Ellen wrote:OK, AJ, art is about visual organisation and works of art should have unity but it's up to the artist to work out a way of achieving this. You can learn about elements of design such as colour, shape, line, balance etc but there is no recipe for putting them all together. You can consider doing this or that for this or that effect and you can look to other artists for inspiration but no one can tell you the right way to paint or sculpt. There aren't universal ideals of beauty anymore, now that we're more aware of other cultures and many artists aren't chasing beauty anyhow.
Bonsai is not a pure art. It's a blend of art and craft. There are rules in bonsai which cannot be broken. A bonsai cannot be weightier at the top than at its base. A bonsai must be placed in a pot in a prescribed position. A bonsai cannot slope away from the viewer. Desirable ratios relating to tree height, pot length etc come into play. It's about things looking nice - being aesthetically pleasing. With bonsai you can't just do what you feel like doing and this contrasts with the fine arts like painting and sculpture where you can do just that.
With bonsai you can end up with a creditable result in time ( well, a hell of a lot of time and probably quite a bit of money) from learning the craft, without necessarily having a lot of artistic talent. And that's great isn't it? Bonsai is a hobby for everyone.
Hey Ellen,
I'm also going to disagree with parts of your post.
Art is defined as a human creation that is created by the implementation of skill and creativity, with the end goal being something that provides visual pleasure. At least, that's what my dictionary says. So, if we reference that statement to bonsai, where with skill and creativity we create something that gives us visual pleasure, then bonsai is art. What constitutes "pure art" is in my mind just a case of one artist believing he/she creates superior art to another. In my mind this is just a form of snobbery. I believe that art is entirely subjective. What appeals to you may not appeal to me, and of course, we may both like it, but someone else will not, so art becomes something that is purely in the eye of the beholder.
As for bonsai, the rules you talk about can all be broken very successfully. What these rules describe is the easiest way to get away with creating a somewhat accepted tree, but they do by no means ensure a piece of art. I see absolutely no reason why freedom of expression to find a visually appealing end result can not be allowed in bonsai, whilst in fine arts it can. I have seen some stunning literati bonsai that fall away from the viewer.
To sum up, my feeling on this topic is that we need to look at our trees not with rules in mind, but visual appeal in mind. We need to be ruthless in admitting who it is we are trying to please; ourselves or others. What we need to do when planning the development of a tree is to ask ourselves how we can increase it's visual appeal, and NOT how we can try to mould it to fit rules or design guidelines. A thin tall tree generally gives a visual feeling of femininity or youth, where a short powerful tree exudes masculinity or age. Working with this type of concept, rather than a ratio is in my mind important. when you look at trees, ask not what the rules can do for you, but rather what you can do to the tree to make it more visually pleasing according to the overarching design goal. Of course, an understanding of species specific tree physiology is essential in ensuring that your design will allow the tree to maintain its health.
Regards, and happy bonsai'ing!
Andrew
, this fig near the opera house shows an interesting branch taper, skinny - fat - skinny.
