| Title | : | Zen of Seeing: Seeing/Drawing as Meditation |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0394719689 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780394719689 |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 160 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1973 |
Zen of Seeing: Seeing/Drawing as Meditation Reviews
-
ذن یعنی زندگی که می داند دارد زندگی می کند
وقتی این کتاب را می خوانیم، متوجه شباهت های بعضی حرف های «فردریک فرانک» که از آیین ذن برگفته شده با شعرهای لطیف و عمیق سهراب می شویم
و دلیل آن هم اینست که سهراب تحت تاثیر عرفان هند بوده و ذن هم از هند به ژاپن رفته
موضوعاتی مثه زندگی در لحظه و ژرف اندیشی و با چشم حقیقی دیدن که محور شعرهای سهراب اند در این کتاب هم یافت می شود
نویسنده که در اصل نقاش است چنین می گوید: قاصدک هیچ برتری بر ثعلب ندارد
:و شعر معروف سهراب
من نمی دانم
که چرا می گویند اسب حیوان نجیبی است
کبوتر زیباست
و چرا در قفس هیچ کسی کرکس نیست
گل شبدر چه کم از لاله ی قرمز دارد
چشمها را باید شست جور دیگر باید دید
واژه ها را باید شست
واژه باید خود باد
واژه باید خود باران باشد
:در مورد کتاب
فردریک فرانک قصد ندارد در این کتاب هنر نقاشی کردن را بیاموزد
هنرمند پیش از آن باید چشمانی بینا داشته باشد
ولی ما نگاه می کنیم اما نمی بینیم
دیدن با نگاه کردن تفاوت خیلی زیادی دارد
همانطور که روخوانی کتابی با پیدا کردن معنا فرق بسیار دارد
:و این کتابی است در مورد دیدن
ما خیلی زیاد نگاه می کنیم: با دوربین و تلسکوپ و صفحه تلویزیون به همه چیز نگاه می کنیم... میزان نگاه کردن ما روز به روز بیشتر می شود ولی روز به روز کمتر و کمتر می بینیم
فورا به همه چیز برچسب می چسبانیم. برچسبی که دائمی است. با این برچسب هاست که همه چیز را می شناسیم، ولی دیگر چیزی نمی بینیم. ما برچسب روی بطری ها را می بینیم، ولی مزه محتوای آن ها را تجربه نمی کنیم
میلیون ها انسان، بدون دیدن و بدون لذت بردن، در حالی که آنچه را قبلا به زحمت دریافته اند زیر پا می گذارند و لگدمال می کنند. آن ها هرگز یاد نگرفته اند چگونه ببینند
آن ها فراموش کرده اند که انسان ها چشم هایی هم برای دیدن و تجربه کردن دارند
برای دیدن واقعی، دیدن عمیق تر و ژرف تر، و برای آگاهی کامل و زنده بودن است که من آنچه را چینی ها «ده هزار چیز» دور و بر می نامند طراحی می کنم. طراحی نظمی است که با آن دائما دنیا را کشف می کنم. دریافته ام که تا چیزی را طراحی نکنم واقعا آن را ندیده ام و وقتی شروع به طراحی از چیزی عادی می کنم پی می برم که آن چیز چقدر فوق العاده است و به معجزه می ماند: شاخه های درخت، ساختار گل پف کرده قاصدک
والت ویتمن می گوید: موش معجزه ای است که میلیون ها میلیون بی ایمان را مبهوت می کند
ذن یعنی اعتقاد به ناپایداری و گذرا بودن روزگار و اعتقاد به محدودیتی که ما با تمام موجودات شریکیم
همین ناپایداری زمانه است که لحظه را بی نهایت گرانبها می کند
سنگای استاد طراحی قرن هفده ژاپنی گفته است: رامبراند در مقابل چشمان بیدار اخلاقی خود بدن را مثل قطره شبنمی ناپایدار می بیند که سرشار از شگفتی و سرشار از ارزش و بهاست
لبخند پرتوان مدیران، اخم متظاهرانه موعظه گران، پوزخند پدرانه پزشکان و غنچه شدن گذرای زیبای لب ها همگی نقاب سطحی چهره است که در لحظه آسودگی، درد یا مستی کنار می روند. هر «من»ی توالی چند نقاب است. در موقع مرگ همراه «من» آخرین نقاب هم محو می شود. همانطور که کنگوبو، استاد قدیمی ذن، می گوید: سرانجام با زدن نقاب مرگ بر چهره ی خویش، او هم به شکل انسان درآمد
گلچینی از متن کتاب -
I am not a Zen person. I am not a "spiritual" person. I was, however, a college drawing teacher for many years. This is an excellent book. It teaches you to pay attention and to truly see, which is half the battle in drawing. Even if you never pick up a pencil, this book will lead you to look at the world in a different way.
