Despre olaritul japonez

In data de 27 octombrie, Cercul “Prietenii Japoniei” a organizat cea de a doua intalnire de cultura din luna. Intalnirea a avut ca punct de pornire arta olaritului in Japonia, insa in aceasta intalnire am dorit sa mergem putin mai profund, sa nu ne limitam doar la aspectele superficiale ale acestei arte, si ale artei japoneze in general, considerand ca este nevoie ca anumite cunostinte despre arta si cultura japoneza, si despre arta in general si raportarea noastra la aceasta, trebuie sa fie stiute pentru a putea intelege si admira cu adevarat o arta si o cultura atat de indepartata si de diferita fata de cele cu care noi suntem obisnuiti. Ca si decor pentru aceasta intalnire, cateva vase si ustensile de ceremonia ceaiului au fost aranjate cu grija pe o rogojina tatami, avand un paravan byobu in fundal.

Intalnirea a inceput prin prezentarea fiecarui participant, pastrand vechiul nostru obicei, dorind ca intalnirile noastre sa arate ca un cerc de prieteni care se intalneste pentru a discuta si a afla lucruri interesante despre un subiect, si nu ca un grup de straini care se afla prezenti la intalnire individual, pentru a primi informatii, a le pune intr-un diplomat si a se intoarce cu ele acasa.

Dupa ce prezentarile au fost facute, dl Radu N. a inceput prezentarea prin a prezenta cateva lucruri importante despre arta si estetica japoneza in general, pornind de la o idee crestina, care se poate regasi si in conceptia orientala, idee care ne spune ca un om este compus din doua lucruri: trupul, care are origine pamanteana, fiind facut din tarana, si spiritul sau sufletul, care are o origine mai inalta, divina, ceea ce da spiritului unei persoane o importanta mai mare decat trupului, care este doar o unealta a spiritului.

Asa cum trupul are nevoie de mancare pentru a supravietui, tot asa si spiritul nostru are nevoie sa se alimenteze cu ceva. Din pacate in zilele noastre, oamenii pun accent in proportie foarte mare sau in totalitate pe nevoile trupului, spiritul si cultivarea acestuia fiind deseori uitata. In gandirea filozofica japoneza zen, accentul in viata se pune pe nevoile spiritului omului, care este cel care traieste cu adevarat si care are un scop mai inalt, nevoile trupului ocupand un loc secundar, mult mai putin important.

Arta si aprecierea acesteia este unul din cele mai importante moduri de a ne cultiva si hrani spiritul, insa aprecierea artei nu vine intotdeauna de la arta in sine, ci cel care apreciaza o opera de arta trebuie sa isi formeze o deprindere, prin care sa poata surprinde cele mai adanci semnificatii ale unei opere de arta. Pentru a intelege mecanismul prin care arta ne poate impresiona, dl Radu a citat un fragment dintr-o carte, numita “Cartea Ceaiului” scrisa de Okakura Kakuzo, unde cel care apreciaza arta era reprezentat printr-o harfa neimblanzita, iar arta insasi era reprezentata prin printul harfelor, un artist. Povestea spune ca nimeni nu a reusit sa cante la harfa, doar printul cantaretilor la harfa reusind sa o imblanzeasca, cantand despre diferite lucruri, de la curgerea izvoarelor cristaline, la razboaie si la dragoste. Intrebat care este secretul lui, artistul a raspuns ca secretul consta in a lasa harfa sa cante ceea ce ea doreste, fara ca artistul sa incerce sa ii impuna o anumita tema. Morala ar fi ca noi, ca si harfa, rezonam la anumite opere de arta, atunci cand ne regasim in acestea, noi fiind cei care dam sens operei de arta. Aceasta la randul ei, trebuie sa ne dea libertatea sa ne descoperim pe noi insine in ea, opera de arta neavand valoare in sine, fara aceste sentimente evocate in admirator.

