” Momiji leaves falling
All that was, all that will be
And yet… and yet.”
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I owe a debt of gratitude to Dr. Friedrich Zettl, a great artist, scholar and teacher.
His generous encouragement allowed me to create this humble artwork, as a meditative expression after following his superb 3-part series:
“The Journey To The Zen Master”.
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Notes:
1. Mono No Aware : Alan Watts describes the “four basic moods of furyu… these extremely untranlsatable Japanese words denote the general atmosphere of Zen in its perception of the aimless moments of life: Sabi, Wabi, Aware, Yugen”
The term mono no aware (物の哀れ) refers to the feeling of nostalgic sadness from the fleeting, impermanent nature of life.
2. Momiji (紅葉) refers to the intensely red maple leaves in Japan, especially during autumn.
3. The seal stamp is supposed to mean Light. Written in Chinese (top) and in Naxi Dongba pictographs (bottom).
Naxi are an ethnic group of China who live mainly in Yunnan and Sichuan provinces.
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Acrylic paint on Italian black drawing paper – 18 x 27 cm
BTCOWIK
Spira / Nick © February 2025
inSPIRAtion 
Thank you very much, dear Nick! Your kind words bring a blush of shame to my old cheeks! You describe the “four basic moods” as “extremely untranslatable”. How right you are. The words we have at our disposal are not enough to describe it – you have to experience it.
And again, Nick, like last time, I have just finished my next post and it will be about ethnic groups in China. Not the Naxi, however, but the northwest. There will be photos and I can’t imagine that you won’t like them.
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I am honored by your friendship, Friedrich.
Aware was the emotion permeating this artwork, from the beginning till the conjuring of the haiku. So much so, that I almost tore it to pieces upon finishing.
And yet… all facets of Mono No Aware.
Me neither, dear Friedrich; I am looking forward to the next journey you will take us.
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The honor is mine, Nick! Yes, I’m no stranger to tearing things to pieces 🙂
Actually, my next two articles will be about travel. And, since I love extremes, they couldn’t be more different. But it’s the next post that I recommend to you. Enjoy your weekend!
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Very beautiful, the painting flows so well.
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Thank you, Chris.
May I say again that Cliff’s latest painting is spectacular.
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Thanks for that, Nick. So nice to know artists – where ever they are.
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I concur with Chris, a beautiful piece, Nick. As I am wont to do, (music provided playing softly), I’m seated upon my “bench” to explore it.
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Ahh… your bench, aye.
If a meditative state has been brought upon thee, something must have been done right.
Thank you, Denise.
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I adore the restricted palette of black, white, and red – it’s so powerful and effective in creating mystery and drama. The red accents draws my eye into that beautiful tree, and the swirling white figures add such graceful movement and a dreamlike quality. It feels quite mythical. Lovely. Lovely.
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Mythical…I will take that any day, M. Thank you.
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I did a Goggle search for Japanese art and the significance and meaning of colour: the combination of black, white and red in Japanese art creates a powerful visual language: black – dignity (sumi), white – purity (shiro) and red – warding off negative energy (aka). This color triad continues to be significant in contemporary Japanese art, often evoking a sense of tradition, spirituality, and aesthetic refinement. Most of this info comes from a website about the meaning of colour in Japanese art at https://sakura.co/blog/black-in-japanese-colors-and-more-traditional-meanings
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And now I can nonchalantly say I was conscious of all this… except that I was not 😁
Thank you so much, M, for sharing the result of your engagement with this artwork and adding another perspective to it.
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