a most suggestive expression of silence...

"therefore in flower arrangement, the unfilled empty spaces are to be regarded as belonging to the total picture. they are just as important as the lines formed by the Principle of Three. they too manifest the inexpressible, irrepresentable, wordless silence. rhythmically included in the unsymmetrical harmony, these empty spaces can be given particularly eloquent and clear expression. a most suggestive expression of silence is created by the quite unpretentious flower or plant, chosen for that very reason, which occupies a very important place in the tea room, standing there with its mild colors and simple shape, as though it wanted to underline the significance of the tea ceremony and of the hour by its calm, self-contained silence."

gustie l. herrigel, zen and the art of flower arrangement, 1958 (image: unknown musicians or place, circa 1900, RPPC)