Dorr Bothwell - Notan: The Dark-Light Principle of Design

Carved and dyed calabash from Oyo, western Nigeria. Although the composition is symmetrical and fixed, the birds seem to be climbing because of the movement implicit in the negative shapes between their feet and the tree.

Notan appears in useful objects such as tools in both a primitive culture as well as in a modern technology. In the latter case, however, the Notan produced is more often a by-product of utility. Scissors (Fig. 79) for instance, have beautiful Notan because they must be designed with spaces to fit the fingers; keys must have holes for chains (Fig. 15), and razor blades must fit into the razor (Fig. 8). The negative space exists in these cases because of the requirements of utility, but is not necessarily an intrinsic element of the design.

Many of the examples of Notan illustrated in this book are taken from folk art. Indeed, the instinctive use of Notan in folk or primitive art is an almost invariable characteristic. The intuitive or folk artist, unlike the formally trained designer in modern society, does not have to be taught to remember the negative or to see it in balance with the positive. He has not been taught to seek to dominate nature or to conquer it; on the contrary, he feels himself a part of nature, and his work reflects that sense of balance.

The primitive and the modern artist also differ in their approach to decoration. In modern technology decoration is often only added as though it were an afterthought to attract the buyers eye. It can often be an unessential feature and in no way united with the form. The Pueblo Indian craftsman, however, who decided to decorate the simple dish with a bird (Fig. 13) was very much concerned with the integration of form and decoration. Working within the confines of the shape of the plate, he succeeded in designing a bird that would become an inseparable part of the whole or a design in which the spaces around the bird would assume a form with an exchange of positive and negative. In good design like this, the only right solution is one which finds such a union of decoration and form. And when this is discovered, the negative space will no longer be empty, but, instead, there will be Notan.

The primitive artist also differs from the sophisticated artist in his use of symbolic decoration. In the United States symbolic decoration has practically disappeared except in religious objects and in Pennsylvania Dutch hex signs. Yet the first impulse of the primitive artist is to use symbols. Because symbolism dictates further restrictions in both the decoration and the form of the object, the resulting design often involves a very good exchange of negative-positive.

Kwakiutl Mechanical Screen. This screen was used in a ceremony in which a female war dancer returned from the woods possessed by the mythical and changeable sisiutl spirit. The screens design represents the human face, which is always in the middle of the sisiutl with its two serpent heads at either end. The screen, made to rise from a pit in the house in which the ceremony was held, was struck by the dancer with her sword, causing the two halves to split apart and seemingly disappear. Collected by Samuel A. Barrett in 1916. Wood, traces of mica, black, white, and red paint. Height 61 inches, including projecting horns. Lent by the Milwaukee Public Museum. (18060) Photograph courtesy of Dr. Albert B. Elsasser, co-author with Dr. Michael J. Harner of Art of the Northwest Coast .

An excellent example of this achievement may be seen in the Kwakiutl mechanical screen (Fig. 6). The distortions and the Notan here resulted from the creation of a design within the restrictions of the materials and the ritual use of the screen. It had to be made of wood sturdy enough to stand, and it had to incorporate a slot together with hinges so that it would open and fall when struck by the sword. Yet the triumph of the screen is that the distortions or modifications not only brought about the stark dramatic contrasts of the Notan, but also the accomplishment of the artists main purpose: the creation of a work of great dramatic and ritualistic power.

Stove cooling shelf. These shelves extended to the right of the cooking surface. Many manufacturers took advantage of the space to show the initials of the company (center) and the name of the stove model. Made around 1890. The Notan here was the result of necessity.

Though the openings of these razor blades are utilitarian, when seen as Notan they become decorative units working with the white negative spaces to form an interesting pattern.

Circus number. This large (36 by 24 inch) lithographed number was printed around 1890. In those days circus posters were put up well in advance without dates. The exact date, such as this three, was pasted on when the show reached an adjoining town. The negative spaces were carefully designed to make the number readable at a great distance.

A symmetrical paper cutout from Poland with fine interplay between the negative spaces. A good example of instinctive Notan.

Stove shelf made around 1900 showing Art Nouveau influence. Here the heaving scroll dominates, and the negative spaces are monotonously uniform in size and shape.

Applique stitchery, San Blas Indian work, Panama. A beautiful integration of birds, plant, and the spaces surrounding them.

Clay dish. Pueblo Indian work, Acoma, New Mexico. The symmetry of this design is relieved by the turn of the birds head. The distribution of the pattern is dictated by symbolic meaning.

Sword guard of wrought iron. Japanese, circa 1800. This nineteenth century Japanese sword guard is ornamented by negative spacefor the iron is decorated only by its symmetrically arranged openings. M. H. De Young Memorial Museum, San Francisco, California.