Message from cnorth

[Anonymous]

What a great website! I must say I disagree with the 'philosophy' of Zen calligraphy that "True creation arises from mushin, or the state of ‘no-mind’, which lies beyond thoughts, emotions and expectations." This may be true of calligraphy, but as an (indifferent) artist, I know a lot of thought and planning goes into some representational art--sketches, studies, maquettes, etc.

I agree with Becca...this is a wonderful website and, (sorry!) but I totally agree with the Zen philosophy that goes with calligraphy. 😉 Maybe because I was a Daoist, eh? hahaha

Actually, such a concept (but not as a rule) will be introduced into both my creative writing aspects (poetry units for 10th graders) and the Modern Literature class I teach for 12th graders. I incorporate Modern Art (impressionism, expressionism, dada, and all the other "-isms") and music into the lesson, and this will be an interesting addition, especially when discussing art and literature through "the mind's eye" as Picasso, Dali, and Kafka did.

As for the museum website itself, what an invaluable resource! I love also that I can assign the website to my students to peruse and then have them comment on what they get out of the experience, or any connections it may have to what we study.