The "Rules" of bonsai
- Thread starter Adair M
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It depends everywhere, my conclusion is if we want to have as good tree as possible we should follow as many rules as possible. The rules rule the world, lol.
Eric Group
Masterpiece
The rules are helpful for people new to the design of trees especially. Even today after doing this for 15 years or so, I tend rely on basic guidelines especially when she tarting to style something that is raw or pretty far grown out... Remove straight up and down growth, branches on the outside of a curve, alternating branch locations, no bar branches, spacing... are good "fallbacks" and most commonly used in design I'd say. Doesn't mean some of those aren't "broken" at some point on certain trees. I don't really like the word "rules"with regard to this anyway- I prefer "guidelines". In my experience starting work on a tree can be overwhelming sometimes- you look at a piece of stock and think "ok where do I start". That is when I typically start looking for glaring "issues". Tree is too overgrown, bunch of foliage needs to come off? Start with heartening up the pads.. remove the up and down stuff, thin it out a bit, or take off the offensive half a bar branch, a weak branch growing on the interior of a curve... do that a few minutes, step back and suddenly you can see a tree coming together! You can see the layout better, develop a more detailed plan... that is what the rules are for. They give you a ground work, a starting point... "launching pad" if you will. What you BEYOND the guidelines, what you do when decide when you should and should not follow them... that is where the art comes in! I am NO Picasso, no Kimura... but I am way better at this than I used to be! (It is good for me that most the old sites I posted on back in the day are gone now! LOL) I can say from personal experience these guidelines are good design aids. Many are applicable to most any visual art (I have a media arts/ film degree, was an artist my whole life in some fashion...)- but knowing chiaroscuro does not make you Stanley Kubrick!
CamdenJim
Shohin
I taught undergraduate musicians for over 40 years and the parallels to my beginning bonsai experience are obvious. And as an undergraduate myself, I took classes in graphic design, drawing, and sculpture. And occasionally my job requirements meant I was a stage director. "Sculpture in motion" at times.
Try thinking of "ways of hearing" or "ways of seeing" instead of "rules." It makes a difference for both art creator and art performer.
Beginners need guidelines. Really. They do.
I did at age 18 as a freshman performer, at age 21 as a new husband, at age 23 as a new ... Even as a new teacher of young performers, I needed guidance.
As I grew up as a performer, as a husband, as an artist of one sort of another, I learned to think/feel/believe/act/grow/love/see/hear/teach/... as who I am.
In all those areas, the guidelines shaped me.
And stubborn as I am, I have finally begun, as a newly minted septuagenarian, to realize that those guidelines have helped me as a bonsaiist.
But "rules"? Horsefeathers!
"Guidelines"? Sure.
I can take 'em or leave 'em.
Jim
MACH5
Imperial Masterpiece
To echo what has been said above by CJ and Eric Group, I believe that rules/guidelines are good. Rules are your friend. They ground us and gives us a roadmap. We should all know them well specially those less experienced or just starting out. Learn how to play the piano before you compose your own symphony. However, if all you do is follow rules, you'll be just but a great technician and your work runs the risk of becoming predictable, boring and contrived. The artist, on the other hand, somehow knows when and how to brake them. The result is work that is inspired, unpredictable and full of life. Just my humble thoughts on the matter.
markyscott
Imperial Masterpiece
Dave Degroot said it best so I'll quote'em straight so as not to adulter his words:
"Nothing in the world of bonsai (or at least in the United States) is surer to arouse disagreement, and even conflict, than the term "RULES". Perhaps in a country founded on the principle of individual freedom, this cultural knee-jerk is understandable; it does, however, reveal in those who oppose the idea, a fundamental misunderstanding of what "rules" are, as applied to art. The word "rules" as applied to bonsai is a term of convenience, because it is commonly used in other disciplines, from rules of architectural design to rules of photocomposition, to rules of musical harmony, etc, etc. Rules as applied to art are not requirements, and they are not legislation. They are neither commandments nor prohibitions.
Rules in art are descriptions of common practice.
They are what artists do "as a rule" because they are concepts or practices that have been found over time to be effective. They are therefore widely used and (importantly) widely understood. Conventions in art become a sort of vocabulary that promotes understanding and appreciation."
