The Beauty of Imperfection
The Rev. Walter E. Orthwein
"All works of art are more beautiful when they suggest something
beyond themselves than when they end up being merely what they are."1
T
his bit of wisdom was gleaned from a book about classical Japanese and
Korean pottery, but the principle has much wider application, including
theological.
The idea is that the best art conveys a subtle impression of imperfection
or incompleteness, but that its apparent flaws actually imbue it with a special
power and beauty. There is an element of mystery about it, perhaps even a
sense of holiness. It has a spirit that transcends and transfigures its physical
form.
In pottery, a vessel which is too perfect, too symmetrical, is seen as lacking
a certain essential something, while one that is less polished or bears some
imperfection may be more interesting. A slight crack or rough spot in the
finish of a bowl is thus seen as adding to its aesthetic appeal. This testifies to
the truth that whatever beauty an object conveys is bestowed upon it from a
more essential, more perfect beauty that cannot be fully expressed in paint or
clay or any natural medium, but only hinted at.
If a work of art is executed with such precision and refinement as to
appear flawless, then its very “perfection” becomes its imperfection. It is what
it is and nothing more. It may be fascinating on the surface, but lacks depth; it
is beautiful in form, but deficient in soul.
But I don’t want to overstate the point; roughness in itself does not equal
beauty, and is certainly not the only measure of it. Nor can “the imperfection that
perfects” (as we might call it) be contrived; it is accidental, unselfconscious and
“innocent,” like the imperfections of a child’s drawing. New pieces of furniture
are sometimes “distressed” in an attempt to give them more character, which
is deliberate and artificial, but it does demonstrate the beauty of imperfection.
There is an element of serendipity in the production of art. It takes on
1 The Unknown Craftsman, A Japanese Insight into Beauty , by Soetsu Yanagi, page 150, Kodansha
International
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