Bonsai Northwest Inc.

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1 Sponsored by: Bonsai Northwest Inc. Established:1973 A-19332L Next meeting at 7.30pm, Monday 6 March OLOGY Newsletter March 2017 Our meeting this month will feature an exciting demonstration on the literati form of bonsai styling. Both Hanh and Quentin will be using their own imagination and styling skills as they work on two separate trees and create their own version of literati bonsai. We were going to have Ian kick of the night with a literati presentation but unfortunately he is suffering from the shingles and won t be able to attend. He has asked that EVERYONE read his literati article in this newsletter as pre-reading before the demonstration. Get well Ian and hope to see you back in the club soon. The Library will be open from 7.00pm and will close at 8.00pm. Vale Frank Hocking It is with great sadness to advise our Members that Frank Hocking passed away Tuesday 31st January. Frank passed peacefully Tuesday evening with his family by his side. Frank was a life Member of Bonsai Northwest, giving his time to the Club in its early years establishing in the Western Suburbs and remained a valuable Member. He was a good friend to many at the Club and loved Bonsai, Orchids and Plants in general. Frank was a Bonsai pioneer in Melbourne along with a dedicated group of people who took their passion to the public and has grown Bonsai in Victoria to what it is today. Frank held almost all Committee positions and was a life Member at the Bonsai Society of Victoria and was one of the founding Members creating the Bonsai Federation of Australia. Frank is survived by his 3 children, Greg, Russell and Pam and their families. He was 91. Rest in peace, Frank. Club videos on YouTube Demonstration night videos can now be found on YouTube: Like us on Facebook Electronic Newsletter To receive your newsletter electronically bonsainorthwest@hotmail.com. Extra cost of $20 if you want a hard copy posted. Exceptions apply. Supplying specialist potting mix components for Bonsai growers. Currently in stock. Mount Sylvia Diatomite, Zeolite, 5-7mm Pine nuggets, Pumice and Sphagnum moss. Our aim is to save you time and money. Ology.net.au - Damian Last chance to renew membership If you haven t renewed your membership yet for 2017 then this is the last newsletter that you will receive. Please see/call/ Barry to renew ASAP. Coming Events Victorian Native Bonsai Club Exhibition 2017 March 4 & 5, 9am to 4pm Main House, Dallas Brooks Drive, Royal Melbourne Botanical Gardens. Adults $5, children under 15 free YVBS Sales Day March 25 10:30am to 2pm, Japara Living and Learning Centre, 54 Durham Rd. Kilsyth. Entry $2. Mornington Peninsula Bonsai Show 2017 April 15 & 16, Balcombe Grammar, 389 Nepean Highway, Mt Martha. Adults $5, Concession $4. Children free with adult Bendigo Bonsai Club Easter Exhibition April 15 17, The Uniting Church Hall, Forest St. Bendigo. CLUB DETAILS PO Box 1091, Niddrie Victoria 3042 Meetings are held at The Aberfeldie Community Club, Batman St Essendon, 7:30pm on the first Monday of the month (no meeting in January) President: David Nassar Phone: Barry Find us on Facebook.

2 Last Meeting Workshop night A great first meeting night kicking off 2017 with a huge workshop night with over 70 members in attendance. It looked like there was lots of ideas and even more work happening to trees. Great to see so much enthusiasm and excitement at the club.

