ZEN + THE ART OF MOTORCYCLE
MAINTENANCE
DR. JACKIE HENSON-DACEY
RIVERVIEW HIGH SCHOOL, SARASOTA COUNTY
AN INQUIRY INTO VALUES
• “You see things vacationing on a
motorcycle in a way that is completely
different from any other”.
• “The truth knocks on the door and you
say, “Go away, I’m looking for the truth, “
and so it goes away”
ZEN CONCEPTS APPLY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
• Fan of philosophy
• Seeking some answers to life’s higher
purpose
• Spend time thinking
• Improving the quality of life
• Focusing on experiences that engage
nature – clearing the mind
ZEN BUDDHIST CONCEPTS
• Soon after its arrival in Japan, Zen
Buddhism began to have a strong
influence on the development of
Japanese culture, and it eventually
became part of Japan's spiritual and
aesthetic foundation
• Zen has a unique aesthetic, which
includes a great appreciation for
moderation, asymmetry,
imperfection, rusticity, and
naturalness.
WHAT IS QUALITY?
IN THOUGHT, IN ACTION, IN ART?
• Obviously somethings (artwork) are
better than others….but what is the
betterness?
• Does the truth lie in the classification of
art into aesthetic theories?
• Imitationalism
• Formalism
• Emotionalism
AESTHETIC THEORIES - CLASSIFICATIONS
Thornton Dial, Old Projects, 1994, mixed media
ACCOUNTABLE TALK ACTIVITIES
CHUCK CLOSE
CORDY RYMAN
EDVARD MUNCH
THE PROJECT
• Work from observation – looking at
nature
• Think about the aesthetic quality of the
image
• After sketching different natural
objects/scenes enlarge one on
watercolor paper
• Use black pen (or ink) to go over the
lines or draw directly with the pen
• Use watercolor as detail to elicit a
contemplative reaction
SOME EXAMPLES
CRITERIA TO ADDRESS DURING PRODUCTION
AND CRITIQUE/SHARING
• intuitive understanding
• depicts spirit
• the gestures have been abstracted by
simplification, rather than imagination
• the essence of reality