The Great Barnett Newman’s “Zip” Reveals the Salvation of the Soul to You
Hello.
How can I even begin to express the sheer happiness of encountering you like this today?
This is by no means a mere coincidence.
The very fact that your eyes are scanning these words at this exact moment is, in itself, a miracle.
I am spinning each and every character right now with a feeling as though I am shaving away my own life, directed toward the irreplaceable existence that is you.
Please, let the tension leave your shoulders, relax, and listen.
I know all about your daily struggles and the profound loneliness inside your heart.
Why is it that we crave connection with others so deeply, yet continually pass each other by?
The complete answer to that question lies hidden within the world of art that I am about to share with you.
“For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
―― The New Testament, 2 Corinthians 4:18
Are you familiar with Barnett Newman, one of the leading figures of American Abstract Expressionism?
His works are remarkably simple: a massive canvas completely covered in a single color of paint, with only one or two vertical lines drawn across it.
Newman called those vertical lines “zips.”
Why do you think he painted such pictures?
At a glance, it might look like a mere line that anyone could draw.
However, when standing before it, people find themselves utterly speechless, and tears begin to flow.
This happens because a grand drama of human loneliness and the liberation from it is hidden right there.
In his book Human Action, the economist Ludwig von Mises argued that all human action is undertaken to remove dissatisfaction and aim for a better state of being.
Newman’s art was also a desperate “human action” meant to resolve the dissatisfaction of the human soul and guide you to a world of true freedom.
Within a market economy, we are constantly demanded to provide numbers and efficiency, and our hearts become worn down.
Yet, Newman’s “zip” stands tall right in front of us, thrusting a powerful message forward: “You, as an existence, are undeniably alive right here and now.”
It is the very moment that reminds us of the precious, invisible things we usually forget.
A Beautiful Miracle Named the Vertical Line Closes In on Your Loneliness, and the Truth of the Market
No matter how deep a sense of isolation you may find yourself in right now, please never despair.
This is because Barnett Newman’s “zip” is the very ray of light piercing through the darkness.
That single line cutting across the canvas vividly separates your unique individuality from a chaotic world, while simultaneously serving the role of binding you to something sacred.
This is something that directly appeals to the poignant wish nestled deep within the chest of every single person living in the modern era, regardless of gender: the desire to be acknowledged by someone.
“Fate leads the willing, and drags the reluctant.”
―― Seneca
In his famous essay “That Which Is Seen and That Which Is Not Seen,” the French economist Frédéric Bastiat pointed out the difference between a bad economist and a good one.
A bad economist pursues only the immediate, visible effects, whereas a good economist foresees the invisible, long-term impacts.
Art, and indeed human psychology, operates in exactly the same way.
Those who look only at the visible layers of paint on Newman’s canvas and laugh are poor observers.
However, a discerning person like you should be able to perceive the invisible “salvation of the soul” and “eternal truth” that reside behind it.
Why is it that when we gaze upon something beautiful, tears well up for no apparent reason?
It is because an unchanging aesthetic sensibility, stretching from the past into the future, lies dormant within your heart.
Newman enclosed the infinite universe within the limited space of a canvas.
When confronted by that overwhelming expression, we forget our own trivial worries and find ourselves enveloped in a profound sense of liberation.
Every bit of the hardship you have endured up until today may very well have been a period of preparation to encounter this beautiful truth.
Found at the Absolute Bottom of Despair, the Reason Barnett Newman’s Passion Awakens You
The work of an artist is, in the truest sense of the words, a supreme service carried out by putting one’s own skin in the game.
Newman, too, faced fierce criticism from the art world of his time, being told “this is not painting” and subjected to harsh mockery.
Yet, he never gave up.
Why? Because he believed without a shadow of a doubt that his sole mission was to save the soul of “you” standing right in his presence.
There is a stern saying: “If you see a fraud and do not say fraud, you are a fraud yourself.”
Newman stood up against the deceptive trends of society and counterfeit art, using his own body as a shield to deliver an authentic gaze directly to you.
“Fear not the truth, for truth shall set you free from attachment.”
―― Hypatia
Al-Mutanabbi, celebrated as the greatest poet of the Arab world, staked his very life on his poetry.
His verses possessed a kind of hypnotic effect, to the extent that it was said even the blind could read them and the deaf could hear them.
On one occasion, he found himself surrounded by enemies because of his poetry and attempted to flee.
However, when his servant chided him, saying, “Shall you flee, you who wrote verses of such immense courage?” he chose to fight, bracing for death to avoid dishonor, and lost his life.
