styles and forms (very long and philosohic
Walter Pall
Ernie Kuo wrote:
> Your usage of the word "form" equals "style" in most bonsai literature.
> Your word usage creates un-necessary confusion to the average readers like
> myself. It might be easier to use only the word style with several
> adjectives for specification, for example:
>
> Single trunk, magnolia, impressionistic style or
> Single trunk, pine, semi-impressionistic style, etc.
Ernie,
yes, I can understand that you and others may find this more confusing, it
may only be in the beginning. When I studied art books to write some parts
of my present book I found that they use the word style in a totally
different manner than we do in the bonsai world. I believe this came about
by translating texts from Japanese to English and from English to other
languages. One cannot expect a translator of a bonsai book to have an
education in art history. It may also be that the Japanese don't
differentiate where we want to.
I bleive that the words style and form say clearly what is meant. They
certainly do in German. English is just my second language.
best regards
Walter Pall
Walte...@t-online.de http://home.t-online.de/home/Walter.Pall/
new gallery with 59 trees!
Luis Fontanills
cold...@TSTT.NET.TT writes:
> <<Form = n. Shape , arrangement of parts , visible aspect .
> mode in which thing exists or manifests itself .
>
>
> Style = n. distinctive manner of person or school or period.
>
>
> [ Source Oxford Dictionary ]
Raw thoughts on the road to refinement , isn't that what all this
useful and important discussion is about .
Walter finding a corner stone to build his Philosophy and
re - presenting it in a fairly Universal form so the greatest
percentage [ people ] can understand it .
Keep at it Walter , we are reading .
Khaimraj [ West Indies / Caribbean ] >>
>
>
The definitions above work quite well.
When one says 'slant style' it is incorrect as per the above definition. A
slanting tree is not a style but the form of the tree; it is 'slanting form'.
Banyan style really is 'banyan form'. Formal & Informal Upright, Cascade,
Semi-Cascade... is a form.
Style is a mannerism, a way of imprinting a general feeling through all its
parts. If a tree is _styled_ in a manner of time honored and developed
traditions it is 'classical style' - classicism; if it breaks greatly with
tradition it is 'avant garde' or 'modern' style - modernism. If it attempts
to look like a very untrained tree in nature, it is a 'natural style' -
naturalism or realism. Other ism_s: expressionism, impressionism, minimalism,
conceptualism to name a few.
As Walter pointed out, there are endless combinations of all these forms and
styles.
I'm with you Walter on the need to clarify terms such as form and style as it
applies to the art of bonsai. As I wrote to him privately, I am digesting
what he has proposed to respond over time after careful consideration.
Luis Fontanills
Miami, Florida USA
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Ernie Kuo
wrote:
<snip>
>I bleive that the words style and form say clearly what is meant. They
>certainly do in German. English is just my second language.
Walter,
English is also my second language. So, it may not be a good idea for me to
state what style and form means in English. My suggestion is that you
should first try to convince all the German speaking bonsai enthusiasts the
distinct advantages of a clear separation of "Stil" and "Form".
Ernie Kuo, Zone 9, http://www.erniekuo.com