Time Created: December 2006
Simplicity. It’s such a (heh) simple concept, and yet, the more you think on it, the deeper it gets.
It can be saying exactly what needs saying, and nothing more. Stripping away all the extraneous clutter until you’re left with only the essentials. Seeking some deeper happiness rather than the instant gratification of the day. The trick is in how to determine what can be removed.
Take this image, for instance. I think of it as a luminous sailboat, on a perfectly clear ocean under a starless night sky. And its reflection, of course. The lines for the ocean and sky aren’t needed. Nor is any of the many details that real sailboats have. The mere shape is enough to suggest meaning.
And yet, that intricate coil of light inside the sail? At first glance, it seems far too complex for an example of simplicity. But take it away, and all you have is basic shapes. It stops being Art.
