--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In Japanese art, space assumed a dominant…" description: "\"In Japanese art, space assumed a dominant role and its position was strengthened by Zen concepts.\" — Stephen Gardiner" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e50/stephen-gardiner-13496_art_in-japanese-art-space-assumed-a-dominant_1912544.png" --- # In Japanese art, space assumed a dominant role and its… ![“In Japanese art, space assumed a dominant role and its position was strengthened by Zen concepts.” quote by Stephen Gardiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e50/stephen-gardiner-13496_art_in-japanese-art-space-assumed-a-dominant_1912544.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e50/stephen-gardiner-13496_art_in-japanese-art-space-assumed-a-dominant_1912544.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e50/stephen-gardiner-13496_art_in-japanese-art-space-assumed-a-dominant_1912544.png) > “In Japanese art, space assumed a dominant role and its position was strengthened by Zen concepts.” [Stephen Gardiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gardiner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Zen philosophy makes space a central, active element in Japanese art. **In simple terms:** Space is purposeful, shaped by Zen. Key Takeaway Design with intentional emptiness. Themes art design philosophy culture Mood calm contemplative inspired Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - interior design - landscape architecture - visual arts - mindful practice Key Concepts Zen aesthetics spatial theory Questions to Reflect On - How does empty space affect viewer perception? - What lessons can modern design draw from Zen? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on emptiness may feel sparse. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-space-1542176/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Concepts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concepts/) [Dominant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dominant/) [Japanese art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/japanese-art/) [Position](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/position/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Space Assumed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space-assumed-2888332/) [Strengthened Zen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strengthened-zen-2888331/) [Zen Concepts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zen-concepts-2888330/) ## Related quotes > [It's interesting how as an artist you keep evolving, but if you can get into the contemporary art space, if the works are in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalup-linzy/it-s-interesting-how-as-an-artist-you-keep-evolving-but-if-you-can/) [Kalup Linzy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalup-linzy/) > [A chair is not just a product of decorative art in a space, it is a form and a space in itself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/finn-juhl/a-chair-is-not-just-a-product-of-decorative-art-in-a-space-it-is-a/) [Finn Juhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/finn-juhl/) > [It was at a performance art space that's no longer around, Gusto House... All of these great performers from all over the country lived…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-leguizamo/it-was-at-a-performance-art-space-that-s-no-longer-around-gusto-house/) [John Leguizamo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-leguizamo/) > [When I was young, there was never any space for me to get attention of my own that wasn't negative. Art, and the practice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-gordon/when-i-was-young-there-was-never-any-space-for-me-to-get-attention-of/) [Kim Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-gordon/) > [Art is the space between the viewer and the rectangle that hangs on the wall. Unless something of the person that created the work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-allen-lawson/art-is-the-space-between-the-viewer-and-the-rectangle-that-hangs-on/) [T. Allen Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-allen-lawson/) > [I really admire the great Japanese artists who could change their name three times in a lifetime. You could get rid of one and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-harrison/i-really-admire-the-great-japanese-artists-who-could-change-their/) [Tony Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-harrison/) > [I have mastered many things in my life. Navigating the streets of London, speaking French without an accent, dancing the quadrille, the Japanese art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/i-have-mastered-many-things-in-my-life-navigating-the-streets-of/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“I've mastered many thing's in my life. Navigating the streets of London, dancing the quadrille, the Japanese art of flower arranging, lying at charades,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/i-ve-mastered-many-thing-s-in-my-life-navigating-the-streets-of/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [Traditional paintings have few figures in them and value negative space. Japanese calligraphy and brush paintings are in black and white. Haiku is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fumio-sasaki/traditional-paintings-have-few-figures-in-them-and-value-negative/) [Fumio Sasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fumio-sasaki/) > [“Well," he asked, "whaddya expect?" It was so obviously a rhetorical question that of course I answered it. My truth impulse seemed stronger around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-jensen/well-he-asked-whaddya-expect-it-was-so-obviously-a-rhetorical/) [Melissa Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-jensen/) > [Beautiful and minimalist, the traditional Japanese art of ikebana - arranging bouquets of cut flowers and leaves using very few elements - ideally corresponded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-claude-ellena/beautiful-and-minimalist-the-traditional-japanese-art-of-ikebana/) [Jean-Claude Ellena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-claude-ellena/) > [If we study Japanese art, we see a man who is undoubtedly wise, philosophic and intelligent, who spends his time doing what? He studies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/if-we-study-japanese-art-we-see-a-man-who-is-undoubtedly-wise/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [I feel responsible to make something original as a Japanese artist. There are lots of singers and guitarists, but I feel that on stage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miyavi/i-feel-responsible-to-make-something-original-as-a-japanese-artist/) [Miyavi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miyavi/) > [Traditional Chinese art looked at the Earth