Hi "skydivingcoffee"
?
Sure, I agree with your assertion of the artist's mood affecting the image created, etc... The point that my little exercise was making was that artistic arrangement (linear, as in your example or trianglized as in my #2 pic) is subject to certain artistic principles. You defined the linear principle (central important, periphery less so...) and I've referenced yet another one.
My point is that composition is a conscious, purposed element to art and that one can achieve different effects with different compositions (and, of course, with different treatments of the specific elements).
Your having never seen a "sad" bonsai is also a noteworthy issue. Mood, feeling, character, etc... all of these qualities can be conveyed with bonsai by means of various artistic treatments to the compositional elements (branch, twigs, foliage, trunk, display composition, etc...). This is, in fact, the main line that I'm working toward in my explanations/observations. I hope that we can keep this up! ;-)
Kind regards,
Andy Rutledge
zone 8, Texas