Smoke and Mirrors - The Future of Bonsai

Smoke

For the forum.

Ron Martin, Thanks for posting that blurb in Fred's thread. You actually thwarted me from posting a response there that could only have been deemed as bad, and I am glad that I did not post what I intended to say. What I have decide to do is to make some remarks about where I see bonsai as a growing medium in the America's.

For my first in a hopefully weekly column, I hope to start some provacative threads that can be discussed by the forum in an intelligent and meaningfull way so that all can benifit.

I start this first thread with "The future of bonsai". What does the future hold for bonsai. Well for starters, the world bonsai convention is only about 6 months away. While I don't think that will cause any ripples in the current trend in bonsai in America right away, I can only hope that there will be a new trend develop in the way bonsai is practised and exhibited in America.

Fred, While I see many of the feeling that you have about bonsai as a good thing for you, this is a very personal feeling that is felt by many, but not all of the bonsai practitioners out there. While you sighted Walter for the direction of this forum, I hope you understand that it was thru me that many of the things that we share on bonsaiTALK from Walter was due to trying to take the forum to places artisticly that many other forums just were not trying to do.

It was here on bonsaiTALK that we had contests judged by Walter that I orginized and an Ask The Master section that I asked Walter to host. All of these things were done to help elevate the artistry of bonsai as a medium. Bonsai is an art that needs to be kept as pure as possible. Not in the Japanese sense but in the asthetical sense. I have heard many say that bonsai was not practised as an art medium by the Chinese nor Japanese many centuries ago. To think this way is ignorant of the medium. The most ancient scrolls that depict bonsai show many literati innterpretaions of bonsai that were, and always will be works of art.

Many of the innteractions and arguments about bonsai of the last 6 months have been about whether bonsai should be strictly viewed as art. I say yes, many say no. I have my opinions about those people, but have decided it is the appropriate time to just shut up and let those that wish to do bonsai in their backyard with little regard to artistry to do so and never say a bad thing about them. It is not worth the typing.

But..There is room for the discusion of such things by those that wish to engage in it. Trying to make someone understand that you are trying to help them is sometimes hard to do over the internet, and I am sure that Will means that in every sense of the word. Trying to nudge someone to see something that others have a hard time seeing is a very tough sell. Maybe being a used car salesman gives this person a much stronger will to keep thumping away than most. Don't condemn Will for trying to keep bonsai something great and good. Don't condemn anyone for trying to achieve all that is possible and more.

The forum is a little boring lately, and mostly that is due to the likes of Andy, Carl, and myself not writing about artistic challenges that have kept us going in bonsai over the years. Its hardly worth the fighting anymore. Most of the artistic threads while they may get heated up, touch on many new aspects of bonsai and I for one learn many things from the interaction. Speaking of bonsai artisticly is the only logical approach to a discussion forum. There is no place else to go. There are many books dedicated to all of the beginner aspects of bonsai and all the horticulture needs. They are very well written and a search of the FAQ will give the uninnitiated a very good deal of reading for a few nights.

The future of bonsai lies in its art. It lies in the exhibit. It lies in the understanding of this medium as one of artistic intentions, not always met, but always moving forward. Moving forward in the endeavor known as bonsai can only lead to a path of artistic understanding. It is the natural progression of the medium. As one gains more experiance, trees done in past years are replaced by trees with better lines, better proportion, and more artistry. To fight this natural progression is foolish. It would be better to embrace this ideal and find new ways to help speed this feeling along.

Think about this...Ask this question of yourself tonight! "If I am better at bonsai now then I was last year, What did I get better at"?

Did you get better at producing art, or plants in pots?

~Smoke~

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Emperor Fish

Smoke,

I agree with your sentiments and direction, and believe that you have exactly the right approach towards making bonsai better and making better bonsai through exhibition. We are all of us 'backyarders' when growing and caring for our trees, yet the art that we practice reaches its most pronounced and highest, or purest, levels when what we have accomplished is shown in some sort of formal setting where it can be seen together with other good examples of bonsai and appreciated by all who care to look.

