Re: Good Bokeh

[pgs@thillana.lcs.mit.edu (Patrick Sobalvarro)]

   From: Jim Brick <jim@brick.org>
   Date: Sun, 04 May 1997 22:40:11 -0700

   As they state, quite clearly in the article, Bokeh CANNOT be measured. It's
   subjective. It's more like an emotion. It's discussed in Japanese lens
   reviews. It's revered by Japanese photographers. There are many types of
   Bokeh, two-line, ring, circular, long and narrow, point...etc... etc. You
   can also have too much Bokeh. Bokeh is something in tune with the Japanese
   culture. People not brought up in a Japanese culture may never be able to
   fully understand or feel Bokeh. We may try, but I believe it's somewhat
   futile. The fact that we want to measure it and analyze it states clearly
   that we don't understand it. Perhaps it can be learned if we get rid of our
   analytical mind set. Of the western cultures, perhaps the French have the
   best chance of understanding/feeling Bokeh... IMHO.

Jim, do you really believe this hooey, or are you just kind of
having fun with us here?

- -Patrick

P.S. Whenever I hear about how the Japanese are different from the
     West in having a tradition of aesthetics, I am reminded of an
     article I once read by a New York Times correspondent who lived
     for many years in Japan.  He told how he had remarked to a
     Japanese colleague at the Asahi Shimbun that one of the most
     salient differences between television programming in the West
     and Japan was that the Japanese television stations seemed to
     spend a much greater amount of time and money in reporting the
     weather.  His Japanese colleague explained that this was because
     Japan once had an agrarian economy, and therefore had a stronger
     preoccupation with the weather.  The New York Times correspondent
     then pointed out that pretty much all the countries in the world
     had once had agrarian economies, which left his colleague from
     the Asahi Shimbun somewhat nonplused.