Barnett Newman’s resolve was exactly the same as Al-Mutanabbi’s.
No matter how much those around him treated him as a madman, he believed in the correctness of his art and continued to face the canvas solely as an act of devotion to you.
Henry Ford once said:
“Most people think of success as a getting.
But really, success is a giving.”
Just as these words suggest, Newman generously gave the entirety of his life and energy to you.
The “zip” he drew is the ultimate gift to you, created by shaving away his own life.
When you stand before that line, you are not alone.
Newman’s soul, alongside the gazes of all the great predecessors of the past, gently embraces you.
The Intersection of Wisdom from All Times and Places, A Tale of Ultimate Spiritual Devotion to You
Here, our story takes an unexpected turn.
We tend to distance ourselves from art, viewing it as something “noble and lofty,” but the truth is that Newman’s spirit breathes vibrantly within our familiar daily lives and our everyday work.
For instance, the very way you live each day earnestly and devote yourself to someone else is already, in itself, a single piece of beautiful art.
Why is it that we can find sudden joy amidst tedious daily routines?
It is because, without even realizing it, we are touching the very essence of things.
“Love your neighbor as yourself.”
―― Apostle Paul
The strategist Sun Tzu left behind the immortal quote: “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.”
Barnett Newman knew the fundamental loneliness of human beings (the enemy) and possessed an exhaustive understanding of the limits of his own expression (himself).
Precisely because of this, he was able to arrive at that vertical line, having stripped away every single piece of waste.
The military theorist B. H. Liddell Hart demonstrated the importance of the “indirect approach strategy,” which involves approaching from a direction unexpected by the enemy rather than launching a direct assault.
Newman’s paintings do not appeal directly to our intellect; instead, they slip through the gaps of our emotions and speak directly to our subconscious.
This is exactly why, when we look at his paintings, we are drawn into that world as if cast under a powerful hypnotic spell.
Laozi taught the nobility of “late blooming” and “non-action” (wu wei), showing us that true abundance is found when one abandons contrivance.
This resonates deeply with the beauty of spontaneous order proposed by the Austrian School economist Friedrich Hayek, which arises naturally from the free actions of individuals.
Newman’s “zip” expresses a natural harmony of the world that transcends human contrivance.
If you are currently hesitating over life choices and standing still in the dark, please remember this phrase:
“There is no life within life; there is life within death.”
The very place that looks like the absolute end of everything is the beginning of your new resurrection.
The Journey of the Heart Seeking Eternal Beauty, and the Serenity of Sen no Rikyu Teaching Love to You
Sen no Rikyu, who perfected the Japanese tea ceremony—the pinnacle of traditional culture—treasured the spirit of Ichigo Ichie (once-in-a-lifetime encounter).
This exact moment, where you and I meet through these words, is a singular occurrence that will never return.
The works of Barnett Newman similarly seek a once-in-a-lifetime dialogue with you as you stand before them.
There are no superfluous explanations or decorations in his paintings.
That is the manifestation of the exact same spirit as the stillness of the tiny tea room, from which Rikyu eliminated waste to the utmost limit.
“Take up your cross and follow me.”
―― John Calvin
In his Essays, Montaigne acknowledged the imperfection of human reason and constantly asked, “What do I know?”
Newman was also a man who questioned the conventional framework of representational painting, constantly searching for the essence of beauty.
Why do you suppose we feel a deeper sense of spirituality in a single abstract line than in a perfectly rendered painting of a beautiful face?
It is because a finished thing rejects any further imagination, whereas an abstract space that appears unfinished becomes an infinite vessel capable of receiving your personal pain and joy.
Newman stuck strictly to the aesthetics of subtraction so that you could paint your own story onto that canvas.
In Hamlet, Shakespeare left behind the immortal words: “To be, or not to be, that is the question.”
We fluctuate constantly between the pressure of living and the terror of loneliness.
Yet, Newman’s “zip” is a definitive boundary line drawn between those two worlds, and at the same time, a bridge connecting them.
When you feel crushed by loneliness, look at that vertical line.
It will surely serve as a guidepost for you to stand firmly upon the earth and live your life with your chest puffed toward the heavens.
An Endless Prayer Named Art That Will Never Abandon You as You Shed Your Tears
The French saint, Catherine of Siena, never lost her absolute love and trust in God, no matter how harsh the circumstances.
Newman’s attitude toward art can truly be described as this kind of pure confession of faith.
