Page 48 - Tạp chí bonsai cây cảnh BCI 2015Q4

Book Review

Literati Penjing

Chinese Bonsai Masterworks

By Zhao Qingquan

By Michael Collins McIntyre, Canada

Photos courtesy Zhao Qingquan

hao Qingquan (fondly and commonly known by his English
name, Brook Zhao) is a truly distinguished, internationally
recognized master of the Chinese art of penjing. His mastery
appears in his writing and teaching and, movingly and
Zcompellingly in his artistic creations. In his writing—most
notably in Penjing: Worlds of Wonderment: A Journey Exploring an
Ancient Chinese Art and Its History, Cultural Background, and Aesthetics
and in his more recent Penjing: The Chinese Art of Bonsai: A Pictorial
Exploration of Its History, Aesthetics, Styles and Preservation—Brook
weaves all three dimensions of his mastery into a coherent whole. His
books are about penjing to be sure—they also immerse the reader in the
culture from which the artistic creations evolve. Both are classics. His
present work, Literati Penjing: Chinese Bonsai Masterworks (Figure 1),
follows in this tradition and will too become a classic. I find that Literati
Penjing surpasses the earlier works. This might reasonably be expected
as the present work builds on the two earlier classics. I find it surpassing,
though, not so much as a reflection of a linear progression from work
to work but because of a deeply personal chord that resounds again and
again throughout the book. Perhaps, we should not find this surprising.
Some years ago Brook was asked in an Art of Bonsai Project interview:
“When creating literati, what must the artist consider and if you could
only teach one thing about literati, what would it be?” Brook Responded:
“One’s own feeling.” In the preface to Literati Penjing Brook asserts that
literati are not necessarily reflective of natural tree forms but are rather
Figure 1, Literati Penjing: instances of highly personal artistic expression. They are seen as related
Chinese Bonsai Masterworks to the minimalistically eloquent brush painting, to the subtly evocative
by Zhao Qingquan, and expressive poetry, and the calm realm of Zen. Literati penjing are
Better Link Press.
anchored in these aspects of culture in a profoundly important way. In
what follows, a brief description of the literati in Chinese culture will
provide a foundation for a discussion based upon a written interview
with Zhao Qingquan. These two sections will be followed by a discussion
of the merits of the book, which are many and varied.
The literati in Chinese culture were learned civil servants who had
passed rigorous literary examinations. Most wrote poetry as a means
of self-expression. Many fewer literati were accomplished painters than
were poets. Robert Eno, a scholar of Chinese history at the University
of Indiana, lectured on the literati. He observed that throughout China
there were always many literati who either painted on the side, while
playing the role of scholar-officials, or who, through wealth, could afford
to devote themselves fully to the art of painting. The notions of integrity,

46 | BCI | October/November/December 2015