Artistic Foundations of Bonsai Design

[Bretts]

Reading this years ago was one of the best things I ever did in bonsai so I thought I should share it with anyone that has not yet read it.
Great for beginner's and advanced alike. Andy has done a great job in putting these thing's into words and diagrams.

the design is evocative: it makes the viewer feel
the design is provocative: it makes the viewer think
the design seems natural: it could seemingly come directly from nature
the design is cohesive: it has compositional integrity; it makes sense
the design is interesting: it draws the viewer in
the design is dynamic: it embodies life and vitality
the design is descriptive: it tells a story of a place or of a life history
the design is clever: it solves its own challenges
the design has rhythm and flow: it is neither monotonous nor chaotic

Caveat:
What if you don’t want to use any artistic fundamentals? Well, then you probably fail to communicate with the viewer. Reverse one of the elements in the list above and the design may begin to fray at the edges. Reverse two or more of them and the design will likely fall flat on its face.

Words such as this have been the foundation of my thinking when it comes to Bonsai design and the "rules"

Read the whole book here
http://www.andyrutledge.com/book/conten ... tistry.htm

[Brad75]

Hi all,

These rules also create bonsai that don't look like they came from nature but from the mind's aesthetic. It is better to observe the will of the tree and work within the dynamic that presents itself. I guess this is the evolution of bonsai from potted plant to penjing to bonsai in Japan and then the changing of the art to represent nature in other climates like Europe. Australian bonsai are another exception to the rules we know; that's what I love about bonsai- it is more dynamic than dogma.

Cheers,

Brad75.

[Bretts]

Don't disregard what is here so quickly Brad. This is not about the rules but about understanding art in relation to bonsai to work with the tree in telling it's story.

To me it is a misconception to think Australian natives are an exception to the rules. Only in complete understanding of the Artistic Foundations of Bonsai Design will someone be able to tell the story of our natives. This is because there is very little in templates to follow and one must create the design from scratch.

[Brad75]

Hi Bretts,

I think I misunderstood the quotes on first reading.

I was responding with information I acquired when I took Lindsay Farr's bonsai course at the Chinese Museum in Melbourne back in 1990. Lindsay basically said 'stuff the rules of design' - 'don't even bother with them'. He reckoned that if you knew the basic styles and some horticultural practice you could create bonsai as impressive as any that was made by people that knew what they were doing. There was a resonance in that as I thought that bonsai growers bonded with their trees as they worked with them as opposed to mechanically applying work principles. On second reading I realise Andy Rutledge is right although the premise is sort of high falootin'.

Thanks for the correction.

Cheers ,

Brad75.

[Pup]

Brett again with rules, guidelines are better as they are flexible.

Your argument will not win against two Hawks supporters like Kennet.


Lindsay refers to Japanese Bonsai as Conservative.

Cheers Pup

[Brad75]

Hi Pup,

I remember Lindsay saying Japanese Bonsai are conservative. I think what he meant was that the Japanese don't allow experimentation and freedom of expression. It was a weird statement as the Japanese bonsai people follow the same design guidelines as everybody else whether they are perceived as rules or not and yet they produce bonsai which consistently suggest freedom of expression and experimentation. They are the most successful bonsai on the planet and look far less conservative than Chinese Penjing. Some of the Chinese stuff looks really weird. This was what I was saying before - some rules just don't work and people need to be more flexible.

Andy Rutledge's statements about bonsai seemed restrictive to me but on second viewing they are actually on the mark; as long as you perceive them as guidelines and let the tree's habit break the rules.

Like we all said

Yada Yada,

Brad75.

[Bretts]

Thanks Pup, I wish I had left the word "rules" out of my post but I wanted to make the point that I have never thought of these things as rules or guidelines. It is simply an understanding of how we see things and how we can manipulate this in art to tell the story we want.
A great example is people have said to me that the rules state a tree must be a 1:6 ratio. I never heard of that. I always thought of it as Andy instructs in this book that we use anywhere between 1:3 and 1:13 even then he states (but not always)

Be careful not to try and follow any set trunk width-to-height ratio for all bonsai. The trunk width-to-height ratio is wholly dependent on the image you want to portray and not on any set formula. Width-to-height ratio is just one tool used for expression. If you use the same ratio for all of your bonsai, you effectively render null the meaningful expression that can be obtained by artistically using this tool.

