Page 31 - Tạp chí bonsai cây cảnh BCI 2014Q2

All these branch-related aspects can be graded under the one cat-
egory, branch development.
Pot selection & placement. Selecting a proper pot, and placing the
tree correctly in it.
All this complicated as it may be, it is not nearly as difficult as creating
an innovative design and recognizing character in a specimen.
Recognizing patterns and shapes
We are born with the ability to recognize patterns and shapes. Our
brains are exceptionally good at this type of task. We are amazing pat-
tern recognition machines. Our brain has evolved to do exactly this
with great accuracy, but does the brain have the ability to apply the same
recognition pattern to differentiate between a good and a poor bonsai.
This we have to learn: exactly the same way we learn to appreciate
bonsai. We learn that a tree that follows the bonsai rules is good. When
it breaks one of these rules it is bad. We learn that trees designed by
Kobayashi, Kimura, or any great master are good.
But we are not content with just being told. We learn to search images
of trees for patterns. We learn to see ‘good’ application of rules and ‘bad’
application. We learn to see the similarities in trees which are ‘good’
and we somehow create our own internal rules of how to decide. We
can then judge a tree which we have never seen before. We can tell right
away whether we have a piece of raw material or a masterpiece in front
of us. We are not all equally good at this. Some become very expert at
it and become instinctive experts in judging bonsai.
Some bonsai have the ability to move us emotionally, to convey a mes-
sage, to make us feel they are something special. Thus we say, “That tree
is good.” But why, because we like it? Is that good judgement, can we be
sure that this response isn’t simply a learned reaction? Appreciating a
bonsai takes training. It is generally not the case that someone who has
no training can appreciate and distinguish good from bad bonsai eas-
ily. It is possible that what we call artistic training is essentially training
for pattern classification? Since most of us were trained by looking at
the same books and by similar examples of good and bad bonsai, our
opinions will often be similar to other bonsai enthusiasts, and we will
judge the new artist by the rules we have learned overtime.
In appreciating bonsai we must, of course, realize that there is more
to it than just pattern recognition; we can never know to what extent
our preferences are biased by the pattern-recognition training we have
received in the past. Are we prepared to even listen to someone who
comes from another bonsai culture? If we listen, do we understand
what he or she is saying? Probably not, probably we want to stay in

April/May/June 2014 | BCI | 29
29
e 2014
|
|
un
r
p
A
i
a
y/J
l/M
BCI