-
This book shows us how practicing an Art is a form of meditation. The author introduces us to Seeing/Drawing as an experiential approach to reality. Seeing as an exercise of mindfulness. As an act of letting experince wash over us without reacting to it with desire or aversion. A really good book i would recommend to anyone and not just an artist.
-
I had read one other book by Franck. His words always seem to settle me on creating art, not out of angst, but out of a place of wonder and praise, appreciation and real seeing. Seeing/Drawing is a term he came up with for a medatative excercise to trust the eye/mind/hand relationship and to cultivate it while letting go of other distractions. This work speaks much about movement and form, of study and of nature. A good read for any artist. Perhaps a bit too autobiographical attimes for my liking, but a solid source of inspiration throughout. His handwriting of the text is an intriquing aspect of the book. Intermixed with his own illustrations, it sets a tone of converstaion rather than lecture.
-
3.5 stars. I don't know that this book will teach you how to see like an artist, but it explores the thought process behind seeing, and explores the idea of seeing like an artist/drawing as meditation. Having done both, I definitely feel the link between the two. Attention is so focused when drawing that it becomes as meditative as yoga, which I think of as meditation in motion.
If you're looking to refill your peace tank, I don't see how you can go wrong with yoga, meditation and/or drawing. Just spending time in nature with the eyes of an artist, really seeing rather than just looking, may be enough.
I've committed myself to drawing, painting, sewing.....doing something creative every day this year. Even if it's only a ten-minute sketch. Watercolor and colored pencil are my preferred media, although I enjoy art quilting too. Feel free to check out my blog at
http://www.createarteveryday.com
I hope to continue beyond 2015 and make the creative journey a permanent part of my life. It's so restorative for me that I've found it as necessary as food and water. You may be inspired too. I have never been able to draw, but it's amazing what happens when you draw every day (and read lots of books and watch youtube videos).....you learn by osmosis. And by doing. And doing. :) So if you want to make art a part of your life, don't be limited by your perception of your own talent. If you want to create, you'll find your way. -
I've studied many of the how-to draw books out there on the market. And, I must say that this book is quite well written and easy to understand(it is actually handwritten and not typed). It teaches the reader to be more concerned with what he/she is observing than what they are putting down on paper. The author uses many examples to illustrate his points he is trying to get across. However, this book will not be of any aid to those who are searching for actual techniques and drills (such as step by step exercises). The lessons taught are somewhat similar in substance to those taught by Dr. Betty Edward's Book "Drawing on the right Side of the Brain". I would recommend this title to those who are interested in drawing for the shear enjoyment of it. So, in that respect I give it 5 stars.
-
It's a nifty book; and has a lot to say although there's not a lot of text--and also all the text which is present is written out calligraphy-style in longhand by the author. Impressive. Then of course, (since it is an art book) at least half of the volume is taken up with some very startling ink wash and line drawings. Every other page is visual; totally illustrating what the author is commenting on.
He has some great stuff to say about teaching art; sometimes quotes from zen masters and sometimes just anecdotes from his outdoor sketching classes. We ought to all be reminded more of what he's basically saying: namely that learning to draw is not far-fetched; anyone can do it if they have the inclination. It is not impossible to make art a part of your life. And the rewards are enormous.
One of the principles I relished most during this read was the concept of 'ten thousand things'. This zen principle is about how--even when we are sitting on a park bench somewhere, say on our lunch hour from work--our eyes may be open, but they're open in a blank, passive, robotic aspect. We're not actively looking at anything. We do not notice that there are probably ten thousand tiny little items around us. At any turn of our head. There are dewdrops, leaves, stems, spiderwebs, blades of grass, acorns on the ground, a whole universe of stuff. Focus on just one blade of grass: there are probably ten thousand tiny ribs along its length. Or ten thousand capillaries in a leaf over your head.
All this variety is usually lost to us. We forget we have eyes at all. What are we looking at instead? The label on our drink container, or our wristwatch, or the tip of our shoe. We tend to look at 'nothings'.
Thus, 'zen-of-seeing' is one great way to re-startle yourself back into the real world. Actively look at things, in order to see. Start observing the Don't let yourself be automated. So simple, and so valuable.
The sense all this makes is even more relevant now with the stupid craze for video. This time-waster lures us to completely abandon our extraordinary powers of vision. Have you noticed? People are forgetting even to question the inclusion of insipid, pointless, dumbass video in our lives.
