Japanse familiewapens 1913

This book of Japanese family crests was made anonymously, and sometime we simply don’t know when. There is a beauty in the unknown, like a visual whisper from the past. The slate-blue color reminds me of the hues you find in traditional Japanese indigo dyes, it’s subtle, but striking. The central label features Japanese calligraphy, a series of vertical marks made with a brush and ink. Notice how the ink bleeds slightly into the paper, giving the strokes a soft, organic feel. Each character swells and tapers, a kind of dance between control and chance. The texture of the paper feels almost like fabric, and the book has clearly been handled and loved. The wear and tear only add to its character. In a way, it reminds me of the work of Cy Twombly – a similar sense of gesture, a love of surface, and an appreciation for the beauty of imperfection. Art's like that right? It's never really finished, just continued in the looking and the making.