'The Family Takahashi' / Tokyo, Japan Photograph

間 ma, the space in between. Michael Barth unites the basic principles of Japanese aesthetics of balance and harmony. Following the 'utskushii mono, 'The Creation of the Beautiful', coherent, traditional conceptions are made clear here. Japanese aesthetics characterizes the 'non-conflict with nature'. The cultivated human being is like the wind, with free self, without attachment able to overcome the substantial ego, which is recognized by Buddhism as an illusion. The free self is described as 'empty' or as Buddha nature. The invisible space corresponds to this emptiness, defines the material level and is considered to be the connection to the spiritual world. ________________________________________ There used to be few bridges in Japan, most of the rivers were crossed by boat. If there was a bridge near the place of residence, this was an important feature, which was then often included in the surname. Takahashi means someone who lives near a bridge. I was interested in the small, traditional house in the middle of the picture. In my mind it was the first building in the area. During the two days I stayed there, due to language barriers, I was unable to contact the residents, an friendly looking, older couple. So I gave them the name Takahashi, who live near the bridge. In architecture, 間 ma is the space between material boundaries such as walls, columns or frames. In this void lies the actual space. This invisible space is a feeling that can be concentrated and experienced by the senses. In sumi-e painting with ink, the Japanese masters have defined or left the space between figurative elements as empty space. Only through these voids do space, perspective and the resulting temporal distance come about. Anyone who practices calligraphy quickly realizes that it is not just about mastering the form of the characters, but also about the relationship of the form to the surrounding non-form. This balance of form and space is always taken into account in the final artistic judgment. ________________________________________ full resolution photograph Edition of 10 other sizes on request

Photography:Paper on Paper

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:118.1 W x 51.2 H x 0 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.