bonsaiTALK Community - Copying The Japanese II

Copying The Japanese II
Written by K.A. Rutledge

Posted 21-Oct-2003

Copying The Japanese II

Hi all,

It has been said many times and it is true; bonsai is no longer a purely Japanese endeavor. With the worldwide interest and participation bonsai currently enjoys, bonsai is a worldwide concern and an art without borders.

The Chinese example (penjing) spread, most notably, to Japan where it slowly gained a distinct aesthetic and became saturated with fundamentals of artistry and some cultural references. This evolution culminated in the distinct art form we now recognize as bonsai. This Japanese flavor of bonsai, with its easily recognized conventions, has gained wide appeal the world over.

One feature of the top quality bonsai displays exhibited in Japan is their rather strict adherence to the basics of artistic composition. A good formal bonsai display in tokonoma is a study in basic artistic conventions (conventions that have no cultural reference). This aesthetic that the Japanese so effectively sized upon is truly ingenious when we consider the fullness of what is going on in the display and how it relates to the artistic medium (pieces of nature).

The fundamental soundness of the basic artistry employed in good tokonoma displays is clearly evident to perceptive students and teachers of art. While the elements commonly found in formal bonsai display have much to do with the Japanese culture, the composition of the elements has nothing to do with the Japanese culture. Rather it has to do with fundamental artistry and plain old nature. This is a fact lost on many bonsai enthusiasts, often resulting in naïve and misguided efforts.

Sadly, widespread and often cultivated ignorance is making it increasingly common for nearly all of the basic conventions used in bonsai art and culture to be criticized for the mere fact that they are perceived to be “Japanese.” In an effort to differentiate from the Japanese, many Western bonsai enthusiasts are unknowingly leaving the fundamentals of artistry in an attempt to create a more Westernized bonsai art form.

Bonsai McCarthyism

The fundamentals of bonsai (and artistry with them) are systematically being discarded in the West. Like so many foolish musings, these fundamentals are argued to be nothing more than a means for us to copy the Japanese.

For instance, in an online form it happens like this:

First, a proven, useful convention is proclaimed to be a “rule” - usually a Japanese rule and usually by someone with no acquaintance with artistic study. Next, the hapless rule is put through the grinder, like this:

- rules are made to be broken.
- rules don’t apply to art.
- rules are for copycats, not for artists (never mind that I don’t study art).
- I’m not trying to copy the Japanese so I don’t need Japanese rules.
- Art is individual, not based on rules and dogma.

Now that the evils of rules have been established, the rule can logically and rightfully be assassinated. See? …easy-peasy-Japanesy.

Next, numbers of beginners see how logical and easy that was and begin to believe that they, too, now understand what’s going on …and they clearly see which way the wind is blowing. Emboldened by the naïve observations of their brethren, they begin to drink the Kool-aide and join the parade.

Then, every convention of display and composition as exemplified by a Japanese artist is held with suspicion, …then contempt.

Soon, there are individuals scattered throughout our community who have no understanding of artistry, but they know that the Japanese conventions don’t apply to them and their endeavor, especially with regard to display. “Heck, that’s just a bunch of Japanese stuff. I’m American!”

The death of common sense

Whether by way of racism (doubtful) or ignorance (likely), the fundamentals of artistry are being condemned right along with the perceived cultural irrelevancies in bonsai art. Bonsai enthusiasts are throwing the baby out with the bathwater in an attempt to forge a culturally distinct idiom. The result is doomed to be a shallow and laughable idiom.

Any more, if you are using sound artistic principles in your display efforts, you are likely to be criticized for being a copycat or just unoriginal. If you argue the basic virtues of these common conventions, you stand to be labeled a sycophant. It seems that the only thing that matters in bonsai anymore is how original you can be. It does not matter if what you are making has any artistic value or makes any aesthetic sense. No, if you are doing something differently than the Japanese are doing it, you’re solid gold. What’s wrong with this picture?

Now, I’m not saying that all Japanese bonsai and all Japanese bonsai displays are excellent. In every Kokufu-ten book you can (if you understand artistry) find less than ideal bonsai formation and poorly composed displays. This is only natural because bonsai display is a human endeavor. I’m curious, however, just how many of those who malign Japanese elements of bonsai can find these compositional mistakes – mistakes of artistry. My guess would be …very few of them – and that’s the problem.

