Page 48 - BSAM 2015 Q4

Book Review
Literati Penjing
Chinese Bonsai Masterworks
By Zhao Qingquan
46 | BCI | October/November/December 2015
Figure 1, Literati Penjing: Chinese Bonsai Masterworks by Zhao Qingquan,
Better Link Press.
By Michael Collins McIntyre, Canada Photos courtesy Zhao Qingquan
Zhao Qingquan (fondly and commonly known by his English name, Brook Zhao) is a truly distinguished, internationally recognized master of the Chinese art of penjing. His mastery appears in his writing and teaching and, movingly and compellingly in his artistic creations. In his writing—most
notably in Penjing: Worlds of Wonderment: A Journey Exploring an Ancient Chinese Art and Its History, Cultural Background, and Aesthetics and in his more recent Penjing: e Chinese Art of Bonsai: A Pictorial Exploration of Its History, Aesthetics, Styles and Preservation—Brook weaves all three dimensions of his mastery into a coherent whole. His books are about penjing to be sure—they also immerse the reader in the culture from which the artistic creations evolve. Both are classics. His present work, Literati Penjing: Chinese Bonsai Masterworks (Figure 1), follows in this tradition and will too become a classic. I nd that Literati Penjing surpasses the earlier works. is might reasonably be expected as the present work builds on the two earlier classics. I nd it surpassing, though, not so much as a re ection of a linear progression from work to work but because of a deeply personal chord that resounds again and again throughout the book. Perhaps, we should not nd this surprising. Some years ago Brook was asked in an Art of Bonsai Project interview: “When creating literati, what must the artist consider and if you could only teach one thing about literati, what would it be?” Brook Responded: “One’s own feeling.” In the preface to Literati Penjing Brook asserts that literati are not necessarily re ective of natural tree forms but are rather instances of highly personal artistic expression. ey are seen as related to the minimalistically eloquent brush painting, to the subtly evocative and expressive poetry, and the calm realm of Zen. Literati penjing are anchored in these aspects of culture in a profoundly important way. In what follows, a brief description of the literati in Chinese culture will provide a foundation for a discussion based upon a written interview with Zhao Qingquan. ese two sections will be followed by a discussion of the merits of the book, which are many and varied.
e literati in Chinese culture were learned civil servants who had passed rigorous literary examinations. Most wrote poetry as a means of self-expression. Many fewer literati were accomplished painters than were poets. Robert Eno, a scholar of Chinese history at the University of Indiana, lectured on the literati. He observed that throughout China there were always many literati who either painted on the side, while playing the role of scholar-o cials, or who, through wealth, could a ord to devote themselves fully to the art of painting. e notions of integrity,