Manicured, loose, or in between

[Matt B]

I can't remember who said it, but:
"Art is the last refuge for knowing what you like is sufficient for not knowing more."

Perhaps, but while many things are subjective, there is some universal objective reality to contend with. Liking a Ferrari without knowing why is an incomplete picture. Even bonsai as an art has some universal standards. To deny that, I'd have to be dumb in addition to inexperienced. I'm content to be humble always, and soak in what the experts say.

 

[The Barber]

Personally, I prefer to see "the birds fly through" and some clear but subtle variation in branch length and pad shape throughout the design. What one could describe as a looser perspective. For many of these top show trees it comes down to when they are displayed and the " condition" of the design.
Apologies for the poor photo. This tree illustrates my preference, taken during Kokufu 2024. The lighting in the hall throws lots of shadows.View attachment 569865

Now that's a tree that looks more natural. Also, well said, I like some open space to break up the profile of a tree.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder though.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

This is a very interesting thread to me. Pardon me if I take a bit of an associated bird walk to lay out a few thoughts about what I was thinking while reading this thread.

Intangible Design aesthetics has been somewhat of quagmire… and frequent exploration over the years for me. While pretty well versed in the design concepts, at least three things always seem to put a hitch in my gitty up of bonsai evaluation.

Cross cultural aesthetics - Folks from one cultural background often can have a cultural template of what works… and this template is dynamic. Chinese style, Japanese style, Balinese style, Naturalistic style etc. I find my perspective skewed all over the place depending upon my ever expanding experience with different cultural aesthetics… Which btw are ever evolving, perhaps as often as the design of men’s trousers!

Personal inclinations - The other day @NaoTK and I weighed in on our personal inclinations towards designing forest bonsai compositions, both different ways of looking at design… tempered by one’s own experiences in the natural world and/or in design etc

The incredibly strong role of affect.. and place on viewer. I.e. For the past five years I have viewed quite a number different magnificent bonsai. For one example, we volunteer once a week at PBM. I often take a turn around the collection and see a number of the trees… and feel different things about the same tree.

One of my favorite trees to study at over the years is a very simple composition created by Ben Oki.

View attachment 569874

Each time I view this composition, with or without out backdrop. My feelings, emotions and mood tend to be affected by the environment, what I’ve just done/thinking, who is around, the placement of a tree.. and whether I recall Ben Oki’s history before he crafted this composition.

So I wonder, when looking at the images above over time, if our thoughts would change? Personally I like 2 at the moment… But it does need separation between pads.

Thanks for putting up with this bird walk!

Cheers
DSD sends

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Hmm… somehow the image didn’t post…. Here it is!



Cheers
DSD sends

 

[bwaynef]

Here it is again, relaxing a smidge more.