Scott
"Nothing in the world of bonsai (or at least in the United States) is surer to arouse disagreement, and even conflict, than the term "RULES". Perhaps in a country founded on the principle of individual freedom, this cultural knee-jerk is understandable; it does, however, reveal in those who oppose the idea, a fundamental misunderstanding of what "rules" are, as applied to art. The word "rules" as applied to bonsai is a term of convenience, because it is commonly used in other disciplines, from rules of architectural design to rules of photocomposition, to rules of musical harmony, etc, etc. Rules as applied to art are not requirements, and they are not legislation. They are neither commandments nor prohibitions.
Rules in art are descriptions of common practice.
They are what artists do "as a rule" because they are concepts or practices that have been found over time to be effective. They are therefore widely used and (importantly) widely understood. Conventions in art become a sort of vocabulary that promotes understanding and appreciation."
Scott
eferguson1974
Chumono
Some rules are almost obvious, like crossing branches or bar branches. But I remember reading that a bonsai should in some way have a triangle. But it doesnt seem like a often fallowed rule.
In a way learning someone elses rules rubs me wrong, but in bonsai they lead to nicer trees. And theyre part of the tradition.
On the other hand, reverse taper never bugged me much til I found out its like the ultimate bonsai sin. Now it bugs me and in that sence rules are kinda sad. But without them we would see strange trees...
In a way learning someone elses rules rubs me wrong, but in bonsai they lead to nicer trees. And theyre part of the tradition.
On the other hand, reverse taper never bugged me much til I found out its like the ultimate bonsai sin. Now it bugs me and in that sence rules are kinda sad. But without them we would see strange trees...
Grant Hamby
Shohin
Coming from someone who has been involved in the hobby for less than two years, one thing I appreciate most in bonsai is composition. I love the way a pot relates to a tree and the way a tree relates to its accent planting, etc. I like how different artists use different colors/textures in harmony to evoke different responses from the viewer. These ideas seem more like "freedoms" than "rules" and I like that, but there are certain aesthetics that are generally more pleasant than others. I feel that this is where some "rules" come from. They are governed by aesthetics. Others are governed by horticultural necessities.
For me, if a tree is healthy and if the composition generates the intended emotional response, the artist has succeeded. But then again, I'm still kind of a noob.
For me, if a tree is healthy and if the composition generates the intended emotional response, the artist has succeeded. But then again, I'm still kind of a noob.
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Forgive me but I could not help but to chime in here.
"Rules"... it seems to me that rule #1 states that the specimen is supposed to appear like a tree, not a bonsai. But trees (most of them anyway" break at least one of the bonsai rules in some shape or form, so IMHO unless your bonsai breaks at least one rule, it cannot look like a real tree; it will look contrived. After all, a close Rule #2, a bonsai must be in a pot... not an ordinary pot, but an expensive one with a famous name on it... when was the last time you saw a lone tree out in a pasture that was sitting in a pot?... I'll bet this rule was written by someone who sells pots.
When someone ignores the rules and simply "does their own thing", they often begin a new movement (like Walter Pall with his FT trees) Some, might think that this style is ugly and you're entitled to your opinion, but what percentage of the trees in nature do you find attractive?... I'll bet most ugly bonsai look better than the average tree in nature.
Because I don't care what people think about me, I'm certain to hurt some feelings here, but I also think that these forums often do as much harm as good, because time and again I see someone starting a thread asking for advice on what to do WITH THEIR TREE. Now, just like the age old question about a tree which has been purchased, and thus the question of; "who's tree is it really?"... the same could be said about "the community tree". If we're all going to crank out bonsai that comfort the the general consensus of the forum, are we truly artists, or just gardeners that are good at following someone else rules that were gleaned from some books written (oftentimes) in a far off land, using different trees and genetics, different zones, etc. etc.?
The same reason I would never show a tree, is the same reason that I would rarely take a picture of a tree and post it online... I do this as a hobby... for ME. What someone else thinks about my tree is meaningless. Just like I will never be a Michelangelo, I also know I will never be Walter Pall, and my trees could never compete for a myriad of reasons.
The forums do serve an important role though, for the horticulture aspect of problems with disease, suitability, etc. but even much of this information is questionable depending on your zone, tree genetics, etc.
