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ZEN CULTURE
Anyone whoexamines the Zen arts is immediately struck by how modern they seem. Theceramics of 16th-century Zen artists could be interchanged with the rugged potsof our own contemporary crafts movement; ancient calligraphies suggest themonochromes of Franz Kline or Willem de Kooning; the apparent nonsense andillogic of Zen parables (and No theater and Haiku poetry) established thelimitations of language long before the theater of the absurd; 400-year-old Zenarchitecture seems to be a copy of modern design ideas such as modular sizing,exposed woods, raw materials, bare walls, uncluttered space and a Californiamarriage of house and garden.
Zen values experiencing things over analyzing them. Perhaps if we can take thepower of direct perception, sharpened by the devices of Zen art, back toeveryday activities, we will find a beauty in common objects that we previouslyignored.
Selected Reviews
The notoriously grumpy Kirkus Reviews said, “Thomas Hoover has a considerable gift forexpressing his appreciation and understanding of various arts associated withZen. . . . These are deftly treated, with a concise synopsis of the historicaldevelopment of each; and together Hoover’s discussions provide an excellentintroduction to the aesthetics of Japanese culture.”
Library Journal said, “Hoover covers theground in an easy and informative way, describing the origins of Zen itself andthe Zen roots of swordsmanship, architecture, food, poetry, drama, ceramics,and many other areas of Japanese life. The book is packed with facts, thebibliography is excellent, the illustrations few but most appropriate, and thestyle clear and smooth. A most useful book for all collections.”
Asian Studies declared,“Highly recommended. ZEN CULTURE moves easily from the political climate thatgave rise to Zen to the cultural areas – art, architecture, theatre,literature, flower arrangement, design, archery, swordsmanship – where Zen hasmanifested itself.”
As for the influence of the Zen aesthetic, theHouston Chronicle said, “Hoover suggests we need only look around.Modern furniture is clean, simple lines in unstained, unadorned woods. And thatold fad became a habit, houseplants. These are all expressions of ideas bornwith Zen: understatement, asymmetry, int