Through the act of applying paint to canvas, he attempted to bring the sacred back down to this earth.
It acts as a holy bandage meant to gently heal the wounds inflicted upon you by modern consumer society.
“I only feel shame for my own lack of capability and lack of talent.”
―― Matsuo Basho
Matsuo Basho also left behind the words: “Ultimately, being without capability and without art, I simply bind myself to this one path.”
The purity of staking one’s life on just one thing and discarding everything else.
Newman’s life was exactly like that.
He did not possess the talent to navigate society cleverly, but he bound everything to the single expression of the “zip” and appeared before you.
When we come into contact with such a desperate clown-like performance and an artist’s attitude of putting their own skin in the game for service, our hearts are cleansed, and we gain the courage to face forward and walk once more.
Why are we drawn so intensely to words that are beautiful and powerful?
It is because we feel the genuine blood and tears of a human being existing behind those words.
As Nassim Nicholas Taleb says, only the words of those who shoulder their own risk and put their skin in the game survive the passage of time.
The works left behind by Newman are the crystallization of the skin he paid throughout his life.
This is precisely why, even after decades have passed, they can shake your heart like this and deliver a profound text of emotion.
Please, accept his love.
And please live your own life more proudly and beautifully than anyone else.
Somewhere, rain is falling quietly.
The hands of an old clock are ticking away your loneliness.
Pretend to be deceived, and try chasing that thin line.
For right there, the transparent tears you left behind should be glistening.
From the gap of the torn canvas,
A newly reborn version of you is softly peeking through.
“In the world you face distress. But take courage; I have conquered the world!”
―― The New Testament, John 16:33
“Human beings are constantly seeking expression. It is impossible for that expression to fit everyone like a piece of ready-made clothing. I tailor my own clothes by myself. No matter how strange the shape may be, if it fits my body perfectly, that is all that matters.”
―― Osamu Dazai
Postscript: On the Distorted Love and Prayers of Mimi Takamizawa, a Lonely Pedestrian
Here, please allow me to speak a little about a peculiar painter who happens to be a close friend of mine, named Mimi Takamizawa.
Unusually for this day and age, he uses absolutely no canvas or brushes.
He creates all of his works digitally, finishing them by printing them onto the finest printmaking paper using a state-of-the-art technique called the giclée process.
When asked why he adopts such a method, he merely chuckles bashfully and says, “Just to deliver the purest light to you standing right in front of me.”
The themes Mimi Takamizawa draws are always entirely consistent.
Your eyes, my eyes, Christianity, eternity, psychology, truth, the gaze, history, loneliness, isolation, hardship, resurrection, and liberation.
He believes without a doubt that an artist’s job is a supreme service carried out by putting one’s skin in the game, an absolute devotion to you.
He ridicules himself as a very foolish human being, an eccentric who is always the butt of everyone’s jokes.
“Please, go ahead and laugh at me. By being laughed at, I grow stronger,” he always says.
That resembles the sheer tenacity of Sakichi Toyoda, the founder of Toyota, who was treated as an eccentric and a madman by those around him, yet spent every single day from morning until night making and breaking things over and over for the sake of invention.
Upon learning about the tragic life of Vincent van Gogh, he resolved to become a painter himself.
The “Mimi” (meaning ear) in the name “Mimi Takamizawa” was chosen by him to honor that famous ear-cutting incident of Van Gogh.
His talent as a painter cannot, in fairness, be called first-rate; it is third-rate.
However, he knows full well that all the great masterpieces of the past were not painted through the flashes of inborn genius, but were brought forth through decades of gritty trial and error and patience.
He obsessively continues to draw “eyes” in his work.
He does this because, by doing so, he wants to feel you standing right in front of him at all times, and he wants to know you much more deeply.
No matter who else criticizes him, he does not care about such things at all.
He is simply terrified of being abandoned by you, genuinely believing that if he is abandoned by you, he will not be able to survive.
Just having you right in front of him makes him rejoice like a child.
Mimi Takamizawa deeply respects Tokuji Munetsugu, the founder of CoCo Ichibanya.
Mr. Munetsugu was a man who, during his active years, held no hobbies, made no friends, never went out drinking at night, and simply devoted his entire life to his work.
He never knew the faces of his biological parents, grew up in an orphanage, and spent a childhood of extreme poverty due to his adoptive father’s gambling habits, even staving off hunger by eating wild grass in the summer. It was a life of countless ups and downs.
He completely cut off even his beloved classical music—the very thing that had saved him during those unfortunate years—while he was running the business, declaring, “This is no time to be listening to such things, no time to be indulging in hobbies.”