Intalnirea a continuat cu prezentarea catorva principii prezente in arta japoneza, inclusiv in olaritul japonez, esenta artei japoneze gravitand in jurul caselor de ceai, al caror scop unic este sa ofere o experienta artistica totala. Principiul care guverneaza estetica japoneza zen este wabi-sabi, care desi este greu de explicat, ar putea fi definit ca si acceptarea faptului ca lumea in care traim nu este perfecta, iar lucrurile sunt in mare parte incomplete, acest lucru fiind reprezentat printr-un cerc incomplet.

Alte cateva principii de baza, regasite si in arta olaritului, sunt kanso (simplitatea, claritatea, eliminarea neesentialului. Obiectele de arta japoneze sunt facute pentru a fi admirate singure si in profunzime, de aceea modul de prezentare este clar, aerisit, spre deosebire de estetica europeana, unde mai multe obiecte de arta pot fi gasite in acelasi loc, insa acestea putand fi admirate doar superficial); fukinsei (asimetria, iregularitatea, evitarea simetriei cu orice pret, principiu inspirat din natura, unde cea mai mare parte a lucrurilor sunt asimetrice); shibui (minimalism orientat spre utilitate, obiectele fiind construite in asa fel incat sa poata sa isi indeplineasca scopul in cel mai direct si mai simplu mod cu putinta. Un bol de ceai are forma si dimensiunea potrivita, perfecta pentru a prepara si a servi ceai din acesta); shizen (naturalete, redarea naturaletei. In prezentare s-a dat exemplu gradina japoneza, care incearca sa redea naturaletea din natura, insa nu copiind-o, ci reprezentand-o prin diferite tehnici); yugen (profunzimea, sugestia, necesitatea ca in orice opera de arta admiratorul sa poata sa descopere ceva profund, ceva ce sa inspire, sau sa bucure, sau poate sa miste inima admiratorului. A fost dat exemplul unui bol de ceremonia ceaiului, in care publicul a fost invitat sa descopere interpretari, experiente personale); datsuzoku (evadarea de la norme, descoperirea a noi metode de exprimare artistica, printr-o libertate de exprimare care sa surprinda prin ceva inovator, deosebit, poate chiar radical). Ultimul principiu mentionat a fost seijaku (energizarea prin liniste, prin calm. Arta japoneza in general, ca si in cazul vaselor japoneze, are intotdeauna o nota de calm si sobrietate, contrastand cu viata alerta de zi cu zi de care dorim sa scapam atunci cand dorim sa ne cultivam spiritul.)

Odata aduse la cunostinta toate aceste lucruri, publicul a putut acum viziona un film documentar de 30 de minute, despre Setomono, olaritul din orasul Seto, recunoscut pentru vesela sa, care este expediata in toata Japonia. In cadrul acestui documentar am putut vedea cum se creeaza aceste vase ceramice, asa cum un mestesugar pastreaza o traditie de 31 de generatii. Am vazut diferite feluri de vase, am aflat ca acestea sunt pictate manual, fiecare fiind astfel unic, am vazut cum apoi se aplica glazura si cum acestea sunt arse in cuptoare. De asemenea am aflat ca exista un loc in acest oras unde, daca dorim, putem petrece cateva saptamani impreuna cu un maestru, pentru a invata sa confectionam astfel de vase. Cu siguranta ca sentimentul de a da forma lutului cu mainile noastre trebuie sa fie unul deosebit.

Dupa incheierea documentarului, dl Katsutaro Kawai a prezentat vesela ce a fost expusa in fata.

 Pentru fiecare participant s-a pregatit o portie de matcha cu lapte, in bolurile japoneze, fiecare participant avand astfel ocazia sa tina in propriile maini unul din bolurile de ceai, pentru a il admira si pentru a ii descoperi frumusetea si profunzimea. De asemenea ne-a fost prezentat un bol de ceai de o valoare foarte mare, care a fost daruit unei persoane importante atunci cand, acum multi ani, a avut loc casatoria actualui imparat al Japoniei. Atunci, s-au impartit in jur de 300 astfel de boluri, confectionate de un maestru olar renumit, unul din ele fiind daruit mai apoi Cercului “Prietenii Japoniei”.