Lower ratios are for conveying close proximity, power, age or strength. High ratios are for conveying a distant view, grace or certain environmental conditions or for portraying the bunjin (literati) style. Learn to use the ratio that is appropriate for each specific bonsai composition. Make this ratio reinforce the message you want to convey and let the other compositional elements of the tree and display support this ratio

I am glad you had another look Brad. I know not long before I started bonsai there where many people following "rules" like they where a religion. This was obviously not right. But at the same time saying stuff the rules is just as bad as I think it suggests that there is nothing to learn in bonsai design.

To me it has always been about understand why certain things work or don't and then using this understanding to create the most interesting composition in whatever form it may take.

This book by Andy is a wealth of knowledge for the beginner and advanced alike.

Anyway it would take more than two Hawk suporters to put an Eagles supporter down

[Luke308]

I think andy rutlidge makes great sense. Particularly for those who come to bonsai understanding the horticulture side of things, but not the artistic. To add to what you were saying about ratios of 1:3 etc I recommend reading these if you havent already http://www.bonsai4me.com/AdvTech/ATGold ... ction.html http://www.bonsai4me.com/AdvTech/ATVisu ... vement.htm http://www.bonsai4me.com/AdvTech/ATforeshortening.htm They are links to the advanced techniques section of http://www.bonsai4me.com which I highly recommend The bit about the Fibonacci sequence amazed me.


BTW For those interested in the Fibonacci sequence, check out this song "Lateralus" by TOOL which is written using the Fibonacci sequence (in fact if you rearrange the whole album's sequence of songs into the Fibonacci sequence it flows so well. It is amazing as it would have not been easy to do so)

[Bretts]

They are all great reads too Luke The songs not bad either

The golden section is pretty amazing. The only time I think along those lines is when it comes to the distance between branches getting shorter as you get to the top of the tree. I guess the same would be for the branches but have never given it much thought

[Mojo Moyogi]

I love open debate about this subject.

I'd just like to add something , not in response to any particular post on this thread, rather an observation related to this conversation.

I am yet to see a single great example of bonsai from anyone who scoffs at "the rules of Japanese bonsai" for what is often the flimsiest of reasons, yet I have seen numerous fine bonsai by artists who have mastered (either conceptually or in practice) the core elements of "traditional" bonsai design, as practiced to this day in Japan and added their own unique expressiveness to their trees.

Gee I wonder why that is?

Could it be that in many instances (not all), the outright abandonment of proven bonsai fundamentals for no tangible reason or advantage is less about the pursuit of artistic free expression and a bit more about lack of talent or passion for bonsai than some would have us believe?

Cheers,
Mojo

[Matthew]

too many big words here, im going back with my bourbon and the trimmers

[Brad75]

Hi all,

Good call Mojo.

It is like looking for the putting line on the green in golf. Sometimes you just can't see it and effects your motivation and focus.

Art flows from creativity but that depends on insight which you get from information. When you are styling a plant to turn it into bonsai you need to combine your sense of the appropriate with your knowledge of how that particular species naturally grows. Within that context there are so many factors at play that it makes it easy to bugger up a plant by pruning it the wrong way or doing something else wrong. The guidelines for creating bonsai at least make it easy to produce the tree without too much hassle.



Cheers,

Brad75.

[Guy]

for good bonsai you don't have to follow the rules but you must know and understand the rules.

[bodhidharma]

All Art forms have basics which must be adhered to. To achieve formlessness you must first have form. To lurch into bonsai design without having first learned and perfected your basics would be akin to building a large house without a foundation. It will surely collapse. An Artist from another Art form, say , landscape painting, could give a positive critique on a Bonsai but that does not mean he has the skills to grow one. He will though, understand the necessity for basics because he would have had to acquire those skills to become a landscape Artist. Nobody can be good at anything without the basics to create the Art form. I dont care what the skill is.

[Luke308]

All Art forms have basics which must be adhered to. To achieve formlessness you must first have form. To lurch into bonsai design without having first learned and perfected your basics would be akin to building a large house without a foundation. It will surely collapse. An Artist from another Art form, say , landscape painting, could give a positive critique on a Bonsai but that does not mean he has the skills to grow one. He will though, understand the necessity for basics because he would have had to acquire those skills to become a landscape Artist. Nobody can be good at anything without the basics to create the Art form. I dont care what the skill is.

Well put bodhi You summed it up nicely