Arts - Arte Dojo

The artistic works of Andreas M. Roth (photography, poetry and light sculptures) are inspired by nature, Eastern and Western aesthetics, and zazen (zen meditation). They are characterised by stillness, light, reduced structural forms and emptiness. The motifs are often based on nature, the seasons, abstract structures and the transience of our human lives. A quality of simplicity and transparency. A natural relationship between form and emptiness. Nothing is forced. Everything is as it is. Like an old memory, the reception leaves the attentive viewer with subtle emotions and silence.

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The Influence of Japan and Zen on Western Art

Japan and Zen had been influencing Western art since the 17th century, but it was not until the 19th century that artists began to directly alter the form of their works. In the second half of the 20th century, Zen even became almost popular in the West, with various Zen teachers founding schools (including Shunryū Suzuki in the USA and Taisen Deshimaru in France), intellectuals engaging with it, and Zen becoming an important source of inspiration for some Western artists and architects.

A first encounter with Zen often takes place indirectly and unconsciously through Japanese gardens, architecture, ceramics, calligraphy, painting, music, haikus, or other arts. In some cases, especially in the visual arts such as architecture, sculpture, painting, graphic art, and photography, as well as in crafts (e.g., ceramics) the influence on art works is only indirectly visible, while in others, the engagement with Japan and Zen is explicit.