A good exhibit (or "show" as we like to call them), should help to enthuse people with a desire to create / buy / own - (no distinction is necessary or desirable) - better bonsai. These better bonsai then get shown, and hopefully there is the beginning of a virtuous circle developing where the standard becomes better as more people strive for improvement and perfection. This seems to have already happened in most of Europe already for whatever reasons, as the old breed of people who practice bonsai as some arcane horticultural experiment get fewer and the people who view bonsai as art become more vocal and accepted as the mainstream thinking, rather than dangerous cranks. I get the feeling through reading people's thoughts here and elsewhere, that in the US the battle is still not yet won. I am convinced that a great deal of this is due to the differences in physical geographic size and cultural acceptances. The first of these creates obvious difficulties when displaying or exhibiting bonsai. Discussing the second can be like walking the tightrope of political correctness and offend some people's delicate sensibilities so I respectfully abstain.

I have spoken to many people - family, friends and colleagues about bonsai. None have yet had a difficulty in accepting bonsai as a transitory, collaborative art form. I wonder if this experience is shared by others?

However, I believe that one of the problems with bonsai art being accepted as such is that which you allude to. This problem is the way people are introduced to bonsai right from the start. Bonsai clubs hold shows at country fairs and flower shows - downplaying the art and accentuating the horticulture. These people seldom try to create an artistic, evocative, representative scene, but rather, simply plonk some trees on a table in a seemingly haphazard way and the public dutifully files past these 'displays' on their way to the beer tent. Bonsai is shown alongside all the other crafts. What we are tacitly implying when we do this is; "Bonsai is easy", "Bonsai does not require vision" and of course "Bonsai is most definitely NOT art."

There are also very good exhibits of bonsai, but, (big but), these shows are mainly preaching to the converted already. I was lucky - my introduction to bonsai was at a bonsai exhibit in a local college. Everything about the display was professionally done to improve the experience for the viewer (me). Tables at corect viewing heights, tablecloths, backdrops, stands and even specialised lighting. The result was a great experience and an emphasis on that experience being an evocative artistic one. If the aim was to get people to practice bonsai as an artful endeavour rather than a horticultural experiment then it worked for at least one person there.

In answer to your closing question:

I got better at appreciating good bonsai - my eye improved.

Good luck in your endeavours for next year Al, I wish you well. There may be many motivations for wanting to display bonsai at the best level you are able, not all of them entirely selfless, but if the end result is better, more artful bonsai displayed, then personally I don't care if anyone is only doing it to have a better tree than Bert did last year or to say "Look what my fat wallet bought!" The end result is really what is important rather than how it was achieved if what you want is good bonsai. The rather faint whiff of impropiety that is hung over some people who realise that a great tree can just as easily be bought for display as created for display is, I believe, yet another hangover from the prize vegetable-grower mentality that surrounds the display of horticulture at flower shows. Luckily in the UK this is also on the decrease.

A friend of mine at my study group has only been practising bonsai for 18 months but has some very fine trees and constantly discusses artful display. One of his trees was awarded best in show at a recent inter-club display. He quite rightly was very proud of this honour and made me smile when someone asked him how long he had been working on the tree. "Oh, about three months." he replied.

Regards,

Fish.

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Jay

Smoke,
Greetings, hopefully you will teach me as much as your former self has already done.

As you know I am one of those 'backyard' Bonsai people. I enjoy Bonsai for many reasons. This does not take away the fact that Bonsai is ART. My talent is still growing, my knowledge of the art still imcomplete and it will probably remain that way. This does not stop me from appreciating what we have here. There are those who practice 'backyard' Bonsai on a whim and those who really wish to improve but for various reasons are slow to do so. I think your last question of "...am I better at bonsai..." is a great one, but should be ammended to also ask,

'Do I appreciate Bonsai more, and do I understand why I do?'

I live outside a small village in a rural section of Vermont. We have a few Art Galleries in town. The level of accomplishment of the artist that are displayed ranges from the well known to the just started out....they are all artists... just some are better at it than others.....