from a Confucian mountain top; Japanese art looked closely around screens; Italian Renaissance art surveyed conquered nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-berger/traditional-chinese-art-looked-at-the-earth-from-a-confucian-mountain/) [John Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-berger/) > [I own a home in Kyoto, Japan actually on the temple on grounds in Nanzenji that is going to become a Japanese art museum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-ellison/i-own-a-home-in-kyoto-japan-actually-on-the-temple-on-grounds-in/) [Larry Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-ellison/) ## More by Stephen Gardiner > [The further forward we go, the further back we have to explore in order to go forward again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gardiner/the-further-forward-we-go-the-further-back-we-have-to-explore-in/) [Stephen Gardiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gardiner/) > [The chief concern of the French Impressionists was the discovery of balance between light and dark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gardiner/the-chief-concern-of-the-french-impressionists-was-the-discovery-of/) [Stephen Gardiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gardiner/) > [It is thought that the changeover from hunter to farmer was a slow, gradual process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gardiner/it-is-thought-that-the-changeover-from-hunter-to-farmer-was-a-slow/) [Stephen Gardiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gardiner/) > [The center of Western culture is Greece, and we have never lost our ties with the architectural concepts of that ancient civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gardiner/the-center-of-western-culture-is-greece-and-we-have-never-lost-our/) [Stephen Gardiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gardiner/) > [The corridor is hardly ever found in small houses, apart from the verandah, which also serves as a corridor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gardiner/the-corridor-is-hardly-ever-found-in-small-houses-apart-from-the/) [Stephen Gardiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gardiner/) > [Victorian architecture in the United States was copied straight from England.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gardiner/victorian-architecture-in-the-united-states-was-copied-straight-from/) [Stephen Gardiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gardiner/) > [The interior of the house personifies the private world; the exterior of it is part of the outside world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gardiner/the-interior-of-the-house-personifies-the-private-world-the-exterior/) [Stephen Gardiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gardiner/) > [The garden, by design, is concerned with both the interior and the land beyond the garden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gardiner/the-garden-by-design-is-concerned-with-both-the-interior-and-the-land/) [Stephen Gardiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gardiner/) > [In the crowded and difficult conditions of a steep hillside, houses have had to struggle to establish their territory and to survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gardiner/in-the-crowded-and-difficult-conditions-of-a-steep-hillside-houses/) [Stephen Gardiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gardiner/) > [The largest and most influential houses chiefly demonstrate the aloofness of the French approach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gardiner/the-largest-and-most-influential-houses-chiefly-demonstrate-the/) [Stephen Gardiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gardiner/) > [Human requirements are the inspiration for art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gardiner/human-requirements-are-the-inspiration-for-art/) [Stephen Gardiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gardiner/) > [What people want, above all, is order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gardiner/what-people-want-above-all-is-order/) [Stephen Gardiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gardiner/) > [The logic of Palladian architecture presented an aesthetic formula which could be applied universally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gardiner/the-logic-of-palladian-architecture-presented-an-aesthetic-formula/) [Stephen Gardiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gardiner/) > [Up until the War of the Roses there had been continual conflict in England.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gardiner/up-until-the-war-of-the-roses-there-had-been-continual-conflict-in/) [Stephen Gardiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gardiner/) > [Newton, for instance, attempted to comprehend the diversities of the universe with a single system of mathematical laws, the objectivity, sobriety and logic of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gardiner/newton-for-instance-attempted-to-comprehend-the-diversities-of-the/) [Stephen Gardiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gardiner/) [Explore all 50 Stephen Gardiner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gardiner/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) [Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/) > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In Japanese art, space assumed a dominant role and its position was strengthened by Zen concepts.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stephen Gardiner" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gardiner/in-japanese-art-space-assumed-a-dominant-role-and-its-position-was/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gardiner/in-japanese-art-space-assumed-a-dominant-role-and-its-position-was/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e50/stephen-gardiner-13496_art_in-japanese-art-space-assumed-a-dominant_1912544.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e50/stephen-gardiner-13496_art_in-japanese-art-space-assumed-a-dominant_1912544.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e50/stephen-gardiner-13496_art_in-japanese-art-space-assumed-a-dominant_1912544.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In Japanese art, space assumed a dominant role and its position was strengthened by Zen concepts.” — Stephen Gardiner", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Stephen Gardiner", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gardiner/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In Japanese art, space assumed a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gardiner/in-japanese-art-space-assumed-a-dominant-role-and-its-position-was/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gardiner/in-japanese-art-space-assumed-a-dominant-role-and-its-position-was/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```