I am also not saying that this is the only ideal that is being championed in the Western (mostly American) bonsai community. There are lots of artists and enthusiasts around who can recognize the difference between a cultural element and a fundamental artistic element, between an innovation and a meaningless flop of aesthetic. I’m just saying that too many of us have no inclination to learn about this stuff and are putting too much stock in the erroneous musings of others – then blindly joining their parade.

The result of this blind-leading-the-blind effect, this mistaking fundamental artistry for irrelevant (or very relevant?) cultural elements will be (and is apparent already) that many of our bonsai display efforts are amateurish and trite. Furthermore, there is little demand for formal, artistic display at most U.S. exhibits. So you have to ask yourself: is our discontent paying off? Are we producing better quality art than the Japanese? Have we formed even the basis of a Western idiom for bonsai? Are we setting the world on fire with our originality and through an intolerance of Japanese “rules?”

All together now, …no.

Throwing the baby out with the bathwater

There is a good reason that we’ve not happened upon anything earth shattering in our efforts at innovation, as I’ve said before and I’ll say it again – none of the conventions (or rules) that we use in bonsai has anything to do with the Japanese. These things are artistic conventions, things that transcend culture. It is the components that are often culturally relevant, not the “rules” for their use. Ignorance and misunderstanding of this one fact has caused immeasurable harm to our practice.

Students of history and art know that those who are now copying the excellent examples put forth by the Japanese (and others), the excellent examples put forth by the top artists, investigating the fundamentals behind the artistic components that characterize good display will one day produce excellent quality art, will one day set the world on fire with their originality. Right now, most of them are located in Europe; predominately in Italy, in my opinion.

A friend of mine, Michael Hagedorn, summed up these facts well in one of his articles in BTO Journal, saying:

“…I have come to view bonsai as a highly technical activity. It is grounded in technical knowledge, like architecture or medicine. The better we know these fundamentals, the better we can use them to do something creative. I started in bonsai with the notion that it is primarily a creative endeavor. It is not. It is primarily technical. The longer we retain the notion it is firstly creative, the greater the chances we will neglect to study its details. When that happens, we are using crooked arrows to shoot at moving targets.”

So before you decide that dispensing with things Japanese is the thing to do in your bonsai practice and display, first be sure that you understand what part is Japanese and what part is art. Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater and don’t be afraid to copy while you learn.

Kind regards,
Andy Rutledge
www.bonsai365.com/
zone 8, Texas

Comments

Make a comment on this article

by Adam_MA on 21-Oct-2003

Andy,
As always your post is well thought out and well stated, with a big ol' heaping helping of eloquence thrown in to deliver your statement. I first want to thank you for these articles we are fortunate enough to have the pleasure of reading. Second I would like to ask you something. In your post you said
"I’m just saying that too many of us have no inclination to learn about this stuff and are putting too much stock in the erroneous musings of others – then blindly joining their parade"
I do have the desire to learn as much as I can and was wondering if you be so kind as to give me some ideas of books that would help? I already have a growing library of bonsai books and would like to get the best bang for my buck with my next purchase.

Thank you,
Adam

by K.A. Rutledge on 21-Oct-2003

Adam,

Great! Now, don't buy another bonsai book. Instead, buy (or check out from the library) books on landscape painting and the techniques of art/painting composition. There are lots available and these kinds of things will help you to learn about the techniques of artistry. After you've gone through them a time or two, go back to your bonsai books and you'll be amazed at the simplicity and importance of the principles that most of them touch upon for bonsai formation and display.

Oh, but if you do get another bonsai book, get Dave DeGroot's "Basic Bonsai Design." You can get it through the ABS website www.absbonsai.org . It's cheap (like $12 or something).

Thanks for giving this stuff a chance.

Kind regards,
And Rutledge
zone 8, Texas

by Adam_MA on 21-Oct-2003

Excellent info Andy!

Thanks again!
Adam

by FredL on 21-Oct-2003

Andy, I always enjoy your posts. This one is no exception.

I imagine you noticed my assertion in another thread to the effect that Bonsai, at least in the past, occupied a slightly different place within Japanese culture than Western Art does within ours. I find myself wodering what your thoughts are regarding that comment. Also, whether you think Bonsai is becoming increasingly irrelevant to the "New Japanese". And whether Bonsai will ever become as relvant to our culture as other forms of secular art.