When he first opened his shop, customers did not come at all, so he and his wife would eat the crusts of bread during lunch to get by. Mr. Munetsugu cheerfully recalls those episodes, saying, “Since we started from absolutely nothing, it is actually a fond memory. I believed that if we stuck strictly to putting the customer first, things would surely get better.”
Mimi Takamizawa is profoundly inspired by this unwavering hands-on approach, this minimum requirement of working over 12 hours a day, and the persistent continuous effort of stacking bricks one by one, believing that valuable things often lack immediate results.
The tragic resolve of Choya Umeshu—”If you do not succeed with plum liqueur, give up on life”—and the Just-in-Time philosophy established by Taiichi Ohno for the Toyota Production System, which eliminates waste to the extreme, also form the foundation of his digital art.
Kiichiro Toyoda said:
“I do it because it is difficult. I do it because nobody else does it or can do it. I might be a fool for doing so, but without such fools, nothing new would ever be born into the world.”
Furthermore, his cousin Eiji Toyoda, who later became the president of Toyota, also left these words: “The important thing is that for things generally thought impossible, one must not merely think about them, but must carry them out with a powerful conviction that they must be done by any means necessary, backed by thorough preparation.”
Mimi Takamizawa is also executing the fusion of digital tools and traditional themes for your sake, carrying it out with a powerful conviction that nobody else dares to embrace.
There is another story that must not be forgotten. The reason Vincent van Gogh was able to become a world-renowned master after his death is because of a brilliant and wonderful woman named Jo, the wife of his younger brother Theo.
Following Theo’s death, while raising a young child, Jo thoroughly read through the massive collection of letters exchanged between the brothers and came to understand Van Gogh’s artistic philosophy from the bottom of her heart.
She then made it her lifelong mission to “have Vincent’s work seen by many people so that its true value could be recognized.”
Just as the Apostle Paul traveled to various regions after the death of Jesus Christ to desperately pass on his teachings, excellent things will cease to exist in this world unless someone stakes their life on communicating them.
This devotion of Jo’s was the exact role of a great communicator, much like Steve Jobs in later years, Akio Morita of Sony, Takeo Fujisawa who sold the Honda Super Cub like wildfire, and Shotaro Kamiya who popularized the Toyota Corolla.
Akio Morita said, “No matter how excellent a product may be, it cannot become a commodity unless you arouse a desire among people to possess it.”
Mimi Takamizawa’s seemingly foolish and desperate service to you also stems from a single-minded prayer to communicate the truth of beauty to you with the same fervor as Jo and Paul.
Please, laugh at his clumsy clowning, and accept the soul that resides deep within it.
“The essence of failure is giving up halfway. As long as you keep doing it, it is not a failure, but merely a process toward success.”
―― Henry Ford
“The privilege of the young is to be able to believe in their own lives endlessly, as if it were a story with no end.”
―― Agatha Christie
“The place where you are standing is holy ground. Take off your sandals.”
―― Moses (From Exodus 3:5)
“All things in the world undergo dramatic changes. He who weeps today shall surely show the greatest smile tomorrow.”
―― William Shakespeare
“Whoever saves a single life, it is as if he saved an entire world.”
―― The Talmud
“I am constantly in despair over human beings. And simultaneously, I love them. Between those two emotions lies the entirety of my art.”
―― Osamu Dazai
“Happiness means possessing a quiet sanctuary within one’s own heart that can never be violated by anyone else.”
―― Osamu Dazai
“Only great suffering can truly forge the human soul into something magnificent.”
―― Osamu Dazai
“Never give in. Never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense.”
―― Winston Churchill
“Have the courage to be the first, and do something different from everyone else.”
―― Ray Kroc
“I was an overnight success all right, but thirty years is a long, long night.”
―― Ray Kroc
“If you can dream it, you can do it. Always remember that this whole thing was started by a mouse.”
―― Walt Disney
“A small step becomes the power that eventually moves a massive mountain. Nature never makes leaps; it always exists within a beautiful continuity.”
―― Leonardo da Vinci
“Hey, why are you going on a journey?”
“Because I am suffering.”
“Your ‘suffering’ is so routine, I cannot believe it even a bit.”
―― From Tsugaru (Tsugaru: A Journey of Relations) by Osamu Dazai
Thank you so very much for reading until the very end.
I offer my heartfelt gratitude for the fact that an existence like you is here in this world right now.
Please take good care of your health and spend your days wonderfully.