Is bonsai art? - inspired by BVF

[amcoffeegirl]

Wow. This seems to be an ongoing discussion on another thread.
I think bonsai is art. I also view many things as art including photography and music.
So what is bonsai? A trade, a craft or just a hobby?

 

[Grant Hamby]

A nerdy obsession. Lol.

 

[Smoke]

CRAFT

Artisans create craft, viewers and peer review deem it art.

 

[Shima]

CRAFT

Artisans create craft, viewers and peer review deem it art.

Well spoken.

 

[Shima]

Another way of saying, "sometimes." Or, it can be.

 

[my nellie]

Wow. This seems to be an ongoing discussion on another thread... ...

Not only one other thread. Just two of the recent discussions.
And not only ongoing but also endlessly spiraling over itself...
https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/b...fines-a-good-bonsai-from-the-also-rans.26744/
https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/what-defines-a-good-bonsai-from-the-also-rans.26512/
So, why add one more.... Anyway, we might have some time to kill....
It has been said above that everything human hands (i.e. the hands of the artisan) create is a craft. This I totally agree upon.
Let me add though... IF the artisan is creating his craft intending to communicate some sentiments of his to the viewers of his handicrafts, then he becomes an "Artist" and his handicrafts become "Objects of Art"

Take me for example. I am trying to create "something" out of my trees, or my stones, or some other type of handicrafts I make, for my own eyes to enjoy.
I am not intending to communicate something to anyone who might take a look at my handicrafts.
BUT I am inspired by the Art work of the Artists, too.

 

[Anthony]

Hobby, to craft and when it hangs for centuries on a museum wall and is still appreciated, Art.
Good Day
Anthony

 

[choppychoppy]

Bonsai is a 'Discipline' - a collection of skills and techniques, horticulture, woodworking, spacial knowledge, etc.

 

[Bolero]

When I see a Near Masterpiece Bonsai or Masterpiece Bonsai I consider it a work of Art by an Artisan that has special skills to arrive at his Work of Art.....

I consider all the other Bonsai as Varying Degrees of Accomplishment but not reaching the Level of being known as Art.....

Here is what I call Art, A Bonsai by Vance Wood.............

Going from this Top picture of a Nursery Mugo to the picture underneath...

 

[sorce]

http://www.hort.cornell.edu/art/gallery/

Sorce

 

[Anthony]

Bolero,

lots of I , in there.
And that is the problem, too many personal opinions.

This is why for something to be Art it has to stand the test of time ----------- centuries.

I prefer to say, I can appreciate this, it makes me -think - feel - and be alive.
I respond.
I have no problems with. it is just a simple man saying, I appreciate something and the world
does not stop rotating.

Fine Artists also speak of -------- HIGH ART and just art.
Good Day
Humbly
Anthony

 

[just.wing.it]

Yeah, its an internationally recognized art form by definition, but it is also much more than that.
It's history... it's philosophy.... it's horticulture...
When you read some of these books, it gets deep, real deep.
It also changes the way one looks at the world, nature, life....
I've always been one of those people who stare at trees in nature, and rocks, and bugs etc...
But once I developed some knowledge of bonsai, I now see art in everything.
It's like the entire earth and all its inhabitants are a giant living work of art.
Practicing the art of bonsai can really make one appreciate the little things in life.
So, I guess what I'm trying to say is, the ART of bonsai is very unique and transformative for the grower and the viewer...
It takes your mind to places that most people don't consider or understand.
......and I love it!

..........
And one more thing.....I can't help but think about some of the things out there that are called art....that bonsai puts to shame.
I've seen a commissioned piece of "art" in Baltimore City before, with a nice brass placard and all.....a pile of cinder blocks in a field. It was not art, it was a waste of tax money.

 

[Bolero]

Anthony, thank you for your Opinion, I respect your knowledge...

Van Gogh created Masterpiece Art Work from the time his brush hit the canvas and over time it was considered genius...
However..... it was genius from the time his brush hit the canvas irregardless of immediate acclaim...

 

[Bolero]

Yeah, its an internationally recognized art form by definition, but it is also much more than that.
It's history... it's philosophy.... it's horticulture...
When you read some of these books, it gets deep, real deep.
It also changes the way one looks at the world, nature, life....
I've always been one of those people who stare at trees in nature, and rocks, and bugs etc...
But once I developed some knowledge of bonsai, I now see art in everything.
It's like the entire earth and all its inhabitants are a giant living work of art.
Practicing the art of bonsai can really make one appreciate the little things in life.
So, I guess what I'm trying to say is, the ART of bonsai is very unique and transformative for the grower and the viewer...
It takes your mind to places that most people don't consider or understand.
......and I love it!

..........
And one more thing.....I can't help but think about some of the things out there that are called art....that bonsai puts to shame.
I've seen a commissioned piece of "art" in Baltimore City before, with a nice brass placard and all.....a pile of cinder blocks in a field. It was not art, it was a waste of tax money.

You've nailed it.......Bonsai is Ancient Chinese Culture, then Japanese Culture, even the Japanese Samauri practiced it...

 

[just.wing.it]

This thread made me think of this book, so I decided to throw the pic in.
Out of all the bonsai books I've read so far, this one is my favorite.
It reads kinda like a text book from school, which is fine with me, and is a good reference.

Extra points if you can see what's in the background

 

[Starfox]

Drum kit?

 

[Dav4]

I usually avoid these discussions like the plague, but here I am. At the end of the day, I guess it doesn't matter to me whether bonsai falls under the umbrella of what is considered art or not. I find the process of developing and refining trees into a pleasing image enjoyable, and I hope that others enjoy them as well. Should that be considered art... maybe? Were the drawings I made in 2nd grade with crayons and colored pencils art? I dunno... I was told they were by my Art teacher when I was drawing them, so they must be, right? I kinda like Smoke's definition of art... at the end of the day, it's up to the viewer to decide. Fwiw, this drawing, by my teenage daughter, was displayed at the Dogwood Art Festival in Atlanta several weeks ago... drawn in charcoal. I could never do something like this, as it requires certain skills and mastered technique way beyond my reach. Is this art? I know what my answer is...

 

[Bolero]

She is very Talented

 

[just.wing.it]

I usually avoid these discussions like the plague, but here I am. At the end of the day, I guess it doesn't matter to me whether bonsai falls under the umbrella of what is considered art or not. I find the process of developing and refining trees into a pleasing image enjoyable, and I hope that others enjoy them as well. Should that be considered art... maybe? Were the drawings I made in 2nd grade with crayons and colored pencils art? I dunno... I was told they were by my Art teacher when I was drawing them, so they must be, right? I kinda like Smoke's definition of art... at the end of the day, it's up to the viewer to decide. Fwiw, this drawing, by my teenage daughter, was displayed at the Dogwood Art Festival in Atlanta several weeks ago... drawn in charcoal. I could never do something like this, as it requires certain skills and mastered technique way beyond my reach. Is this art? I know what my answer is...
View attachment 142092 View attachment 142093

Wow, that's incredible, looks like a photograph.

Drum kit?

Ha! Yep...eagle eye!..... maybe it's easier to see than it looks on my phone....

 

[Anthony]

Dav4,

tell her please don't stop and try her hand at Oils and colored pencils - Caran d' Ache.
Aim for the Florence Academy or Studio Cecil, also in Florence or the one in the UK.
Blows the mind, great beauty !!!
Good Day
Anthony

* Bolero,
let's hope his work lasts ------- restoration problems ----------- poor painting application for many.