"natural viewing direction" , or the way we look at things.

After reading Ron Martin's thread, where he asked if "visual speed" was a valid term to use, i decided to post one that is always a fun topic during the workshops i do.

Let me try to explain what i think it means. For a lot of people in the world, it comes almost natural to look at things, and their surroundings, from left to right. The main reason for this (in my opinion) is that we are accustomed to read books from left to right from childhood on.
A good example of this phenomenon is when you look at a picture of the Tower of Pisa, in most pictures it hangs from left to right ,so the first thing we see is the base and then our eyes go to the right to the top. Now mirror this picture and look again. The first thing we see now is the top and then we see the base of the tower.

Try this and you wil be amazed how much the "visual weight" is shifted now!
When most of us look at a painting, it is from the left to the right, think about this the next time you see one and then you understand how clever some painters use this knowledge when they placed there subjects on the canvas.
"So, what is the use for this in bonsai?" I hear you ask?

Well, maybe nothing, but when we are making a tokonoma it is good to realize this principle, when your accent or suiseki is on the left of the tree, it will be the first thing people see, so this must be a little less heavy or colorful as when they are on the other side of the tree. Try it first before you say, "No way!" This phenomenon is most noticeble in "slanting , windswept and cascading styled bonsai."

If you look at the photos I posted (although the are very small), you can see what a difference it makes, it almost seems to be a different bonsai. Try to do this with some other bigger photo's if you like, because the results will amaze you. Trees suddenly seem to be out of balance, too heavy, pots too big or too small, tables too big, and much more.

This is just posted as a fun thread, nothing more!! But i am curious, if people that don't read from left to right see things differently? And if other bonsai folks recognize this thing, and if so, do they think the term ( in lack of a better one ) "natural viewing direction" is a valid one?

Forgive my poor English and have fun trying it out ! Looking forward to what you think, keep them small ,

Hans van Meer.

What about the chinees and japanese people ?

They read vertically........................................ ....

Japanese books and magazines have the spine facing in the opposite direction. The print is vertical for the most part, but it also runs right to left, too. And a lot of the early Bonsai Today page layouts were a little screwed up because the layouts don't run quite in the Western-expected way.

Regards,

Hi, Yes i know, but their books read from right to left i think.
The part about reading from left to right as a reason for this phenomena, is one that i came up with, because i could not came up with a better one.
best wishes ,
Hans.

Loosely speaking I guess one could call the "left to right thing" visual weight. Although I am not sure it would be correct.
It is a means of forcing the viewers eye to the focal point of the composition. That focal point is usually 1/2 way up the trunk of the bonsai.
Visually certain things will capture the eye. These things can be balanced out to put the eye where the artist wants them to go.
Some examples are
A dense area of branches are visually heavier than a area with sparse branching.
A rock would be visually heavier than an open area of soil.
The list could go on but hopefully you get the idea.
So if one had a tree with sparse branching on the left side and dense on the right the eyes would naturally want to go to the right side of the composition. The visual scales could be balanced out and the eyes brought back to the center by placing an appropriate size rock on the left side of the pot.
Not the best of examples but hopefully it will do.
Visual speed it how fast the eyes will be drawn to that focal point. Following a straight line will make the eyes want to move faster and conversely a curved line will invite the eyes to meander to that focal point. Lots of other things can do that also.
These are not really bonsai terms but painters terms. The idea, however, does work in bonsai.