In timp ce participantii serveau si admirau bolurile de ceai, dra Andreea M. a prezentat publicului cateva lucruri despre ceramica romaneasca, din Moldova, mai exact din localitatea Marginea, unde se produce o ceramica neagra unica in lume, in mod traditional. 

Am vazut cateva imagini cu diverse obiecte de arta, cu diferite utilitati. Ceramica neagra de la Marginea are ca element specific faptul ca pentru arderea vaselor se foloseste lemn de rasinoase, iar cuptorul in care sunt arse se inchide ermetic, astfel ca fumul ramane inauntru, iar ceramica ia culoarea neagra, a fumului. Acestea sunt ulterior decorate cu o piatra de rau, sau pictate. A fost interesant sa vedem faptul ca atat in Japonia, cat si in Romania, chiar daca vasele ceramice au scopuri putin diferite, inca se acorda importanta ceramicii, intr-o lume in care portelanul a luat locul multor obiecte folosite odinioara in viata de zi cu zi.

Dupa ce toata lumea a putut admira bolurile de ceai japoneze si dupa incheierea detaliilor aduse despre ceramica neagra de la Marginea, publicul a fost liber sa serveasca din bunatatile puse la dispozitie de catre Cercul “Prietenii Japoniei”, timp in care discutiile au continuat intre participanti in particular, dovedind faptul ca prezentarea a starnit interes in randul acestora.

*****English Version Bellow: *****

On 27^th October, Japan’s Friends Club organized the second cultural meeting of the month. The meeting had as a starting point the art of pottery in Japan, however in this meeting we wanted to go a step deeper and not limit ourselves to the superficial aspects of this art, and of Japanese art in general, in the belief that a certain level of knowledge about Japanese art and culture, about art itself, and about how we should approach art, must be known in order to be able to fully appreciate and experience a form of art and culture so distant and different from what we are used to. As decoration for our meeting, we used a few tea bowls and tea ceremony utensils, carefully arranged on a tatami mat, with a byobu panel behind.

The meeting started as usual, with the introduction of each participant, in an attempt to make our meetings look like a group of friends meeting to discuss and find out interesting things about a given subject, and not as a group of individual strangers, who come, get their information, stack it into a suitcase and return to their homes.

After this introductory moment, Mr. Radu N. started the presentation, talking about a few general, yet important aspects of Japanese art and aesthetics, starting from a Christian idea, which can also be found in the oriental culture, which tells us that people are made of two different things: body, which has a terrestrial origin, being made of clay, and spirit or soul, which has a higher, divine origin, making spirit superior to the body, which is but a tool or a vessel for the spirit.

In the same way that the body needs food to survive, the spirit needs something to fuel itself. Nowadays however, people concern themselves mostly or exclusively with the needs of the body. In Japanese zen philosophy, much more attention is paid to the spirit of a man, which is the one that is indeed alive and has a higher purpose than just live, the needs of the body being rendered secondary, much less important.

Art and the consumption of art is one of the most important ways of cultivating and feeding one’s spirit, but the appreciation of art does not come naturally, but through exercise, gaining sort of a skill, by the cultivation of which one can discover deeper and deeper meanings in a work of art. To understand the mechanism by which art can impress us, Mr. Radu quoted a fragment from a book called “The Book of Tea”, written by Okakura Kakuzo, where the man who admires art was represented by a untamed harp and art itself was represented by the prince of harpists, an artist. The story goes that nobody was able to play the harp, until the prince of harps came and started to play about various things, starting from the sparkling springs in the spring, to war and love. Asked what his secret was, the prince answered that the secret was to let the harf play whatever it wanted, without trying to enforce a specific tune.

