Forest Penjing: Enjoy the Miniature Landscape by Growing, Care and Appreciation of Chinese Bonsai Trees
116
Forest Penjing: Enjoy the Miniature Landscape by Growing, Care and Appreciation of Chinese Bonsai Trees
116Paperback
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Overview
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781938368578 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Shanghai Press |
| Publication date: | 01/25/2022 |
| Pages: | 116 |
| Product dimensions: | 7.25(w) x 10.25(h) x 0.40(d) |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
Forest Penjing (excerpt) Penjing can be viewed as the sculpture of natural scenes. Jointly created by man and nature, it is an art form that combines natural beauty and artistic beauty, the two aspects for which penjing is appreciated.1. Natural and Ecological Beauty Trees are the main materials for forest penjing. They possess not only natural forms and colors, but also vital signs and natural charm. Therefore, a forest penjing made of trees is like a living work of art, exhibiting a relationship between plants that mirrors that of a natural forest. The work changes with the growth of the trees and presents different scenes with the alteration of the seasons, making viewers feel as if they were right at the source. Realistic and overflowing with the energy of nature, these works exhibit natural and ecological beauty. The vital signs of forest penjing determine that the creation of penjing is a process of continuity. Unlike a work of painting or sculpture which, once completed, requires no further changes, a forest penjing usually cannot be completed once and for all but needs continuous effort because the trees keep growing and changing. Some works may not be satisfying now, but as the plants grow, they may improve with time. But, on the other hand, they may also lose their desired shape. Therefore, continuity in creation is a special charm of the penjing art form, because it can fill viewers with boundless expectations. The natural and ecological beauty of forest penjing is embodied not only in the beauty of the root, trunk, branch, leaf, flower, and fruit, but also in the beauty of the community of trees, changing of the seasons, and different kinds of forests. Beauty of the Root: Some roots stretch in all directions, solid and stable; some rise up high, revealing themselves in the air; some intertwine with the roots of other trees, forming an organic whole; some have plants growing out of them, forming a grove; some penetrate cracks in rocks, struggling to survive in a harsh environment (fig. 10). They come in varied forms, each displaying their own unique beauty. Beauty of the Trunk: Trunks come in a diverse range of shapes. Some grow straight up, vigorous and tall; some lean in a certain direction, displaying great momentum; some are gracefully twisted, rich in variety; some combine all the aforementioned shapes, displaying unity in diversity. In addition, different species of trees have different kinds of bark. Some are covered all over with scales, some feel smooth and delicate, and some possess a primitive simplicity. Different trunks also have different colors; some of the common colors are yellowish-brown, ash black, dark red, dark green, and greyish white (fig. 11). Beauty of the Branch: Branches vary with different tree species. Some are upright and expansive, some are twisted and revolving, some are vigorous, thick, and scattered, some are gently crooked and dense, some grow upwards like buckhorns, and some lower their heads like crab claws (fig. 12). Beauty of the Leaf: This is mainly on display in the shape, color, and texture of the leaf. The leaf is often shaped like a needle, a scale, an oval, a palm, or a fan. The colors are usually light green, dark green, yellowish green, and red violet. Some even have a colorful edge or are patterned. Leaves can be thick or thin, hard or soft (fig. 13). Beauty of the Flower: Flowers are more diverse in shape and color, displaying a rich variety of forms (see fig. 6 on page 9). The shape of a flower varies with different tree species. The colors are usually dark red, pink, purple, yellow, light green, or white. Some tree species may have flowers of different colors on the same branch. Beauty of the Fruit: Fruits used for forest penjing are generally small and beautiful. They may be round, oval, cone-shaped, or gourd-shaped. Their colors include red, yellow, purple, orange, green and black (fig. 14). Beauty of the Community of Trees: In forest penjing, the different parts of a tree may combine to form integrated beauty. Moreover, all the trees used are arranged according to the rule of natural ecology. They simultaneously compete and live in harmony, embodying the beauty of the whole and authentically reflecting the existence of life in nature to the fullest. This is unparalleled in other forms of penjing (fig. 15). Beauty of Seasonal Change: As they grow, the trees in forest penjing may change in posture, color, and charm according to the passing of the seasons. This is especially true of forest penjing consisting of miscellaneous trees. They are tender green in spring, deeply shaded in summer, golden yellow in autumn, and desolate and lonesome in winter. The seasonal characteristics of forest penjing that contain flowers and fruit are even more evident. The beauty of seasonal change reflected in forest penjing is much greater than that present in other forms of penjing. It is thus of immense pleasure to watch the growth of the trees in forest penjing (fig. 16). Beauty of Different Kinds of Forests: Forest penjing can display different kinds of forests in different ecological environments, such as forests in open country, in mountains, by water, along streams, on islands, along the seashore, in swamps, in deserts, and in tropical regions. The diverse scenes they embody enable the viewer to experience the pleasure of travel without going outdoors (fig. 17 and see fig. 18 on pages 20 and 21).