Those of us who 'do' backyard Bonsai need to know that it is OK to go at a slower pace, to perhaps never attain greatness, but if we wish to truely appreciate Bonsai as Art we need to understand why it is.

To answer your question, and the ones I ammended to it...
My trees are better now than last year....my knowledge of Bonsai is better and I have a better idea where I need to go.....but of course that is my opinion

my 2 cents
Jay

__________________
A Bonsai student living with his trees at N 44.37 W 77.49...
Think before you act... then think again... no good comes from rushing

pootsie

I'm with you guys.

For me it's a hobby, but one for which I have high standards and an artistic sensibility. As with Jay, I might never have any masterpieces, but that does not mean I won't strive to.

I started as a twig-in-blue-pot newbie, but my eye has developed a lot even if my trees haven't.

Hope to see you all, along with some properly displayed bonsai, at the world convention!

pootsie

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p.s. My cat is a bonsaiTALK Master.
Columbus Bonsai Society

designguy

Smoke-

Can bonsai be considered art if its creation is merely the repetition of the same or similar images (versions) of a tree in a pot? Fundamentally we are trying to re-create an image (tree in pot) that was mastered along time ago. If other art movements remained this stagnant creating the same basic image over and over again they probably would not be considered art. Generally artists have been inspired to create new and original works by the art that had proceeded them. Sometimes drastically changing the course and direction, we perceived art as being. I think any true art form should be in a state of constant flux. Changing and moving in different directions through varying styles and imagery. Influenced by a range of external factors whether they be social, ethnic, personal or collaborative etc.. I'm not certain that this is happening in bonsai. I think you are trying to elevate the technical proficiency or skill of the general practitioner through your comments on this forum and not a level of artistry.

Thanks
Mark-

Jay

OK Mark, I'm going to jump in here, even with my very basic knowledge.

You are incorrect in your assumption. Bonsai is not paint by numbers... we DO NOT try and duplicate the same tree over and over.... some of us do follow and mimic do to our inexperience and we do produce some cookie cutter type Bonsai. But as we progress in our ability and our knowledge we try and make unique trees...

Please take a minute and look at some of the work of the masters.... just go to Walter Pall's trees as an example, they are far from cookie cutter.

As for doing the same thing...I ask... has there not been a million paintings of the Brooklyn Bridge (please substitue your favorite subject here) are they all copies not real Art? Of course not, the subject does not determine if something is art... the ability of the Artist does!

Therefore I fall strongly on the side of the 'Bonsai is Art' although I may be closer in ability to the paint by numbers in the ability area

my 2 cents
Jay

__________________
A Bonsai student living with his trees at N 44.37 W 77.49...
Think before you act... then think again... no good comes from rushing

Attila

Last night I did a little research on how a person with absolutely no knowledge of bonsai reacts to artistic vs. mediocre bonsai.
The subject involved was my father, no artistic education, and no refined taste for bonsai.

I showed him pictures from the book Classical Bonsai of Japan, featuring bonsai as japanese national treasures, and I mixed them with pictures of bonsai from other books (no need to mention titles) featuring average or less than average bonsai.

It was a no-contest, or a bloodbath if you will, the Japanese masterpieces won by Knock Out.

The artistic bonsai clearly took all the appreciation of the non-initiated.
I was surprised to see that amongs the Japanese Masterpieces, my father preferred the more artistic, sculpture-like trees, such as junipers showing some nice deadwood. This was a shocker, I thought that only we afficionados like those things.

The point of this little exercise reinforces the leading thought of this thread: I is worth pursuing the artistic aspect of bonsai, unless we chose to end up on a dead-end street. The future is clearly brighter for our hobby if we make a commitment to look at our trees as works of art.

Smoke, thanks from bringing some much needed energy to this forum.

Attila

HB Smith

Mark,

If you have access to older Kokufu show books (the premier Japanese bonsai show held on an annual basis), you can definately see the trees taken to higher and higher levels as time goes by. Bonsai in Japan is definately far from a stagnating art.

__________________
Sincerely,
Howard

www.BonsaiSmiths.net