Reference
Sharen Pula (The Park School of Baltimore) 5th Grade Subjects taught: Literature, Writing, History, Mathematics, Science, Poetry, Architecture, (The Medieval World)
Review of In Praise of Shadows
I simply loved this essay! I am a “Foodie” and aesthetics, as well as cuisine, play an important part in my daily life. At a recent faculty function, a friend was quick to point out the wine: “Oh, this won’t be up to your standards, Sharen. Better think twice.” Even long ago as a young teacher new to school, I was recounting to the Headmaster my trip to France and the glories to be found in the bounty of the land and sea. He could not understand how I could possible compare the finest food of France to the finest art found in its various museums. In his eyes they were definitely not on the same par. We clearly stood at an impasse.
As I read, I was drawn into each section. The narrative was so compelling. I loved its rambling style. I felt that I was sitting with Tanizaki and listening to him in person. I long to peer into the depths of an alcove where sunlight has never been and to experience the magic of shadows. I wish to see objects of lacquer decorated in sparkling patterns that catch the faint light. “The sheen of the lacquer, set out in the night, reflects the wavering candlelight, announcing the drafts that find their way from time to time into the quiet room, luring one into a state of reverie.” He continues his ode to lacquer—“ But lacquer ware is light and soft to the touch, and gives off hardly a sound. I know few greater pleasures than holding a lacquer sups bowl in my hands, feeling upon my palms the weight of the liquid and its mild warmth. The sensation is something like that of holding a plump newborn baby.” This guy could really write.
Tanizaki talks about the beauty in the moment between removing the lid and lifting the bowl to the mouth. This is a man who so appreciates ceremony. I’d try to recreate some of the actual experiences he described so that my students might be able to slip into the “magic”. We’d make miso soup together, light the room in candlelight, remain as quiet and still as possible, and once the sound of the Nepalese singing bowl had quieted, we’d remove the lid, lift the bowl towards our mouths, gaze at the silent liquid, have our palms sense the gentle movements of the liquid, take in the fragrance carried by the vapor and delight in what was to come. At some point deemed appropriate, we’d jot down some initial thoughts concerning the experience, then discuss these in groups and then write descriptive paragraphs or poems in our journals.
Tanizaki also addresses gold as having value in the dark houses of the past. It served the function of a reflector. This reminded me of the Russian icons of medieval Europe. Painted on panels, they were covered in gold. The homes were dimly lit and the flickering candlelight created an aura around these images. Known as a “window into the soul”, they captivated the imaginations of many. I teach my students to gild. Again with candlelight, icons could be positioned throughout the room. Students could carefully move about, spending quiet time looking at the icons. Afterward, they might take pieces of wood, sand them appropriately and try their hands at creating their own iconography or they might imagine themselves as an icon painter, research this a bit and write an original monologue.
There is another side to this essay, that of change and the effects of change on aesthetics. As he notes, “we find it hard to be really at home with things that shine and glitter… while the Westerner polishes metals to a fine brilliance, we prefer not to polish it and begin to enjoy it only when the luster has worn off.” As objects age, the wear, or grime, calls to mind the past that made them.
Today we live in a throw away society. Try getting something that is broken to be fixed. It’s easier and cheaper to just buy a new one. I don’t know if Tanizaki was a “ranting” sort of man, but if he were to witness 21st C life –where few can bear to suffer a pause of more than 5 to 10 seconds, he would surely utter some form of exasperation. He would feel alienated by our bright lights, garish costumes, make-up, the desire to prefer the artificial over the natural. Were he alive today, Tanizaki, while appreciating some aspects of change, would be saddened by the loss of wilderness, silence, and health. I think he would see the social and ecological destruction brought on by advances and mourn the loss of shadows.
I will never think of shadows in the same way again!
