Awed by simplicity

Stripes painting by my friend, Ou Yang Chun.

Understatements and simplicity are what interest me in life. Be it from your fashion choices to the perceptions we allay all our skills to in society, there are always something more to that particular subject that has been overlooked.

Say for instance, “Speak fitly, or be silent wisely” (George Herbert), one might denote the short proverb to simply be quite or there are more benefits to being silent. But if looked beneath the denotation, it could suggest that the while it is our uniquely human instinct to speak, we could never take back what has said for it might have created an impact or a folly already. And if most shallow people are like empty vessels, the ones that are observant and quiet will have the ability to gain more knowledge around him/her.

Art pieces too are known to be understated and simple. An abstract expressionist painting of Barnett Newman (below) shows exactly why simplicity are often understated but the techniques behind the painting gives the different effect in terms of optical competition.

I find the effect of such dynamism reflective of society today as we are often competing for attention of readers or the way we present ourselves. And while you might just say that the painting is only one of colored stripes on a red canvas, the issue of the way we view such subtle objects without being consumed with the vibrancy of everything else that surrounds us such as the red canvas. The fact that the painting consist of varying size, thickness and colour already shows how its a complex piece of art without knowing it.

So what are the things in life that are often overlooked? You might find then surprisingly interesting if you see it in a different light.

UNTIL NEXT TIME!!