of simplicity glorified by the beauty of age, historically
revered in that part of the earth! Shall we read it as a
manifesto? Can we truly absorb its potent images and
contemplate its inspiring text? Can we let the restraint
of wabi transfix us as it has transfixed Mr. Vervoordt?
He tells us that ���all beauty is imperfect, incomplete,
and impermanent ��� as
transitory as life itself.���
The text, by Michael Paul,
is as poetic as its subject.
Might it have been more
effective if it was edited
down to its essence in
the same manner as the
austere environments it
describes, succinct as
haiku? We also might
have wanted to see
how Mr. Vervoordt and
Tatsuro Miki incorporated
kitchens and baths into
their dwellings. But this is
perhaps unjust criticism
of a book that challenges us to expand our horizons.
���Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication,��� wrote
Leonardo da Vinci. Mr. Vervoordt and his collaborators
agree. Shall we? H
HYLAND
