President's Message

by David Johnson

Art becomes international when it evokes wide appeal and recognition. But can it also be identified as having a national or regional designation? Does this apply to bonsai?

Historical origin is one consideration. Bonsai, a Japanese word using Chinese characters, has its origins in China. Bonsai and penjing are practiced through much of Asia reflecting the influence of imperial China. The contemplative aspect of viewing and appreciating old trees developed out of the philosophical and religious ideas of the time.

The scale of the practice of this art form in Asia is massive in comparison to any other region on the planet. Penjing and bonsai has deep roots in Asia's cultural history. Container-grown trees styled in an artistic manner are measured in centuries in Asia but only in decades outside of Asia. A tomb from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) in China shows two maids holding penjing.

During this period, the Japanese government sent envoys to study Chinese culture. Bonsai then developed in Japan. The fact that this art form was practiced by the ruling elites and culture makers of Asia has given additional weight to its status. Bonsai does not have this kind of status in any other region of the world.

But more compelling than the cultural history is the aesthetic basis of bonsai. The Toronto Bonsai Society's first president and founder was Mr. Mamoru Nishi. Our club's history and teaching have been fundamentally influenced by Japanese bonsai.

European design is predominately symmetrical. The most important design principle of bonsai is Asian asymmetry. (It should be noted that sometimes I write about Japanese, Chinese or Asian design. I do not have enough knowledge or space to discuss their similarities and differences. I hope to refer specifically to each unique national or regional characteristic where it appears.)

Asymmetry is the basis for bonsai display design. A scalene triangle with three unequal sides is used to form the outline of a bonsai or forest planting. Branches alternate up the trunk with varying lengths reflecting the randomness that occurs in nature. However, what appears as randomness can be the result of a concrete struggle for survival in competition for light, nutrients, water, a place to plant stabilizing roots and affects of weather.

In forest group plantings, odd numbers of trees are preferred as is a variation of tree width, height and spacing. Bonsai are planted in containers off centre when viewed from the front creating their own sense of balance.

We don't find the same beauty, if any, in a reforested pine plantation that we find in a natural forest scene.

Asian aesthetics emphasize naturalness and aged appearance. Old rough bark is prized. Deadwood areas on a tree are appreciated because of its innate beauty and representation of the ongoing struggle of life and death. The jins and shari are placed where they can be seen but the life line of the tree should be viewed from the front as a statement that this is a living entity.

The beauty in each season is appreciated from the fleeting seasonality of flowers, fruit and fall foliage to the stark but detailed ramification of old deciduous trees in winter.

Spareness boils down the essence into quiet detail and frames it with open or negative space. Less becomes more. In bonsai, we try to recreate the beauty of an eighty-foot tree in a bonsai less than three feet.

In some flower shows, a lot of colour and activity are compressed into a small space. A cornucopia of colour is European garden design. In bonsai display, open space and minimalism emphasizes the bonsai.

In Japanese design, preferred colours are darker and less showy except when enjoying flowers, fruit or fall foliage. The Japanese containers tend to be devoid of calligraphy and scenery. The stones and bonsai stands are dark.

Some of the concepts discussed above have become almost so common place that they seem second nature - without Asian origins. At the same time, many bonsai enthusiasts internationally look to Japan as the standard to aspire to.

Bonsai is an art that beyond its fundamentals is applied and re-interpreted by artists world wide. If this did not happen, bonsai would be a dogma and not an art form. Lucky for us every tree is like every snow flake, no two are alike, no matter how hard we try or mis-try. Experiment as we may, but in the end, do the results measure up to the standards set by Asia?

If we can say that bonsai is international, then the world has adopted Asian concepts of design and applied them. The hands may be European or African but the aesthetic is Asian.