But listen: watching a screen produces absolutely no change or difference in the world. You're interacting with nothing which is real; you are creating nothing; you have lost all deliberateness, as you sit there amused pretty much like an idiot. When you 'spectate', you are inert, listless, dead-to-the-world as far as the rest of humanity is concerned. You are literally 'on hold'. You might as well be in a grave.
So, yes--ultimately this book on sketching and drawing is very valuable to know about and be mindful of. There's tiny lessons you can take up and make immediate changes to your life. Heartily endorsed! -
"We do a lot of looking: we look through lenses, telescopes, tubes... Our looking is perfected every day - but we see less and less."
I probably should have read The Zen of Seeing when it was written in 1973. It has the look of my old well-loved Vegetarian epicure, a sort of buff paper covered book with pen and ink sketches and hand writing. It's fast and easy, and the point is that if one draws the everyday objects in his or her world, the world slows down becomes more sane and recognizable. It's good for the mind to stop and really see. The book felt a little dated to me, but still has a good message. -
Zen of Seeing is not a how-to book. No drawing lessons here. Instead, pleasant drawings and inspirational messages (hand written) encourage the reader to let go of rules and inhibitions.
-
I truly enjoy books that equally provide content but also room to self evaluate and think deeper. This book does just that. Of course I cannot 100% agree with everything said in this book, but what did stick with me is dare I say it, life changing. I feel as if a cardboard box that has been taped and hidden in the back corner of my clutter actic of a brain has been found and burst open. The best way to describe that would be to say EnLiGhTeNeD. Frederick Franck provides a new way to understand and interpret art. He reinvents, or at least reintroduces what it means to create—or capture— the world with a utensil in hand. He entrusts upon the reader that artistry is not the selfish and competitive act that bombards the creative field (specifically in regards to one's relationship with drawing). Though I disagree with his attempts to redefine drawing instead of reconsidering or contributing with an alternate perspective. Just as his goal was to open the artist in all of us (but using artist is sort of misspoken because Franck says the title of an artist is too honorable to self proclaim or flaunt), he tended to close off certain aspects of what drawing should be. Sure we must observe and selflessly capture the life in front of us, but self reflection and designating a paper for such a purpose is well deserved in itself. He also adds a degree of supremacy to people who draw versus people who paint. Each medium are different and different skills are required so confining people's skills to a hierarchical standard seems immature and counterproductive. Franck wants readers to dabble with their pen and pencil, but he also is standoffish in creating this rigid rules to his own art practice. That being said, I understand the necessity in having a clear and concise thesis.
Overall, the reason I give this book 5 stars is more of a personal discovery and evaluation that his words provide me than him creating something perfect or deserving of prestigious regard. And I also hope that my rating encourages people to give this a shot and maybe get the same power and substance that I was able to extract out of it.
If you don't read this book, just draw. Give it a shot and don't look at your hand. Just look at your subject and appreciate your hand movements for what they are and focus your energy on what you re studying and seeing before your eyes. -
Reading this book and looking at the gorgeous art is a meditation in itself. I love the concept of art as meditation. I’m not evolved enough to achieve it as yet, but maybe someday I’ll be able to really see an object to the extent that all else in the world drops away and I see the object looking back at me. Right now that sounds lovely but otherworldly.
-
Honestly, I only read various parts of this book in the back room, waiting to be called out and model for a life drawing class at Mendocino College. It redefines the basic concepts of drawing as I had known them all my life. I was so amazed that I went out and bought art supplies. Ok, that was about it, so far cratively over here, but my children really dug on all those supplies. This book is great tho, truly, for artists and other humans.
BTW, I didnt get to finish the book because I fainted doing a standing pose and since I was pregnant, I was afraid to continue. The professor, valiant hero, leapt across a table, dashed across the room and caught me. 15 years later, when he met my daughter, he introduced her to his family as the child he saved.
Thinking about this book always makes me want to go find a copy and refresh my knowledge of it and, er, well, draw something! -
Where has this book been? I started drawing and painting a few years back and have bought lots of books, but none like this! I don't think of myself as a Zen person or a mystic, but this book really speaks to me. The drawings are beautiful, but go beyond a superficial beauty. Even if one is not interested in drawing, there is lots in this book to recommend it. It is not just a book about seeing and drawing, it is a book about truly living.
-
I love the idea of seeing and drawing as a meditation and I've read several positive reviews of this book. I wasn't impressed though. The handwritten script is hard to read so it felt like a struggle to absorb meaning from the text and numerous anecdotes and quotes.
