About This Print

"Though the elements in Takahashi's prints seem to float in an untamed cosmos, or are simply reduced to a square or an oblong in perfect equilibrium, they fall unmistakably into place, arranged as precisely as the utensils for a formal tea ceremony.  The space is so ideally formulated that no furnishings are necessary; its architecture eliminates everything but that which is aesthetically and structurally indispensable.  The space itself is a product of light and shadow displayed in an 'unbalanced' tension.  The search for such 'unbalanced' forms has almost become an obsession, but it is nevertheless a positive aesthetic expression.  In such traditional Japanese arts as flower arranging or calligraphy, particularly in the informal styles associated with them, the consummate grace and elegance which can be achieved through the asymmetrical organization of forms in space is especially sought after.  Takahashi's forms possess a freedom in space, yet are nonobstructive in their simplicity and color.  The austere sublimity of his works in the quintessence of his masterly use of asymmetry."

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