In passing,
a charming comparison may be made between such portraiture and the aspect
of an aspen or other tree of light and liberal leaf; whether still or in
motion the aspen and the free-leafed poplar have the alertness and
expectancy of flight in all their flocks of leaves, while the oaks and
elms are gathered in their station. All this is not Japanese, but from
such accident is Japanese art inspired, with its good luck of
perceptiveness.
What symmetry is to form, that is repetition in the art of ornament.
Greek art and Gothic alike have series, with repetition or counter-change
for their ruling motive. It is hardly necessary to draw the distinction
between this motive and that of the Japanese. The Japanese motives may
be defined as uniqueness and position. And these were not known as
motives of decoration before the study of Japanese decoration. Repetition
and counter-change, of course, have their place in Japanese ornament, as
in the diaper patterns for which these people have so singular an
invention, but here, too, uniqueness and position are the principal
inspiration.
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