Someone should have told Aelita Andre that there are rules that she should have been following (you can search her on Youtube search "Young Artist Was Compared to Picasso and Dali"), after all, who'd ever put plastic dinosaurs and toy fiddles in a painting? ... and, if you did, who'd ever think that they would sell for thousands of dollars.
Personally, I think "the rules" assist us in designing (hopefully) an appealing looking tree; but it is nature that provides the building blocks, and that lovely little something that you've invested your time in, can die any time nature wants it to... no matter what pot its' sitting in, how much you did or didn't pay for it, or what the friggin rules say.
"Rules"... it seems to me that rule #1 states that the specimen is supposed to appear like a tree, not a bonsai. But trees (most of them anyway" break at least one of the bonsai rules in some shape or form, so IMHO unless your bonsai breaks at least one rule, it cannot look like a real tree; it will look contrived. After all, a close Rule #2, a bonsai must be in a pot... not an ordinary pot, but an expensive one with a famous name on it... when was the last time you saw a lone tree out in a pasture that was sitting in a pot?... I'll bet this rule was written by someone who sells pots.
When someone ignores the rules and simply "does their own thing", they often begin a new movement (like Walter Pall with his FT trees) Some, might think that this style is ugly and you're entitled to your opinion, but what percentage of the trees in nature do you find attractive?... I'll bet most ugly bonsai look better than the average tree in nature.
Because I don't care what people think about me, I'm certain to hurt some feelings here, but I also think that these forums often do as much harm as good, because time and again I see someone starting a thread asking for advice on what to do WITH THEIR TREE. Now, just like the age old question about a tree which has been purchased, and thus the question of; "who's tree is it really?"... the same could be said about "the community tree". If we're all going to crank out bonsai that comfort the the general consensus of the forum, are we truly artists, or just gardeners that are good at following someone else rules that were gleaned from some books written (oftentimes) in a far off land, using different trees and genetics, different zones, etc. etc.?
The same reason I would never show a tree, is the same reason that I would rarely take a picture of a tree and post it online... I do this as a hobby... for ME. What someone else thinks about my tree is meaningless. Just like I will never be a Michelangelo, I also know I will never be Walter Pall, and my trees could never compete for a myriad of reasons.
The forums do serve an important role though, for the horticulture aspect of problems with disease, suitability, etc. but even much of this information is questionable depending on your zone, tree genetics, etc.
Someone should have told Aelita Andre that there are rules that she should have been following (you can search her on Youtube search "Young Artist Was Compared to Picasso and Dali"), after all, who'd ever put plastic dinosaurs and toy fiddles in a painting? ... and, if you did, who'd ever think that they would sell for thousands of dollars.
Personally, I think "the rules" assist us in designing (hopefully) an appealing looking tree; but it is nature that provides the building blocks, and that lovely little something that you've invested your time in, can die any time nature wants it to... no matter what pot its' sitting in, how much you did or didn't pay for it, or what the friggin rules say.
hemmy
Omono
Reminds me of this Picasso quote and the fact that he was also an amazing realism painter, but is more know for his cubism. He painted a masterpiece of his mother when he was only 13 years old!
“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”
― Pablo Picasso
And I like this one also:
“Know the rules well, so you can break them effectively.”
― Dalai Lama XIV
PiñonJ
Omono
I think of them as sound design principles. There are reasons that certain things work. My personal hypothesis is that our brains are tuned to patterns in nature, where the golden ratio and Fibonacci sequences are selected because they are efficient. I think that anyone can be taught to get the horticulture right. Artistic vision is the hard part. Beginners are well-advised to learn principles that have been elaborated over generations. If one deviates from those principles, one should be able to express a rationale for it, at least to oneself. The end product should be in some way more engaging, or more appropriate to the material than it would have been had the principles been followed to the letter.
In addition to bonsai, I also play Go, another Asian pastime. Go also has a list of do's and don'ts, but they are generally called "proverbs" instead of rules. "Hane at the head of two stones" or "play a second stone on the third line, then abandon both" or "Don't peep against a cut point."
