncontrived or rustic.45
- Artistic Intent: In pottery, for example, artists often accentuate tool marks or allow glazes to run, aiming for an effect that resembles natural objects like stones. Similarly, in sculpture, the use of unpolychromed woods allows the material's natural character to remain central to the work's meaning.3612