Howard,
I was really trying to stay out of this thread, but you've quoted me so spectacularly out of context that I cannot help but interject a brief few remarks.
1) The sentence that you quoted does not dismiss the rules at all. Rather, it indicates a refuse to force-feed them to the unwilling. Big difference. Furthermore, it is followed immediately by these words:
Quote:
We've had long discussions about the role of rules in bonsai and very few here are trying to jam the narrowly construed Japanese rules down anyone's throat.
Second, let's not dismiss the value of tradition too lightly (not that I think you were doing this, but there are those on here who have done so). Art is created in a social context - without the social context one could well say you cannot have art. And part of that social context - in fact an important part of that social context - is the past history of artistic expression in the same medium. When I exhibit a bonsai, my audience will invariably see my tree in the context of a certain tradition. My own expression reflects that tradition and also is defined by its accordance or dissonance with the standards and artistic principles within that tradition.
An analogy: when Bob Dylan "went electric", this generated the response it did because his new music was seen in the context of his previous more traditional acoustic folk music. When we deviate from traditional standards in bonsai - whether they exist for basic design reasons, for horticultural reasons, or for no reason at all - we inevitably set up a constrast for the viewer. The tradition may be arbitrary, but art is evaluated in the context of that tradition.
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Hardly an argument against the value of mastering the traditional forms! Here is the
entire post and thread
2) If you read any decent-sized sample of what I've written on this board, you'll see that I invariable come down on the side of rock-solid grounding in the fundamentals and in a traditional understanding of this artform.
3) If you knew more about me - how I approach bonsai, how I study, who I study with, what I read and research, etc., you'd see that I practice what I preach in this regard.
While I agree with your basic perspective, I resent being painted in colors that I do not wear.
Best regards,
Carl