Introduction to American Bonsai

    Bonsai, the Japanese art of potted trees, is a sculptural art of living plants. The practice has origins in Chinese Penjing, styled trees and landscapes in pots or on slabs of marble, which in turn was inspired by ink landscape paintings (Yoshimura). It's similar to topiary, plants in a garden trimmed into shapes, but limited by pots versus grown in ground. 

    The art of bonsai's appearance in the west was an exhibition in London in 1909. Though it made a splash, it wasn't until later that it took off in the rest of the world. American Bonsai mostly originated after WWII, as G.I.s brought the art home with them after their occupation of Japan. Though bonsai collections existed in the U.S. prior to then, they were private, and were mostly maintained as opposed to created (McClellan, Yoshimura). 

    One of the things that art history 212 covers is the transfer of ideas between cultures. Bonsai illustrates this through the transfer of aesthetics, specifically Japanese design and aesthetic thinking. I will prove this through the evolution of American bonsai, as it changes from the first American masters to the most recent practitioners of this art form. The American artists have taken many of the original ideas of Japanese bonsai and evolved them.

    A good thing to note; all bonsai change over time. I tried to use the most recent pictures available online, but do keep in mind that the trees may have changed, for better or worse. The biggest thing to bonsai at all levels is enjoyment, but there are ways to improve the way that they are viewed. Start with the overall view of the composition. Then, starting at the soil line, let the eyes wander up the trunk and through the foliage.