Calligraphy by Kanjuro Shibata XXNote:The pattern of the artist’s process is a circle.
Enso
One day
Always the first day
Always a beginning
The unbroken circle
The unbroken circle
Gather scarce resources
Jeweled colors
Stuffed into tubes
The finest brush
Paper like skin
Revisit old ideas
Rooted in days gone bye
Weigh their strength
Count crows on the fence
Woven into patterns
Catching rain
To water the vegetation
That fills the garden
Grows in your brain
Left unattended
The cells of the
Heart are eroded
Without the strength
To begin again
Until the last day
When the artist
Breaks the circle and
Stops
This infomation from wikipedia. This is about the Japanese word, Enso, which means circle.
Ensō (円相) is a Japanese word meaning “circle” and a concept strongly associated with Zen. Ensō is one of the most common subjects of Japanese calligraphy even though it is a symbol and not a character. It symbolizes absolute enlightenment, strength, elegance, the universe, and the void; it can also symbolize the Japanese aesthetic itself. As an “expression of the moment” it is often considered a form of minimalist expressionist art.
Ensō (円相) is a Japanese word meaning “circle” and a concept strongly associated with Zen. Ensō is one of the most common subjects of Japanese calligraphy even though it is a symbol and not a character. It symbolizes absolute enlightenment, strength, elegance, the universe, and the void; it can also symbolize the Japanese aesthetic itself. As an “expression of the moment” it is often considered a form of minimalist expressionist art.
In Zen Buddhist painting, ensō symbolizes a moment when the mind is free to simply let the body/spirit create. The brushed ink of the circle is usually done on silk or rice paper in one movement (Bankei, however, occasionally used two strokes) and there is no possibility of modification: it shows the expressive movement of the spirit at that time. Zen Buddhists “believe that the character of the artist is fully exposed in how she or he draws an ensō. Only a person who is mentally and spiritually complete can draw a true ensō. Some artists will practice drawing an ensō daily, as a kind of spiritual practice.”[1]
Style[edit]
Some artists paint ensō with an opening in the circle, while others complete the circle. For the former, the opening may express various ideas, for example that the ensō is not separate, but is part of something greater, or that imperfection is an essential and inherent aspect of existence (see also the idea of broken symmetry). The principle of controlling the balance of composition through asymmetry and irregularity is an important aspect of the Japanese aesthetic: Fukinsei (不均斉), the denial of perfection.
The ensō is also a sacred symbol in the Zen school of Buddhism, and is often used by Zen masters as a form of signature in their religious artwork. For more on the philosophy behind this see Hitsuzendo, the Way of the Brush or Zen Calligraphy.
The ensō is also a sacred symbol in the Zen school of Buddhism, and is often used by Zen masters as a form of signature in their religious artwork. For more on the philosophy behind this see Hitsuzendo, the Way of the Brush or Zen Calligraphy.
Prompt: one, wove, scarce, revisited, rain, rooted,
crows, vegetation, last, cells, eroded, strength
13 comments:
and how immediately i was drawn to this, annell. i begin to wonder more deeply what confluence directs this world. lately (and surprisingly) i have been drawn to haiku, basho more specifically. i had always rejected it before but now it seems to tell me something essential is at hand.
xo
erin
Beautiful, Annell... thanks for the extra info, too.
Mankind's age old search to express what is seen or felt is fascinating. What a gift we have to be creative in this way both in form and in words.
Until the last day
When the artist
Breaks the circle and
Stops... what a wonderful close... i like how you spin the circle here..
Love all the added info Annell. It suits you and your daily studio practice (your own enso). Like how you both open and close the circle you have woven with these words. Have a wonderful day, my friend.
Elizabeth
I love this. The way you complete the circle and how it is juxtaposed (unintentionally, probably) with the photo of you filling in your own version of enso. But it is the words that draw here, within & without: "left unattended/the cells of the/ Heart are eroded"
Many thanks.
a very interesting write
much love...
This poem beautifully and effortlessly incorporates the words. I enjoyed the poem's coming full circle and the extra information which enriched my understanding tremendously! Thank you.
This is just stunning, Annell. I forgot it was a wordle because your use of the words was seamless. The circle of life is so basic a concept and your notes on the enso fascinating. Thank you.
I loved both the prompt and the result of it. Many thanks.
Greetings from London.
Je viens chez toi après être passé chez Erin dont j'apprécie la sensibilité artistique.
Je suis bien, chez toi et ton blog me parle ainsi que ce premier long poème lu qui accompagne cette peinture Zen.
J'aime, dans mon art, le land art m'approcher de cette philosophie orientale.
Belle soirée et à bientôt
Amicalement
Roger
Brava, Annell!! I love the circle, and your take on it. I really love the phrase...paper like skin. Beautiful.
I think the enso, the circle, calls to all of us, but only some of us respond to the call. Obviously, you are one who is not content to leave unattended the cells of your heart. May the circle continue to be unbroken, and may you have strength to begin again and again.
An Acrostic Whirl
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