3 In Search of the Literati Style by Ian Barnes It is said that of all the bonsai styles, Literati is the one that captures most closely, the Oriental view of Nature. It is purely Chinese. How then can I, as a Westerner, understand this style? Perhaps a look at the origins of the style in China will prove enlightening. Literati style bonsai are often described as having an air of refined elegance. While the words indeed may be fitting for this style, they could also be used to describe many other styles of bonsai. I have heard Bill Valavanis say that the basic bonsai styles are representations of trees, while Literati is more about a feeling. But what does this mean? John Naka once said of the Literati bonsai style, It is a dream, an abstract. It is an extremely advanced, significant bonsai design. These words may capture the essence of the style, but what do they really mean? I wonder, is Literati bonsai an approach or interpretation within bonsai and not a specific style in and of itself? The word Literati is a Latin name originally attributed to the Japanese term Bunjin due to the lack of an exact English equivalent. Bunjin is in turn a translation of the Chinese Wenjen, meaning Men of Books or those scholars who were practiced in the arts. History In China, the T ang Dynasty ( ) was a significant period for the arts, including painting, calligraphy and poetry. During this time, many scholars and intellectuals achieved career positions in the government through a recruitment system where one s knowledge and understanding of literature, history, philosophy and the arts were important criteria in social rank. They were called wen-jen (or literati). As an elite and learned class, their taste was extreme. Their landscape paintings should give us a guide to learning what the literati style is. The Southern School of Landscape Painting, developed in the T ang Dynasty, represented the ideal of the scholar-painter who sought to capture the spirit of Nature rather than mere representation or decoration. Rather than technical proficiency, the artists cultivated a lack of affectation in an attempt to tune into the rhythms of Nature. They considered painting to be poetry without sound. With their paintings, the scene tells a story and the artist is revealed as much as the landscape portrayed. They put great emphasis on the idea that the style with which a painter controlled his brush conveyed the inner style of his character brushstrokes were seen as expressions of the spirit more than they were matters of composition or skill in realistic depiction. The slender trees of these wenjen painters had an abstract, calligraphic quality that was the inspiration behind cultivating bonsai in this style. The Penjing literati style, called Xu hua xe, became very popular during this time, modelled after the character and philosophy of Chinese calligraphy. In his writings, Shao Hai Zhong, a Chinese penjing master, defined the following principles of this literati style: Zhong xin bing yun. An asymmetrical balance in composition should be used to obtain a stable and firm foundation. There should be a firm anchor point of balance in the dynamic movement. Dou zhong qiu zhen. There should be optical balance. The energetic and dramatic physical flow of this style should present a harmonious balance visually. Shang mi xia xu. This style resembles the style of Chinese calligraphy. The top is structured and the bare trunk descends, celebrating the elegance of simplicity and slenderness. Xu mi de yu. The physical composition should demonstrate a proper balance of visual weight and voids. The heavy areas should be counter-balanced by empty spaces, evoking the abstract beauty of Chinese calligraphy. Qan qa bian hua. The lines should be dynamic and rhythmic, but neither chaotic nor monotonous. Qi jou zhe gang. The structure should employ a balance of bold beginnings and delicate conclusions. The delicate lines should contain a vigorous energy. This same principle is important in Chinese calligraphy.

4 In the Ch ing Dynasty ( ), literati paintings were becoming available in Japan, where they were known as bunjin-ga (literati painting) or Nan-ga (Southern Painting). The Mustard Seed Garden Painting Manual was published in 1679 in China and 1748 in Japan, laying out the principles of Literati painting as well as providing illustrations of examples. In Japan, bonsai in the bunjin style began around the nineteenth century. But while the inspiration for Japanese bunjin bonsai was Chinese literati landscape painting, the Japanese shaped their trees with a slightly different mood, stemming from their different cultural background. So, the origins of the style influence the form. Literati painting derived from a minimalist philosophy and the reproduction of these painted trees in the form of bonsai stayed true to the source literati bonsai were tree forms reduced to the bare essentials. Like quick brush strokes of a calligraphy brush, the literati bonsai depicted everything about a tree in a few, precise strokes. Mustard Seed Garden Painting Manual The classical Literati style practiced by the scholar-painters of China is exaggerated, but has balance and beauty and suggests tree-like forms. It expresses the Oriental view of the world in that the aim is to capture the spirit of the scene portrayed, using only line and space. So much is said with so little. Each tree has its story to tell and each awakens a different feeling within the viewer. The essential spirit and beauty of Nature is revealed, as is the individuality of the artist. On the other hand, could it be that Literati is an Expressionist art form, where the trees express subjective