Rather than just drop altogether the subject of artistry in composition in bowing out of a pissing contest (in a related thread), it really would be worthwhile to examine, in the context of art (not baseless opinion), some of the compositional elements in the recent Pacific Rim show. Examining the compositional flaws in these displays might be a good way to learn about and discuss alternative methods of bonsai display beyond tokonoma.
My observation is that regardless of the new, different, previously untried and inventive ways that these displays were put (thrown) together, they failed to be aristic at nearly every turn. What is at issue is not tradition vs. innovation, but rather meaningful art vs. chaos and inattention to pleasing composition.
In the image below, for example (lines drawn for illustration of some of these points):
1. the display is unbalanced. The whole of the interest is on the right side.
2. the painting (which is just a verbatim copy of a portion of the sky in Turner's classic work, "Hannibal Crossing the Alps") is used basically to put a "dome" over the tree, cramping the tree, pushing it down, hemming it in, confining it without any other referential reason (that I can detect).
3. the position of the tree, aside from being placed in "dome" of cloud, is leaving the composition. It's energy is directed to the right - exiting the composition. It should instead be entering the composition (or there should be another compositional element that suggests why the tree is "leaving").
4. the tree is placed right under the "sun" - as if the tree just got a bright idea - or is, perhaps, a miner with a helmet lamp. This kind of "stacking things on other things" is not good composition, regardless of what might be in the "sun's" position.
5. the left side of the composition is vacant of any interest, of anything that leads your eye to the tree.
6. there is no flow to the compsition. The painting sits like a stone over the tree (which is on its way out of the picture).
In my opinion, while the painting is nice and the tree is nice, these two elements were not designed to be used together and they do not, in any artistic way.
Kind regards,
Andy Rutledge
b u n j i n | d e s i g n ::
www.bunjindesign.com
zone 8, Texas