Mark Reibstein

The act of juxtaposition is a common literary motif, but Reibstein and Young go outside of simple in-text contrast to empahsize the diffrnces and similarities between the textual and artistic themes of their story. Wabi wabi, a Japanese artistic style meaning beauty in simplicity, is sharply contrasted at first glance by the craft-like style of Young's collages. Yet, as the story progresses alongside its feline protagonist's journey to self-discovery we come to realize that the seeming rough edges and haphazard arrangement of materials is actually quite simplistic. The medium and lines are quite rudimentary, so the eye naturally picks up the more complex textures and patterns within shapes to perfectly exemplify the meaning of wabi sabi.… (mer)