feelings and emotions rather than depict reality and nature objectively? As you may be aware, Expressionism seeks to embody emotional truth, rather than physical truth. The Expressionists were trying to pinpoint the expression of inner experience rather than solely realistic portrayal, seeking to depict not objective reality but the subjective emotions and responses that objects and events arouse in them. Is this what Bill Valavanis meant? How then does one create a good literati bonsai? There seem to be no style guidelines. So let s look at the work of some recognised masters in the field. Brook Zhao Zhao Qingquan, commonly known by his English name Brook Zhao, is an internationally recognised master of penjing. Asked in an interview, When creating literati, what must the artist consider? he responded: One s own feeling, meaning literati is not merely a reproduction of nature; it is seen more as a statement of artistic aspiration. In his book, Literati Style Penjing: Chinese Bonsai Masterworks, Brook asserts that literati bonsai are not necessarily reflective of natural tree forms but are rather instances of highly personal artistic expression. They are seen as related to the eloquent, minimalistic brush painting, to subtly evocative and expressive poetry, and to the calm of Zen. The notions of integrity, nobility and simplicity are characteristic of the literati in Chinese culture. These same characteristics are often found in literati penjing. Poetry also inspires Brook s work. This literati style plum was inspired by Ode to the Plum by Li Fangyin, Qing Dynasty ( ), which translates to Tens of thousands of flowers come into my eyesight; two or three pieces touch my heart. Although the poem is attributed to the flower, it carries transcendent meanings that go well beyond the plant. The aesthetic of simplicity in this poem applies to all literati style penjing. The 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. Plum, designed by Zhao Qingquan.

5 Robert Steven Consider the writings of Indonesian bonsai artist and author, Robert Steven: To create good literati bonsai, one needs to understand the philosophy, the aesthetic knowledge of lines and the skill to create harmony. Literati is something different from other bonsai styles which basically portray the tree styles in nature. Literati is more symbolic, philosophic and very strong in artistry and aesthetic rather than just style in real life. If you go through his books, you will find that he talks a lot about lines as one of the instruments to create good bonsai. He says that Literati is the only style in bonsai in which one can and should combine different lines character to create the flow in harmony. In literati bonsai, a combination of two or more contrasting lines is necessary; the delicate flow with the vigorous stroke or radical curves in subtle harmony. The power of a strong thrust is countered by the delicate release; displaying tension against compression as if describing the natural equilibrium of the universe Yin and Yang. Literati is a very contemplative style in bonsai, reflecting the spirit of nature, a lyrical beauty, yet a testament to intellectual talent. This Pemphis literati by Robert Steven flows in a dramatic line; feel the initial vigorous stroke, followed by the sensual twist and finished by the delicate release. John Naka Now consider the comments of American bonsai master, John Naka: The bunjin style of bonsai is so free that it seems to violate all the principles of bonsai form. The indefinite style has no specific form and is difficult to describe, however, its confirmation is simple, yet very expressive. No doubt its most obvious characteristics are those shapes formed by old age and extreme weather conditions. In 1993, John Naka wrote an article about Literati, titled, Characteristics of Bunjin Style. In this article, he made some interesting definitions of the style: Drawing of a Literati by John Naka. It has shape or form but there is no definite pattern. It has no pattern, it is irregular and seems disfigured. It is like food that has no taste at the beginning but the more you chew the more flavour comes out. When you first look at Bunjin style there is nothing exciting about it, it is so skimpy and lonely. But the more you observe it the more the tree quality and natural traits will come out. You will feel something from inside of your mind, and not only through the surface eyes. It looks like it is struggling for its survival, or a form of agony. The tree itself should not be in this condition, in reality it should be healthy. The shape or form may indicate struggle but not health. It seems to be a very cruel method but it is only concept. Its appearance should not be too serious nor easy, it should be free, unconstrained, witty, clever, humorous and unconventional. A good example for this is a study of any of nature's tree that has survived some sort of problem or disaster. To avoid uselessness, the ultimate final form or shape is a very important technique. It should portray a simple abstract painting, Senryu, Haiku, poem, music and song. Shape or form is from wind, weather, not too rugged but more graceful. In the article, Naka also listed techniques and methods for designing a Literati, some of which are: Remove the useless part and excess branch drastically. Leave the least amount and indicate or exaggerate its natural beauty and characteristic trait. No matter how casual the methods, the tree still should be well conformed. Bunjin style is the art of space. Significant space should offer tremendous imagination. It is helpful to know Kanji (Chinese or Japanese characters) to design this style.

