Bonsai IS art - Ha!

I had high hopes when I followed this link. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7467916.stm

What a let down! Could've used a half decent dead bonsai to wrap.

You'd think they could have at least used a decent dead bonsai

[b] Very funny. Id like to know who did the judging. I could of pickup a branch in the woods that looks better than that.

"Stunning" indeed!

A Canadian once said that the most prevalent export from the United States is bad taste. I agree, but it looks as though we have some competition here. :twisted
Iris

Judging by the other award winners I'd say there was slim pickings in Cardiff.

Rob Kempinski wrote:Judging by the other award winners I'd say there was slim pickings in Cardiff.

Happy Birthday, Rob!
Hard to believe you are only 19! You must be doing a Dorian Gray/Benjamin Buttons thing, because you didn't seem that young just a few years ago. [img][/img]

Oh dear!!!!!! a sad reflection considering Wales has 2 of the best
clubs & some of the best yamadori trees in the uk, Cardiff bonsai & New Dawn Bonsai ,must have been advised
from further west where men are men and the sheep are nervous

Alex e

I have to say I don't think it's too bad. I've seen far worse, like a Dalí exhibition in Denmark some 10 years ago.

Best regards
Emil

I've often heard of very strange things occuring in the valleys! This has made my mind up that bonsai isnt art,i'll back that up by saying 99% of art is garbage,but 99% of bonsai's are great!(or could be with a little work)

I have a problem with this post as we are viewing the object thru the eyes of bonsai 'artists'. An old timer in Accrington and district Bonsai Society once told me "I never condemn modern art, I just don't understand it" wise words indeed.

I last month visited the Tate Gallery in Liverpool, I saw for the first time Picasso's weeping woman If I was commenting on this painting as a make up artist, I would think it very bad indeed. But as a painting?

How can we expect the wider public to accept that Bonsai is an art form if our own community is not willing to accept other 'art' ... even if we don't understand it!

Note: no copyright infringement as image is a link from another website

Actually Tony I have seen this artists work in the landscape and I loved the full sized dead trees wrapped. It's just the unfortunate choice of a poor bonsai to wrap that I disliked.

Tony wrote:I have a problem with this post as we are viewing the object thru the eyes of bonsai 'artists'. An old timer in Accrington and district Bonsai Society once told me "I never condemn modern art, I just don't understand it" wise words indeed.

I last month visited the Tate Gallery in Liverpool, I saw for the first time Picasso's weeping woman If I was commenting on this painting as a make up artist, I would think it very bad indeed. But as a painting?

How can we expect the wider public to accept that Bonsai is an art form if our own community is not willing to accept other 'art' ... even if we don't understand it!

Note: no copyright infringement as image is a link from another website

Hi Tony, I can accept other art, but even the Picasso you show is pretty stinky - as with the other award wining art at the Cardiff show.

The problem is that the artist labeled the wrapped twig as "bonsai" forcing viewers to judge it as a wrapped bonsai. While there is no doubt that it is wrapped, it is not a bonsai, the artist overstepped into an area they had little understanding of. Perhaps some research on her part before naming the piece would have prevented the work being judged by its title. Which leads us to the obvious question, is merely wrapping tread around an existing object art or simply a craft? No doubt a craft in many cases, yet with the right object, color, display, it could be an art form. I however just see a twig wrapped in thread mistakenly called a bonsai.

As to the Picasso above, it shows the brilliance of many of his pieces, the grief, agony, and distress of the woman is clearly portrayed, perhaps more than could ever be shown with realism. The piece talks to the soul, offers many depths to explore, and has been critically acclaimed. I personally like it.


Will

Kev Bailey wrote:Actually Tony I have seen this artists work in the landscape and I loved the full sized dead trees wrapped. It's just the unfortunate choice of a poor bonsai to wrap that I disliked.

Here we have a dilemma... is it OK to wrap a 'good' bonsai... but not a 'Bad' bonsai. I do not think that this artist would know a good bonsai from a bad bonsai... for her it was a 'small' tree and a reflection of the larger ones that she had done in nature...

Is this not beautiful...




For the record... when I saw the Picasso it literally stopped me in my tracks.. its amazing.

Tony wrote:s it OK to wrap a 'good' bonsai... but not a 'Bad' bonsai.

...and regardless of which we choose to wrap, is it still Bonsai?

Regards
Emil

Emil Brannstrom wrote:

Tony wrote:s it OK to wrap a 'good' bonsai... but not a 'Bad' bonsai.

...and regardless of which we choose to wrap, is it still Bonsai?

Bonsai implies a living thing, so the answer would be no.


Tony,

I like the tree you posted, much better and certainly more beautiful than the twig the award was won for.


Will

Will Heath wrote:
Tony,
I like the tree you posted, much better and certainly more beautiful than the twig the award was won for.
Will

Will... its the same artist

I think she has come up with something here! We all have dead trees that we can wrap and give an after life like the Egyptians!
Bonsai Mummies!!!!
Geof

Tony wrote:

Will... its the same artist

Yes, in so much as the spilled paint on the floor and the paint on wall forming The Last Judgement was by the same artist....

Great discussion here. As an artist who has attempted to apply that skill to his interest in bonsai I think it is on the part of this artist to recognize the basic compositional elements in bonsai if they are to appropriate it into their art effectively. To do anything less is to invite this kind of criticism. That being said, I do also feel that the photos of all the winning pieces are really poor but especially the one of this piece , being a 3 dimensional object. I'm sure we all have trees that, if photographed from a certain angle, would look no better. As an appropriated art form is she entitled to designate a "front" as we do? In addition, while I do feel Tony is right in posting other examples of this artists work, if an individual piece requires us to know the artist's entire body of work to appreciate it is that individual piece really successful?

When presenting her work in a picture, she, or the photographer, is forced to choose a photo front. However, since the work I have seen of hers, such as the whole tree posted in this thread, are outside, the viewer chooses the front.

Don't get me started on the mythical front.






Will

Technically, any sculptor worthy of the title give no "front" to a 3 dimensional piece but no photographer worthy of the title would arbitrarily crop such piece either if their true interest was to present it as best they could. Obviously here it was "get the photo and get on the the next story" the artist probably had no say in the matter. But it did not help to only show a close up cluster of branches when the piece is obviously more than that. Whether you "believe" in a "front" or not, until bonsai are shown on a motorized turntables like at car shows there is a "preferred point of view" let's call it. The same can be said for some, but not all, sculpture. Some of Rodin's work are indecipherable lumps of bronze from certain lines of sight but turned ever so slightly are quite exquisite. I would find it hard to believe that anyone here could claim that their trees are true "perfection" from all angles.

Am amazed at how one dead (wraped) bonsai has caused so much feed back, still that art for you. In some way she lady has caused the reaction she was looking for but she may be more on restriction and confinement wave length.

on that note;
Back to other bound things the roots on one of the living trees i have................ wonder if that would win?

James

they say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder,hum,I feel both puzzled and saddened about this item ,ok live an let live but to think that many people study and practice the ART of bonsai creating wonderful images of the real thing then somone comes along with a needle an cotten and knits one,oh and picks up two grand to boot :affraid:i cant work out, anyway if this is to be the new trend we have got plenty of sheep and wool in wales. BOB HILL DRAGON BONSAI