Aiko Sugie | "Abstract Beauty and Sōetsu Yanagi"
This article discusses the development of abstract beauty in crafts based on Sōetsu Yanagi's definition that patterns are abstractions of concrete forms.Summary
This article, related to an exhibition at the Japan Folk Crafts Museum (Nihon Mingeikan), explores abstract beauty in crafts through the lens of Sōetsu Yanagi's definition: "Patterns are abstractions of concrete things." Yanagi stated that patterns result when the beauty of an object is crystallized and simplified. Traditional crafts often inherently feature abstract patterns due to material and process constraints, yet Yanagi focused particularly on forms "rooted in the concrete and matured into the abstract." The exhibition featured diverse crafts, including Kasuri textiles, Kogin-sashi embroidery, Ainu clothing, and Slipware, showcasing primitive art collected by Yanagi from regions outside Japan and the Korean Peninsula. The text concludes that the line between concrete and abstract is fluid, and it is precisely because of the nature of crafts that unique abstract patterns developed, continuing to live on today as stylistic and abstract beauty.
(Source：artscape)