These rules, along with sequences of moves known as "Joseki," are not thought of as immutable or unbreakable... they are, however, the first move that should occur to you. If you see that two stone formation, the first move to consider is a hane. If your stone on the third line is being attacked, playing one more and then switching to another area is the first strategy that should come to mind. They will be a good move more often than any others... but once you have considered that, you still need to consider other options as well.
That is how I think of bonsai "rules." They aren't supposed to be followed blindly, they are just the first path you should consider, because they will create a good result more often than other choices... but you should still consider those other options as well.
I will leave you with one more Go proverb, regarding those "Set moves" known as joseki:
"Learn joseki and lose two stones in strength; learn from joseki and gain two stones in strength."
The bonsai equivalent might be something like:
"Learn all the bonsai rules and make boring trees; learn from the bonsai rules and make a masterpiece."
These rules, along with sequences of moves known as "Joseki," are not thought of as immutable or unbreakable... they are, however, the first move that should occur to you. If you see that two stone formation, the first move to consider is a hane. If your stone on the third line is being attacked, playing one more and then switching to another area is the first strategy that should come to mind. They will be a good move more often than any others... but once you have considered that, you still need to consider other options as well.
That is how I think of bonsai "rules." They aren't supposed to be followed blindly, they are just the first path you should consider, because they will create a good result more often than other choices... but you should still consider those other options as well.
I will leave you with one more Go proverb, regarding those "Set moves" known as joseki:
"Learn joseki and lose two stones in strength; learn from joseki and gain two stones in strength."
The bonsai equivalent might be something like:
"Learn all the bonsai rules and make boring trees; learn from the bonsai rules and make a masterpiece."
Gene Deci
Shohin
When asked how he came to write the Principia, which expounded his laws of physics, Issac Newton said, "If I have seen further than others, it is because I stood on the shoulders of giants." Even the greatest innovators first learn from those who preceded them.
wireme
Masterpiece
I kinda like the rules in general, but I really dislike the idea of strict adherence to "the seven styles of bonsai" or is it 9? 11?
You know what I mean I'm sure.
I think there might be some danger that a person or the entire bonsai community becomes so conditioned to the rules that a tree breaking them is automatically viewed as having faults.
Just a theoretical example, maybe there's a bonsai that's quite beautiful but has a major branch or two coming from the inside of a curve. Show it to a crowd who knows nothing about bonsai and everyone thinks it's great, no question about that branch in their minds at all. Show it to a bonsai crowd and we may still like it but it's hard to not be at least a little disturbed by that pocket branch. Are we educated or just conditioned?
Like the earlier comment about reverse taper I guess.
Some broken rules seem to show up more in photos than in person. I've had a branch or two crossing trunks before that I didn't mind a bit while standing in front of the tree, sure looked awful in photos though.
You know what I mean I'm sure.
I think there might be some danger that a person or the entire bonsai community becomes so conditioned to the rules that a tree breaking them is automatically viewed as having faults.
Just a theoretical example, maybe there's a bonsai that's quite beautiful but has a major branch or two coming from the inside of a curve. Show it to a crowd who knows nothing about bonsai and everyone thinks it's great, no question about that branch in their minds at all. Show it to a bonsai crowd and we may still like it but it's hard to not be at least a little disturbed by that pocket branch. Are we educated or just conditioned?
Like the earlier comment about reverse taper I guess.
Some broken rules seem to show up more in photos than in person. I've had a branch or two crossing trunks before that I didn't mind a bit while standing in front of the tree, sure looked awful in photos though.
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Hmmmm, I wonder how many rules have obstructed Stephen Hawking in his insignificant and mundane existence... ?
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"maybe there's a bonsai that's quite beautiful but has a major branch or two coming from the inside of a curve"
How many trees in nature (that are quite appealing) have branches in this manner... I agree.
I might be friggin ugly to most people, but my dog seems to like me... or it that just because "I" make the rules in this house?
How many trees in nature (that are quite appealing) have branches in this manner... I agree.
I might be friggin ugly to most people, but my dog seems to like me... or it that just because "I" make the rules in this house?
Of course the term "rules" is just a term. "Guidelines" could be used instead of the word "Rules".
Sometimes you look at a bonsai, and it just doesn't quite work. Oh, there's no obvious flaws, it's well groomed, potted well... but it still looks "off". So, you analyze it. What's wrong?
