I just finished“The Book of Tea”, by Kakuzo Okakura (1862 – 1913). a Japanese scholar who tried to keep Japanese traditions and art alive in a time when Japan was trying hard to imitate the Western world. It’s about the Zen ceremony of tea, but also presents a fascinating snapshot of Japanese culture, and also offers some fresh insights for the artist in any field (Okakura considers the tea ceremony an art). Here’s a quote:

“The claims of contemporary art cannot be ignored in any vital scheme of life. The art of today is that which really belongs to us: it is our own reflection. In condemning it we but condemn ourselves. We say that the present age possesses no art – who is responsible for this? It is indeed a shame that despite all our rhapsodies about the ancients we pay so little attention to our own possibilities. Struggling artists, weary souls lingering in the shadow of cold disdain! In our self-centered century, what inspiration do we offer them? The past may well look with pity at the poverty of our civilization; the future will laugh at the barrenness of our art. We are destroying art in destroying the beautiful in life. Would that some great wizard might from the stem of society shape a mighty harp whose strings would resound to the touch of genius.”

Tonight we watched an Italian film called “Bread and Tulips”. It was about a woman who gets fed up with her unappreciative family and runs away to Venice, where she meets interesting characters and creates a new life for herself. I enjoyed it; I like most of the foriegn films I’ve watched, but especially “Il Postino”, “La Vita ? Bella” (Life is Beautiful), “Cyrano de Bergerac”, and “Jean de Florette”.