Makoto Ito Square Shadow Art Glass Wall Sculpture, Japan, c. 2005, etched glass, signed, ht. 34, wd. 24, dp. 3/8 in.Note: "Ornamentatio

Makoto Ito Square Shadow Art Glass Wall Sculpture, Japan, c. 2005, etched glass, signed, ht. 34, wd. 24, dp. 3/8 in.

Note: "Ornamentation is one facet of Japanese culture. Its opposite also exists--an expression of aesthetic simplicity. This is the spiritual culture in which Japanese people have found themselves since ancient times. It can be seen in centuries-old sumi-e ink paintings or in the structure of a tea house. Simplicity is to me the one most liberating thing in a work of art. Maybe I picked up this trait from studying Japanese painting. However that may be, glass--with its richly entwining enchantments--often leads me into confusion. With this awareness, I try to simplify. In my art I concentrate on a central theme or phenomenon--the transparent material, the light that passes through it, the shadows generated, or just the reflections." - Makoto Ito