"As an artist or writer, how do you compose a work that is generous? How do
you place a group of rocks together in a garden, or branches, berries and
blossoms together in an ikebana arrangement,-- or ideas and language on a page
-- to invite real participation? The artist is giving a gift, I think, if she
leaves some connections unfinished. Implied. The artist is giving a gift, I
think, when the composition is multifaceted, offering a multitude of elements
that combine in an abundance of ways. There's "space" for the viewer or reader
-- to move around inside.
While the Western ideal in art and writing has often, but not always, been
that of the One Main Point -- unambiguous and decisive -- much of East Asian
art and poetry reaches toward a different ideal. It does not force a
particular interpretation, nor does it reveal all its secrets in a single
viewing. The mind is refreshed and energized. And we feel invited to
play."
Author and writing instructor Andy Couturier shares more in this
piece.