Best regards, Fred

by David Yedwab on 21-Oct-2003

AndY:

by David Yedwab on 21-Oct-2003

Andy:
Sorry, my fingers are getting fatter, or at least clumsier, if possible. I'm sure many of us agree with you that bonsai is an art and you must understand several art principles to create and display anything properly. However, I'm afraid if we convince the bonsai likers that one must be very articitcally inclined to even begin, we'll chase many away. This art thing is also interesting given that so many of us have technical training, especially in engineering and sceince. Why then bonsai?

by K.A. Rutledge on 21-Oct-2003

David,

"However, I'm afraid if we convince the bonsai likers that one must be very articitcally inclined to even begin, we'll chase many away."

I agree. However, it was/is never my intention to suggest that one has to be an expert on things from the start. We're all here learning, even the most competent among us. We all start with a relatively low level of understanding and ability and have to progress at whatever rate we choose/can.

What I suggest, in this essay and in many posts, is that while we don't yet have a firm grasp on all of the aspects of artistry and/or bonsai we don't have any business proclaiming what is right or wrong or effective or ineffective or appropriate or inappropriate or artistic or unartistic, etc... because we invariably get it wrong because we have no idea what we're talking about. When such proclamations are spouted as fact and other beginners among us believe us, we harm our endeavor (and many more besides).

you write:
"This art thing is also interesting given that so many of us have technical training, especially in engineering and sceince. Why then bonsai?"

I'm sorry, but I can't tell what you're asking here. Can you elaborate? Thanks.

Kind regards
Andy Rutledge
zone 8, Texas

by K.A. Rutledge on 21-Oct-2003

Hi Fred,

you ask:
"I imagine you noticed my assertion in another thread to the effect that Bonsai, at least in the past, occupied a slightly different place within Japanese culture than Western Art does within ours. I find myself wodering what your thoughts are regarding that comment."

Yes, I did see that. I'm not sure that it is accurate. I'm not saying that you're wrong, but I have to believe that bonsai occupied exactly the same place in the culture and society as, say, paintings did/do in Western society - and still does. It is an elite thing, available mostly to the wealthy (the best examples of bonsai/art) and dabbled in by many of all sorts of economic backgrounds. It is something that is held cheaply by the lower and middle classes and regarded - and displayed accordingly - highly by the upper classes. I can cite no study to confirm my observations, but that's what I believe anyway.

"Also, whether you think Bonsai is becoming increasingly irrelevant to the "New Japanese". And whether Bonsai will ever become as relvant to our culture as other forms of secular art."

On both counts, not at all. In Japan, today as always, the large proportion of citizens has no interest in bonsai. Nothing wrong with that. As for bonsai becoming relevant or even important in the Western culture as has other art forms, no way. It is not something that the West generally regards as art - just as David DeGroot stated when I interviewed him - bonsai as art is about as obscure as driftwood collecting as art.

It's not that it's culturally different, but that it is percived to be foreign; it is percieved by the Western world to be "other-worldly," and so will always be a curiosity and regarded as outside the realm of our culture.

That's no problem as far as I'm concerned. Most art forms are very insular and important only to those who participate - or who can afford to decorate their lives with it. The more it costs, the better it is to decroate your life with, and, the more exclusive it will be - which makes it all the more enticing (to a very small number if individuals).

Kind regards,
Andy Rutledge
zone 8, Texas

#10

by David Yedwab on 21-Oct-2003

What I suggest, in this essay and in many posts, is that while we don't yet have a firm grasp on all of the aspects of artistry and/or bonsai we don't have any business proclaiming what is right or wrong or effective or ineffective or appropriate or inappropriate or artistic or unartistic, etc... because we invariably get it wrong because we have no idea what we're talking about. When such proclamations are spouted as fact and other beginners among us believe us, we harm our endeavor (and many more besides).

on the above, I absolutely agree with you. Maybe if we all use the internet IMHO, even if we aren't so humble, the rest will understand that it's just another "learner's" opinion -- not carved on a tablet.

Regarding the technical backgrounds of many of us, I have just found it very intereting that many of us with technical training seem to have gravitated to an art formnot truly mainstream, perhaps we thought it was a craft to be learned, not an art from best mastered by apprenticing. Or some other weird coupling of art and science - horticulture and miniaturization of nature in artful ways?

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