Page 52 - BSAM 2015 Q4

Figure 11,“Dancer”Five needle pine. Designed by Zhao Qingquan.
Figure 12,
A. 2006. B. 2013. C. 2014.
“Heaven Ascent” Sargent’s juniper, Designed by Zhao Qingquan. Presented at three times.
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of which is seen in Figure 5. He counts as a favorite the painting of Ma Yuan presented in Figure 6. Poetry is part of the equation too. Brook provided an example that I found particularly evocative, actually spiritual. It involves a short poem that he translates “Tens of thousands owers come into my eyesight; two or three pieces only touch my heart.” (Ode to the Plum, by Li Fangyin, Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) Brook remarks that although the poem is attributed to the ower, it carries transcendent meanings that go well beyond the plant. e aesthetic of simplicity in this poem applies to all literati style penjing— especially with the plum that Brook o ered as an illustration of how poetry inspires his art Figure 7. e intimate relationship between the poem and the tree compellingly illustrates how penjing derive from a cultural tradition and are transformed from the representational to the evocative and original by the artistry of the master.
Literati Penjing: Chinese Bonsai Masterworks is a remarkable work within the bonsai literature in that it deals with a single style or genre. It illustrates surpassingly well the cultural foundation supporting artistic transformation. It is copiously illustrated and the reader/viewer receives an astutely constructed immersion course in the literati style. e rst
chapter provides a discussion of penjing aesthetics similar to that provided in previous works. Similar but di erent. e principles are the same but they are applied exclusively to literati. Somehow, this sharpens the focus. Figure 8 depicts a Chinese red pine designed by Han Xuenian that Brook uses to illustrate the use of space in literati. He describes a “proud loneliness” and points out that the simplicity of the style has nothing to do with the lack of sophistication as is patent from the example provided.
e tightness of the perspective provides a very nuanced and sensitive discussion of aesthetic criteria that was beyond expectation. I expected overlap, however, the shared elements were greatly overshadowed by the focus. e familiar aesthetic criteria were distilled in a way that revealed their true essence. is is a valuable chapter indeed.
I shall skip over the second chapter until the end of the review. e remaining chapters are practical, dealing with Basic Techniques, Projects, Display Techniques, and Care and Maintenance. I typically nd chapters similar to these to be of lesser interest, as there is substantial redundancy with other works. However, with the present work the tight focus on literati o ers signi cant insight into methods and issues most pertinent to this style. Some of these techniques are not part of the “standard curriculum” I nd myself eager to collect some specimens and to begin learning some of the techniques presented. ese chapters also allow Brook the opportunity to demonstrate his astonishing artistry as his trees are o en used to illustrate didactic points. See, for example, Figures 9, 10, and 11. I believe two things that stand out in these chapters, beyond the focus on a single style, deserve comment. Brook has provided an extremely useful species guide for tree species suitable for the literati style. is had me thinking of some species in ways that were novel to me. Secondly, I particularly bene tted from the fourth chapter— Projects. It o ers a chronicle of the development and styling of twelve di erent trees. I recall when I rst encountered the progressions presented by Walter Pall. ey o ered such insight. I spent countless hours pouring over these progressions. The twelve progressions that Brook provides are beautifully illustrated and fully described. Figures 12 a, b, and c present three stages in the development and re nement of “Heaven’s Ascent.” ere is something of the concept of critical mass here. Most books that present progression seek variety. e presentation of progressions for twelve trees—all literati—has a powerful yet re ned impact. is is a chapter to study.
Chapter 2 is a tour de force. My career has largely been as a professor. is chapter on the Cultural Origins of literati penjing would be at the top of my required readings list. Many of us who are in the thrall of bonsai know that they originate in particular cultures and that cultural in uences are
50 | BCI | October/November/December 2015