"A thousand-mile journey begins with a single step" Lao-tse
For a long time I have had a book inside me, which may or may not ever come out. Thanks to subtle but steady pressure from my blog/ taskmaster and Digital Guru, Carlton Stout, I will begin the writing of it here in blog form. I will attempt to tie together an ancient Chinese religion, an approach to painting, and Winnie the Pooh. A manual of sorts.
The inspiration came from a book entitled, “The Tao of Pooh”, by Benjamin Hoff. A wonderful little volume, it explains Taoism, and it posits that Winnie the Pooh is the perfect Taoist master. I recommend that you read the book- it’s quite charming. Hoff also compares Taoism to Confucianism and Buddhism. About Confucius, it was said that “If the mat was not straight, The Master would not sit.” Enough about Confucianism for now-just equate it with Art Theory and College Professors. (And don’t get me started on those guys!)
The best way to contrast Buddhism and Taoism is this: Buddhists meditate, while a Taoist just thinks about nothing. Remember above all that Taoism (“The Tao” is untranslatable, but roughly means “The Way”-specifically The Way things are, not The Way to do things...) is based on interaction with the world as it is. A good Taoist* seeks to know the Nature of things, then reacts accordingly and appropriately.
The first important Taoist principle Hoff presents is that of P’u, the Uncarved Block. Pronounced like Pooh, but softer,as if blowing a bug off your arm. The essence of the principle of the Uncarved Block is that things in their original simplicity contain their own natural power, which is easily spoiled when that simplicity is lost. Fascinating and good fun, but what does it all have to do with Painting? This. A Painter should BE the Uncarved Block.
Let’s use “red” to illustrate the Uncarved Block and how it relates to Painting. A Confucian Painter would likely go on about the proper use of red, according to something some dead guy once said- and would likely rule red out altogether, as it causes instability and threatens the Social Order-and on and on. God only knows what a Buddhist Painter might do with red; my head is already spinning with subtle negations of red-ness. What of a Taoist, most precisely of a Painter working in the Taoist Sense? He would look at the painting on the easel, or the one currently in his head, and suddenly cry out, “Red! The piece needs red.” Or not- perhaps the painting needs blue. The point being that Painting in the Taoist sense requires the Painter to interact directly with the piece in question, to set aside rules and philosophies and dead guys’ proclamations regarding red, and let his eyes be his brain. This is a concept difficult for words to convey, which makes it a good Taoist concept. I will tackle the “eyes are the Painter’s brain” thing further next time. I will try to explain how Painters know things, but should pretend they don’t...
Thank you for your time. Until next time.
* Firstly, anybody that tells you that they’re a good Taoist is being a bad Taoist. A good Taoist will say that they’re a bad Taoist, a great Taoist will aver that they are merely a pimple on the ass of Taoism, and so on. A good Taoist motto might be, Be Humble and Don’t Stumble, if Taoists had mottos. Which they don’t, which is why I chose to be a Taoist. That, and it’s nearly impossible to find a Taoist church...
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