And after a while the "whatever it is" becomes apparent. Maybe the key branch is on the wrong side, maybe one side is fuller than the other, the apex moves the wrong way. Something.
So... is it "art" because "that's the way the owner sees trees?" Or just a mistake?
One of the bonsai pioneers in the Atlanta area was a Monk named Father Paul. He sold bonsai for years at the Monastary in Conyers, Ga. But almost all his trees shared the same flaw: he almost always styled trees with the apex moving back away from the viewer! He was largely self taught, and looked at books to study. I guess that's how he saw them.
Anyway, I don't think he did it intentionally. That is, I don't think he was thinking "I'll have my apex moving away because I want to break the rule." I think that's just the way he saw trees.
Sometimes you look at a bonsai, and it just doesn't quite work. Oh, there's no obvious flaws, it's well groomed, potted well... but it still looks "off". So, you analyze it. What's wrong?
And after a while the "whatever it is" becomes apparent. Maybe the key branch is on the wrong side, maybe one side is fuller than the other, the apex moves the wrong way. Something.
So... is it "art" because "that's the way the owner sees trees?" Or just a mistake?
One of the bonsai pioneers in the Atlanta area was a Monk named Father Paul. He sold bonsai for years at the Monastary in Conyers, Ga. But almost all his trees shared the same flaw: he almost always styled trees with the apex moving back away from the viewer! He was largely self taught, and looked at books to study. I guess that's how he saw them.
Anyway, I don't think he did it intentionally. That is, I don't think he was thinking "I'll have my apex moving away because I want to break the rule." I think that's just the way he saw trees.
markyscott
Imperial Masterpiece
I have very little more to add to this conversation other than this.
Knowing that placing a branch on the inside part of the curve will:
- visually de-accentuate the curve , and
- cause the tree to add more wood there making the curve physically less over time
Scott
grouper52
Masterpiece
If there are rules, I doubt I know them anymore, nor could I teach them to anyone.
Horticultural rules very with the climate, IMHO: for the most part I learned them intuitively by spending time with each tree when watering or just observing keenly as the seasons change.
Artistic rules are just a matter of having the eye, and having hands imbued with non-verbal skills to create what the eye wants. Once again, I found over the years that I would just hang out with my trees for a while when I watered them, and occasionally they would sort of "speak" to me one day and show me where I had to go with them.
Of course, this reminds me of a poem,
a great one by Theodore Roethke, and his most famous:
The Waking
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
I feel my fate in what I cannot fear.
I learn by going where I have to go.
We think by feeling. What is there to know?
I hear my being dance from ear to ear.
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
Of those so close beside me, which are you?
God bless the Ground! I shall walk softly there,
And learn by going where I have to go.
Light takes the Tree; but who can tell us how?
The lowly worm climbs up a winding stair;
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
Great Nature has another thing to do
To you and me; so take the lively air,
And, lovely, learn by going where to go.
This shaking keeps me steady. I should know.
What falls away is always. And is near.
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
I learn by going where I have to go.
Horticultural rules very with the climate, IMHO: for the most part I learned them intuitively by spending time with each tree when watering or just observing keenly as the seasons change.
Artistic rules are just a matter of having the eye, and having hands imbued with non-verbal skills to create what the eye wants. Once again, I found over the years that I would just hang out with my trees for a while when I watered them, and occasionally they would sort of "speak" to me one day and show me where I had to go with them.
Of course, this reminds me of a poem,
a great one by Theodore Roethke, and his most famous:The Waking
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
I feel my fate in what I cannot fear.
I learn by going where I have to go.
We think by feeling. What is there to know?
I hear my being dance from ear to ear.
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
Of those so close beside me, which are you?
God bless the Ground! I shall walk softly there,
And learn by going where I have to go.
Light takes the Tree; but who can tell us how?
The lowly worm climbs up a winding stair;
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
Great Nature has another thing to do
To you and me; so take the lively air,
And, lovely, learn by going where to go.
This shaking keeps me steady. I should know.
What falls away is always. And is near.
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
I learn by going where I have to go.
grouper52
Masterpiece
It is a great quote by Newton, and thanks for posting it - but I have always been much more fond of this one:
“I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the sea-shore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.”
