Tree of the Day - Thursday, April 21 2005

DavidN

I'm just happy that the changes I had in mind for the tree were exactly what Walter suggested. Cool.

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melisan

I really do like this tree The bar branches are not detracting from this tree. I am just a new hobbiest so I am looking at this tree with real novice eyes. I can really relate to Behr.

Sure, there are "Rules" of bonsai, but I agree with Mike about having them as guidelines. Afterall, rules are soooo strict. And it seems so unnatural to me, to work with nature in such a formal manner. There is something to be said of just letting the creative juice flow.

I may just want to be a rebellious bonsai hobbiest

Melissa

Walter_Pall

There is only one rule in bonsai art: the tree has to speak to you, loud and clear.

It does not matter whether it was designed with all the guidelines in mind or not. As long as it speaks it is bonsai art. A tree that was designed strictly according to the guidelines may well NOT speak other than 'I wish I were a beautiful bonsai'. And that's not good enough. If you clearly see the intent then the message gets cheap.

Therefore one should learn all the guidelines, learn how to apply them and then forget them. One should look at all these masterpieces, carefull analyse and study them and then forget them. It is just not good enough to only put citations on a tree. Even if it looks beautiful it will have no soul.

It is like writing a book and ONLY cite from other books. The 'art' is in combining citations. Impossible? Well, this is how bonsai is being practised by and large.

Imagine picture painting being more or less citations only. I don't speak of the learning process, I speak of the final 'art'. Painters look at old masterpieces and think of making something that comes as close as possible to these old masterpieces when they paint. They copy the overall composition, the details, the colors. They never ever look at the real world. Because the real world does not behave according to the old masterpieces. They copy copies of copies and by that process the main thing that made the masterpeices masterpieces gets lost: the copies have less and less soul because the students concentrate on what they SEE and not on what they feel or should feel.

Bizarre? Yes indeed. A description of the mainstream bonsai world.

It's time that bonsai emancipates as an artform. It happens in many places. The kettle is boiling, I can feel it. Some day it will explode.

Lots of atrocities will be created under the name of bonsai art. But that's the price we will have to pay for the new freedom. Lots of atrocities ARE being created as bonsai craft. We only got so used to them that we think it is OK, or even beautiful.

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Walter Pall

CD now available online
http://walter-pall.de/cdavailable2.jpg.dir/index.html
http://walter-pall.de
http://walter-pall-bonsai.blogspot.com/

Ian_Homer

Walter,

Just pure INSPIRATION !

Thanks for taking us all forward with you

I look forward to more of your help on this particular thread.

Best wishes,
Ian.

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