It's rare for me to decide to sell one of my art books, but I'm eager to get this one off my shelf so I can make room for something else. -
I read excerpts of this book to my art students every semester. Years ago when I was Artist-In-Residence at a federal prison, an inmate brought me his copy of this to look at. He said he thought I would like it. He was SO right! Whether or not you draw, you will find this book full of insight. It's about drawing but more than that it's about SEEING, really SEEING, the world around us.
-
One of my favorites, but someone stole it from my collection - he rates it favorably as well.
-
Disclaimer: I am no trained artist or drawer or someone particularly skilled in Zen.
It was an okay book. I liked the concept of doing away with the trappings of "Art" and trying to get to the essence of drawing, but he really couches it in the writing style of someone who "smells their own farts" as my boyfriend put it. There's a lot of fluff here, that I think he was trying to use to get his point across, but it tends to come off as snooty or elitist in it's own way. I recommend reading the fourth and fifth chapters as that's where the concrete lessons are located. The drawings are very nuanced and I think he uses them to great effect to literally illustrate the concepts he writes about. -
I’m not sure where to begin with this book, if it can even be called such, and not something more akin to ‘The Ravings of a Madman’. Perhaps that’s where I should start, for that is certainly where I’ll end. This book consists of two things; gorgeous pen-drawings that were done by the author, which frame each page with a sense of whimsy, and the scrawling (hand written, even!) recounting of the world’s most boring LSD trip.
In between the rare profound quotable lessons that can be sometimes unearthed and peeled from these pages are lengthy scribbles about lettuce, becoming animals, and drawing people without their clothes… and without their consent. To some, they might find some of the rantings about Zen to be enlightening, like there’s something to be gleaned from the text as one might preach Catholicism from the Bible. But between the horribly illegible handwriting that was supposed to portray a love-letter to the arts and the drug trips that had to have fueled this book, I think this will go onto my ‘never again’ shelf and I’ll be quick to toss this book to the skies where hopefully it can find more use as shrapnel in a bird’s nest. -
I would have expected that the drawings supported this otherwise interesting theory of "seen" and followed the text, but it was not so. Drawings in the book are captionless. I was constantly flipping back and forth to the index where the images are indexed by countries and not by page. Not the best layout. The ideas about art as essence are in my opinion better developed in Betty Edward's Drawing on the Artist Within. My mind could not help but completting the thoughts in Franck's book with those I read in the latter. When Franck speaks about feeling a connection eye to hand I rapidly connect with the exercises that I learned from Drawing on the Artist Within for getting to the unconscious, that is, the right side side of the brain. I guess I was too biased by a so much bigger work. Anyhow, Franck's book was pleasant to read.
-
Originally published in the 1970s, this delightful book delves into being present (looking rather than seeing, drawing as a form of mindful meditation, ) through handwritten notes and representative pencil or pen and ink sketches. The handwriting takes a bit of time to decipher, which may be beneficial as it slows down the reading process and the cursive writing helps give a sense of personality to the writing. My copy is on lovely, warm, well-worn paper, with almost a vellum quality. Franck's message is simple. This isn't a 'how to draw' book, it's a meditation on mindfulness and paying full attention to a moment through seeing. I thoroughly enjoyed the book's message, as well as its presentation. Zen and the Art of Seeing is also, in itself, a lovely work of art as well as a treatise.
-
I really love this author and his handwritten books about seeing/drawing. They invite the reader to slow down and to see the world with open eyes, to see human vulnerability in people, and to become one with the thing you're drawing. Several aspects of what he shared reminded me of how I felt while drawing as a child/teenager... becoming the tree, taking on the facial expression of the person you're drawing. This book certainly makes me want to draw more. This book and "the awakened eye" are two I hope to keep in my personal book collection for life.
-
Naar mijn ervaring zijn er teveel woorden gebruikt om iets zo voor de hands liggends uit te leggen: als je tekent ben je één met hetgeen wat je tekent. Spoilers.
Ik irriteerde me aan de zelfverheerlijking. Francks-wet? En het neerkijken op kunstonderwijs, is dat echt nodig? Ik hoopte een praktische gids te lezen, maar het is een liefdesbrief aan Franck zelf. -
Mentions two of my favorite concepts:
Sunyata = Emptiness so full of potential that all emerges from it, all is reabsorbed in it.
Baso quote: "When tired I sleep, when hungry I eat." Rishi! -
This was text listed for my Architecture course in the early 80's. One of my cherished books except that I don't know where to find it! A meandering meditation on the zen of seeing. A classic.
-
Excellent
-
Like a nice chat with a wise friend!
-
Beautiful, inspiring book that will awaken the artist in all of us.