The teaching of this story is that we, like the untamed harp, resonate with certain works of art when we can find our own selves in them, the ones who give significance to the work of art being us. The work of art needs to let us discover ourselves in it, the work itself being valueless without the feelings that get awakened within the admirer.

The meeting continued with the presentation of a few principles present in Japanese art, including pottery, the essence of japanese art revolving around tea houses, the purpose of which is to offer a complete artistic experience. The main principle governing zen aesthetics is wabi-sabi. While a little hard to explain, one definition could be: the acceptance that the world around us is not perfect, and things are, by and large, incomplete. This principle is represented in zen philosophy by an incomplete circle.

Another few principles of Japanese aesthetics, which can be found in pottery as well, are: kanso (simplicity, clarity, the elimination of clutter, inessential. Japanese artistic objects are made to be admired by themselves and in depth. For this reason, they are presented in a clear, uncluttered way, in contrast with european aesthetics, where many artistic objects can be found in the same place, rendering one unable to consume all of them in depth, only superficially); fukinsei (asymmetry, irregularity, the avoidance of symmetry by all means, principle inspired by nature, where most things are asymmetric); shibui (minimalism and utility, the objects are made in such a way that they meed their purpose in the most simple and direct way. A tea bowl, for example, has the perfect shape and size to prepare and drink matcha from it); shizen (naturalness and the representation of naturalnes. In the presentation, the exaple of a Japanese garden was given, not by trying to copy it, but by trying to represent natural principles by various techniques); yugen (profoundness, suggestion, the necessity that in any work of art, the admirer can find something profound, something to get inspired, to please or to move one’s heart. The example of a tea bowl was given, where the public was invited to discover interpretations or personal experiences in the shape, glaze or colors of the bowl); datsuzoku (escape from norm, the implementation of new, inovative or radical ways of artistic expression). The last principle that was mentioned was seijaku (revitalization through silence, peacefulness and calm. Japanese art in general, as in the case of japanese pottery, are made in way that brings peace and calm in the viewer’s heart, in contrast with the busy everyday life which we want to put aside when we are trying to cultivate our spirit)

Once all these things had been made known, the public was now prepared to watch a documentary of about 30 minutes, about Setomono, pottery originary from the city named Seto, renouned for its pottery, which is sent to the most distant parts of Japan. In this documentary we could see how these ceramic vessels are created, as a master potter is keeping alive a tradition of 31 generations. We saw different kinds of pottery, we found out that they are painted by hand, making each one unique, then we saw how the glaze is added and how they are then baked in large ovens. We also found that there is a place in the city where, if we want to, we can spend a few weeks together with a potter master, to teach us how to make ceramic pots.

After the documentary was over, Mr. Katsutaro Kawai presented the pottery that we had exposed as decoration. He prepared matcha latte for each participant, in the Japanese tea ceremony bowls, so that each participant could admire up close the bowls, holding it in their hands and discover its beauty and profoundness. A very valuable tea bowl was also presented, which had been given to an important person at the wedding of the current Emperor of Japan. Back then, about 300 such bowls have been created by a renouned master potter, one of them reaching Japan’s Friends Club as a donation.

              While the participants were admiring the bowls, Ms. Andreea M. presented a few things about Romanian ceramic in Moldova, more precisely from Marginea village, where a unique kind of ceramic is produced in a traditional way. We saw a few images with various pieces of art, having various purposes. The black ceramic from Marginea has as a specific element the fact that for baking the pots, resinous wood is used and the oven is tightly sealed, so that the smoke rests inside the oven, turning the ceramic black. These are traditionally decorated with a river stone afterwards, or they are painted. It was interesting to see that in Romania, like in Japan, even though ceramic pots have different purposes, they are still appreciated, in a world where porcelain replaced most objects used on a daily basis.

 After everyone could admire the bowls and after the presentation about the black ceramic at Marginea ended, the public was free to help themselves with the sweets that Japan’s Friends Club prepared, while the discussions went on, a sign that the presentation stirred up the participants’ interest on the topic.