FredL

Saw an interesting new thread questioning the best way to start with Bonsai in which readers were referred to an article by Andy Rutledge. The article got me thinking, as many of Andy's comments often do. The question raised by Andy regarded how we think of ourselves in our relationship to Bonsai.

I have an answer suggested in passing by Andy but not really expounded on: how about thinking of ourselves as Bonsai Caretakers?

I am coming to think that this is how I'd like to consider myself.

Bonsai. as living, developing beings in their own right are really quite different from art constructed of non-living materials. Many of them were extraordinarily beautiful objects before even being touched by any human hand and even the most poorly developed tree in a pot is a fascinating living being which is quite beautiful, even left unimproved by an artists hand. I remember still today seeing my first pictures of bonsai in Life Magazine, trees which were hundreds of years old and which had been cared for by many generations of caretakers.

I am wondering if we are losing something in stressing the importance of bonsai as works of art. I am coming to prefer thinking of bonsai as something totally unique, that thinking of them as works of art loses the real essence of what they are. Yes, artistry can contribute much to their beauty and a Bonsai Caretaker who understands artistic concepts and can apply them to the bonsai in his or her care can greatly enhance his turn at caring for a bonsai in his trust. But it is not a "work of art" that he is caring for; it is a bonsai. And it is not the next Bonsai Show that he is preparing it for; he is caring for it for the ages.

I think it is good to include in one's collection any tree that the owner can see beauty in, whether it is there before him in a mature tree, or largely in the oner's mind's eye, dreaming of what it may become in the future. I think a sort of companionship exists with a Bonsai at any stage of development which is far more like the relationship with a pet than like ownership of a painting or statue. Unlike a dog or a cat, however, which is generally outlived by its human owner, a bonsai, if properly cared for, may have many generations of owners. This makes its relationship to its owner totally unique in human experience and, perhaps, accounts somewhat for the unique attraction of bonsai to people with a certain sort of mentality.

Fred

Advertisement