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#3178 - Monday, May 26, 2008 -
Editor: Gloria Lee
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Shibui (??, Shibui?) (adjective), or shibumi (??, shibumi?) (noun), is a Japanese word which refers to a particular aesthetic of simple, subtle, and unobtrusive beauty. Like other Japanese aesthetic terms, such as iki and wabi-sabi, shibui can apply to a wide variety of subjects, not just art or fashion.
Originating in the Muromachi period (1333-1568) as shibushi, the term originally referred to a sour or astringent taste, such as that of an unripe persimmon. Shibui maintains that literal meaning still, and remains the antonym of amai (??, amai?), meaning 'sweet'.
However, by the beginnings of the Edo period (1603-1867), the term had gradually begun to be used to refer to a pleasing aesthetic. The people of Edo expressed their tastes in using this term to refer to anything from song to fashion to craftsmanship that was beautiful by being understated, or by being precisely what it was meant to be and not elaborated upon. Essentially, the aesthetic ideal of shibumi seeks out events, performances, people or objects that are beautiful in a direct and simple way, without being flashy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shibui
In the dictionary: (shi-boo'-me) - A term
from the Edo period in Japan, used to describe quiet or somber
things. Anything that is Shibumi is quiet in refinement, noble
and fulfilling in a manner that is not shaped exclusively by
analytical thought.
In Japanese culture: a simplicity of spirit; an attitude of
refinement without pretension, honesty without apology, beauty
without artifice. Western mystics try to attain or achieve a
state of inner peace, but shibumi must be found, not won.
Shibui is a broad term that can mean
irregularity of form, openness to nature, roughness of texture,
and the naturalness of daily life. Also known as Shibusa, it
refers as well to the Japanese "Seven aspects of
being," which are simplicity, implicitness, modesty,
silence, naturalness, roughness and normalcy. It's seen in raku
pottery, architecture, folk crafts, haiku, gardens and painting.
Shibui is worth thinking about no matter where you are or what
your art.
Fact is, perfection is boring. Shibui allows viewer participation
in the artist's art. It's particularly valuable in an age of
highly finished and sophisticated machine-manufactured products.
Shibui comes naturally, shows the hand of the maker, and triumphs
gesture and the vagaries of process. While there are hundreds of
ways to bring shibui into your life, if you think you might
include the idea in your painting, here are seven:
Use the whole brush--right down to the ferrule.
Have more than one colour on the brush at one time.
Hold the brush well up on the handle.
Work freshly and let intuition be your guide.
Feel the energy and direction of your subject.
Be not uptight, but relaxed.
Quit when you've connected and while the going is good.
In a way, the making of raku pottery is a good metaphor. In the
fiery arms of the kiln god, work takes on a form of its own.
Think of yourself as a kiln rather than a labouring artisan.
Under the smoking straw of passion, work shapes itself and
becomes its own statement. Shibui is all about trust--trust in
your materials, trust in your instincts, trust in yourself, trust
in the kiln. Shibui transforms frantic work into calm joy and
subdues the creator with relative contentment. As well, viewers
get a strong feeling they are looking at art.
In shibui, sheer ease is a virtue. Hours fly by as the creator
becomes lost in process and the gentle curiosity of outcome. You
never know what you're going to pull out of that kiln.
SPONTANEITY IN JAPANESE ART: THE CONCEPT OF SHIBUSA Introduction
As indicated in the first chapter, spontaneity of aesthetic expression should not be equated with exuberance since both restrained and exuberant art objects can exhibit spontaneity. It is easy to see evidence of spontaneity in art objects and performances that exhibit exuberance in terms of color, form, and movement. But it is not as easy to view restrained objects and performances as exhibiting spontaneity. The concept of shibusa allows the connection between restraint and spontaneity to be made. In fact, the concept revolves around the skilful blending of restraint and spontaneity. This chapter describes the process by which the authors came to understand this complex concept that is so essential for grasping the internal dynamics of Japanese aesthetics.
When we first began to investigate shibusa, many years ago, the meaning of the concept was not entirely clear. It seemed to describe a level of beauty that is traditional, uniquely Japanese, and difficult to attain. Shibusa also appeared to carry connotations of austerity and sophisticated refinement. When we tried to go beyond this general understanding, however, we encountered difficulties, some of which remained unsolved until many years later.
The first difficulty we encountered was that no one could
translate the term into English. Even the dictionaries were of
little help. The reason for this is that the concept of shibusa
includes a range of related meanings that cannot be embodied
in any other term, English or Japanese; the concept is unique.
When attempts at translation were made, we received contradictory
impressions: one person might say that shibusa means
refined and subdued, while another might translate the term as
rough or astringent. Eventually, however, after enough examples
of shibusa had been gathered, we began to formulate an
intuitive grasp of this standard of taste, even though we could
not precisely define it.
We discovered from Japanese sources
that although the Zen arts may have had their origins in China,
they were radically transformed by Japanese culture. Furthermore,
the tea ceremony was developed in Japan and teahouse architecture
is based primarily upon indigenous influences such as the
Japanese farmhouse. It could be argued that Zen itself reached
aesthetic maturity only after finding a suitable environment in
Japan. In other words, Zen culture is not as foreign as it seems;
it cannot be understood apart from Japanese developments that
preceded it. Although the term shibusa
does not seem to have been coined until the Muromachi Period and
probably did not come into popular usage until the early Edo
Period, the values that the term embodies have been consciously
present in Japan since protohistoric times.
The Concept of Shibusa
Shibusa refers to the highest type of beauty. The term is used not only by scholars but by many older people. The foreigner visiting Japan may hear the word shibusa frequently enough to be prompted to ask its meaning. The average Japanese person, however, has no idea of how to translate the term into English, because of its complexity.
That the average Japanese cannot translate this concept is not surprising. What is surprising, however, is that when one turns to books on Japanese aesthetics the word is seldom mentioned. When it is used, it is buried in honorifics and lofty phrases, leaving the novice with the certainty that here indeed is an important concept but with very little understanding of its meaning. Stranger still is the fact that most Japanese dictionaries and encyclopedias, until a few years ago, make no mention of the term at all. [...]
Attributes of Shibusa
In an interview for
the magazine House Beautiful
in 1960, Yanagi Soetsu, late director of the Museum of Folk
Crafts in Tokyo, defines shibusa
in terms of seven attributes discussed below. We have taken the
liberty of expanding upon Yanagi’s explanations of these
attributes, as well as to provide different examples.
http://japaneseaesthetics.com/gpage3.html Note: These seven attributes are both described and illustrated with images. This website provides an excellent introduction to understanding other concepts that make up the Japanese aesthetic appreciation. Yugen, Sabi, Wabi
The concept of shibusa emphasizes naturalness and simplicity, as well as an elegant rusticity imparted by texture. The overall effect, however, is refined. The concept of shibusa is illustrated in this mud wall at Katsura Rikyu in Kyoto, and in the beautiful orange colors of ancient clay tiles that contrast with the weathered grays of the siding in this dwelling in Okinawa.