Mono No Aware

Oil on canvas
9.8 x 13.8 in (25 x 35 cm)

This painting depicts the contradictory feelings that arise when falling in love.

Deep satisfaction can often be paired with a twinge of dread as we reckon with the depth of our connection. Attachment can be a beautiful thing, but on the opposite side of the same coin is loss. Loss is inevitable; all beautiful things must come to an end.

The awareness of the impermanence of beautiful things is captured in the Japanese phenomenon “mono no aware.” This contradictive longing for another is also captured in the Portuguese phrase “saudade.”

I’ve captured the essence of ‘Mono No Aware’ in the Spotify playlist linked below.

Mono No Aware playlist

"The heavier the burden, the closer our lives come to the earth, the more real and truthful they become. Conversely, the absolute absence of burden causes man to be lighter than air, to soar into heights, take leave of the earth and his earthly being, and become only half real, his movements as free as they are insignificant. What then shall we choose? Weight or lightness?” (Milan Kundera)