6 John Naka also said, Material for bunjin style can be started from an old don't know what to do type bonsai. I have often heard it said that when a piece of stock offers no other alternatives, a Literati should be made with it. I m afraid I disagree with Naka on this point. I believe that with all bonsai styles, the design must fit the tree stock or else the tree is forced into becoming something it does not want to be. One should listen to the tree; the tree will tell you what it can become and to try and force it into something else usually leads to mediocre results at best. To say that stock that you can t figure out what do with is suited for Literati is like saying that stock that you can t make a Formal Upright with should automatically be good for a Cascade. Design Considerations It would seem then, that there are no rules or even guidelines for the overall form, no branch placement rules, and no formula on how to twist and bend the trunk. The Literati's final image should speak of grace, elegance, balance, and form. It is the final image only that will tell if the design is successful. However, from my research and observation, I have determined that the Literati style has certain characteristics that may be regarded as guidelines for creating the style: Form: Literati should be three-dimensional and asymmetrical in form. Feminine in feeling, the Literati should have the appearance of a tall, elegant and slender tree. Consequently, the tree must be aged and have the texture of old bark to avoid the appearance of a sapling. Trunk: Emphasis should always be on the trunk, its quality and its line; the trunk must be the centre of the design. The trunk may be straight, curved or angular, but it must taper and if it is not straight, the line must move in three dimensions to give depth to the design. (It is often said that taper is not an important consideration in Literati, but I don t believe this. As with all bonsai, taper plays an important role in the overall visual effect and in perspective). Nebari: The style can be successful without Nebari of any sort. The eye then does not linger at the base of the tree, but moves straight up the trunk line. The main feature of the style is, in this way, emphasised and fully appreciated. Branches: Two thirds to three quarters or more of the trunk should be bare of branches and the branches themselves should be few in number and short in proportion to the height of the tree. Branches may cross the trunk line or other branches (because of the simplicity of the style this does not become confusing and may create a point of interest and artistic tension in the design). A branch may sweep down at an angle as great as 90. Foliage: Sparse foliage suits the stark beauty of this style. Lush, overabundant foliage should be avoided. The foliage should be enough to support the tree, but with plenty of empty space. Pot: Understated, shallow to medium depth, either round, square, hexagonal (or any other shape with equal length sides). This is so that the eye is not confused at the base of the tree, but moves straight from the centre of the small pot up the trunk line, the main feature of the style. Colours are soft and muted. Tree varieties: Usually conifers (eg, pines, junipers) as they are more suited to a rugged, austere appearance. Conclusion As the art of bonsai has become a more widely practiced hobby, many variations of the literati style have resulted. We now see very gnarled trunks with many jins; exaggerated curves with strong lines and radical changes in direction, that express the abstract beauty of calligraphy; literati with a bowed head, where a sharp angle at the top of the tree provides the apex point of the design and the foliage is below this point at the end of the trunk line (symbolising a feeling of humility, since man is not equal to God); literati involving a dramatic reversal of direction; literati in the cascade style; two-tree settings and groups with literati style trees. Literati are usually styled using conifers, generally pines or junipers. But we are now starting to see fruiting and flowering varieties, deciduous literati, shohin literati, and even Australian native literati. Scots Pine by Walter Pall. Juniper by Mario Komsta. Three-trunk literati. Literati may be considered to be the pinnacle of bonsai design, the style that represents all the grace and beauty that is possible in the art of bonsai. It is one of the most fascinating of all styles and one of the hardest to successfully create.