Hi Ron,

Thank you for taking the time for your answer, I guess one could call it "visual weight" if the movement of the bonsai is to the right.
Then the "visual weight" of the tree will pull your eyes right along its trunk to the top.
But mirror the same bonsai arround, and the whole situation has changed, because of our tendesie to vieuw things from left to right in almost every situation , we will now see first the foliage of the tree and then our eyes will follow the trunk down to its pot.
But i am curious?.... do you agree with me that there is tandesy to vieuw things from left to right?
There were originely two photo"s atached to this artical with a mirrored bonsai, sadly this went all wrong (ill will try to post an other one now), but try it if you like with a nice photo off slanthing bonsai.
P.s
Allso nice is to look at the painthing of the "last meal" by Da Vinci or "the night watch"by Rembrandt, you will find that you Will look at it from left to right, at first glance and especialy when you are looking for details.
Looking forward to your thoughts
Best wishes,
Hans

[QUOTE=RonMartin]Loosely speaking I guess one could call the "left to right thing" visual weight. Although I am not sure it would be correct.
It is a means of forcing the viewers eye to the focal point of the composition. That focal point is usually 1/2 way up the trunk of the bonsai.
Visually certain things will capture the eye. These things can be balanced out to put the eye where the artist wants them to go.

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Hans, I personally agree with you. When I look at the first photo, I notice the empty space to the left of the trunk first, then the apex or crown of the tree, and finally the smaller trunk on the right. When I look at the mirror image, I see the smaller trunk first and then the crown, and the empty space isn't as empty somehow. I definitely "like" or feel more comfortable with the tree in the second image.

It works better if you cover one picture while viewing the other. Or, if the pictures were in seperate posts. Otherwise our brains are too quick for us, and we are done with seeing before we can break down how we saw it.

I have a lot of artist friends who sculpt, and they tend to make their sculptures run either left to right or right to left, each artist having a preferred flow. If you mirror their sculptures they look very different. Actually, a mirror held in front of artwork is a good way for an artist to check what is wrong for the very same reason. It's a common trick we use to make sure that proportion is correct.

It may relate to the direction we write, or the direction we write may be because of this preference in the first place. Our brains are wired as a mirror image of what our eyes see, and studies have shown that half of our brain processes information in a certain way and the other half in a different way. (Right brain- left brain; is it verbal;spatial?) It may be deeper in our consciousness than we expect!

Thank you for the thought provoking post.

Joanie

I can only answer your question based on my personal perspective.
Yes I do think that most people view things from left to right. I think that has something to do with the fact that most people are right handed. A genetic thing. Most people in the world will take their first step in a journey with their right foot as the push off foot. It is the foot on the strongest leg. That means that most people will have a tendency to veer left.
If you think about it that means that someone attacking will almost always come from the right (unless it is a head on collision). Most people will look for danger coming from the right and try to escape to the left.
A zillion of years has gotten us to look left for an escape route just in case danger comes from the right.
My hero Gen. Patten used this to great advantage during WWll.
It is a natural tendency for most folks to look from left (safe) to right (danger) So naturally something flowing in that direction will be more comfortable.
Do I have any scientific basis for this. No.
It is just my opinion.
Does it matter why most people like the left to right flow.
Not really. But is a good bit of information to know ;o)_ (please note the cigarette in the mouth of my smiley face)
The reason why is not nearly as important as it does happen.

Hi Joanie'

Great stuf about holding a mirror infront off the artwork! I wil actualy use this the next time its comes up at one of my workshops! i do agree with you that i to have a tendency to work more comfetable from left to right, eather in my drawings or my bonsai work. Although i always had a feeling that with drawing it had to do with your hand hanging in your own work (if you work from right to left), i never gave it a second thought do. It was later on in life when i got involved with bonsai that i notisted the same expirience!
It was like...wauw, you are sudenly confronted with something you are dowing your whole life with out thinking about it! Although it is not of great importence, it is fun to realise that the way (left or right) the material is flowing extualy desides the way we would shape it, the trees probebly would look totely diferant at the end!
Thanks for your toughts,
Hans van Meer.

Ron,

You are probably right in saying that looking at things from left to right goes way longer back than bookprint! But it even makes it more of a mistery to me why for excample the Japanese choose to make the layout for there bookprint against this natural flow, and i stil wonder if and how this change the way they look at thinks.
I probably just have to ask one to find out!
Thanks for your imput,
Hans.
p.s
If your smiley start smoking you are in serious trouble!