by Karin Albert
Penjing is the Chinese art of creating a miniature scenery in a container. It comprises three main categories. The first, tree penjing, is a form very much akin to the Japanese concept of bonsai. It's the art of dwarfing and styling a woody plant with the purpose of creating a miniature tree in a container. The artistic objective is to evoke, in the viewer's eyes, the image of a venerable, aged tree with aesthetically pleasing proportions. In the second form of penjing, landscape penjing, rocks, not trees, serve as the main artistic medium, and they are used to re-create distant views of vast mountain panoramas. The third category of penjing, water-and-land penjing, can be viewed as a synthesis of the other two forms. Here, the artist uses trees, rocks, and water as design elements to create, in miniature, a more complete natural landscape.
Historical records prove that the presentation of dwarf trees in containers has been practiced at an advanced artistic level in China since the Song Dynasty (960-1279). By the 13th century, Chinese artists created miniature trees that compare favorably with what is considered "classical bonsai" today. Nascent forms of water-and-land penjing have existed since the 17th century. However, the modern version was pioneered in the 1970's by Qingquan 'Brook' Zhao, a penjing artist from Yangzhou in Jiangsu Province. Inspired by Yangzhou's famous garden art and its long-standing tradition of landscape painting, Zhao began creating pastoral tree groupings by rocky shorelines, pristine forests with mountain creeks, and other miniature water- and land-scapes using a wide range of tree material. His book Penjing: Worlds of Wonderment: A Journey Exploring an Ancient Chinese Art and Its History, Cultural Background, and Aesthetics introduces water-and-land penjing and presents the techniques for creating this form in detail. In this article, I will highlight some of the main aspects.
Choosing the Components
The container: The use of a very shallow container is essential. Both a glazed suiban and a marble slab can be appropriate choices. Depending on your design, a regular shallow bonsai pot with drainage holes may work as well - you'd need to ensure that all drainage holes will be covered by land areas since they would be meaningless and distracting in the area(s) designated to represent water. Keep in mind that drainage holes are not a horticultural necessity in this type of penjing composition; since the container is so shallow, excess water will drain off the sides effortlessly and not lead to problems of waterlogging. Using a container without drainage holes imposes fewer design limitations later.
The trees: Most tree species commonly used for bonsai are suitable. Before trees are used in a water-and-land composition, they should be grown in containers with their taproots removed in order to develop shallow root systems. They should have under-gone some fundamental bonsai training, and their basic trunk and branch lines should be established. Otherwise, the tree material does not need to be ideal. When styling a single tree, root and branch placement and taper are critical considerations, but in water-and-land penjing, a wider landscape is being created, and overall balance and harmony, rather than individual forms, are the overriding concerns. To create an aesthetically pleasing effect, you need trees with a variety of sizes and trunk calipers. At least one tree should be more mature and larger than the others to serve as the dominant element in the composition.
The rocks: China has a 2000-year history of collecting interesting rocks and stones, and the art of appreciating individually selected specimens for aesthetic reasons dates back about 1200 years. Rock connoisseurship, known in the West by its Japanese name suiseki, is alive and well in China today. The stones selected for penjing, however, play a different role: They are not so much chosen for their unique individual beauty and outstanding qualities but for their ability to contribute functionally and artistically in a wider design.
Zhao's preferred rock is the Turtle-Shell Rock collected in the mountains of Shandong, Sichuan, and Anhui Provinces, although he also uses the more widely available Ying Rock (Yin Tak Rock), among others. He encourages the use of domestic stones and offers guidelines for collecting. Colors should be subtle, not extravagant. Look for stones with soft, roundish shapes and attractive surface patterns. The most prized stones in water-and-land penjing display a weathered, worn, aged look, suggesting great durability and timelessness. Always keep in mind that the rocks need to harmonize and blend with all other design elements into one harmonious piece.
Clay Miniatures: These are optional.
The Creation Process
Before you can actually begin with a tentative layout, you need to prepare the container and work on the trees and rocks you have selected. Prune the trees by removing all branches that are unnecessary and interfere with your design. Depending on the species, you may also wish to wire. The rocks that will be used in the line dividing water and land areas and those to be placed in water areas will need to be cut in order to obtain a flat base that fits snug against the container surface. Cut the rocks very carefully with a diamond-blade electric saw.
Start your composition by tentatively grouping the trees together and exploring the position for the line dividing land and water areas. Whether you place the trees or the rocks first is a matter of personal preference. In his book, Zhao presents many design choices. He demonstrates an "island style", a "creek style", a "river or lake style", and a "combination style". All these styles are deter-mined by the relative positioning of water and land areas.
Even if you have selected trees with fairly shallow root systems, as suggested, some further root pruning is usually still required at this point, necessitated not only by the shallowness of the container, but also by the fact that for the best artistic effect, trees often need to be placed very closely together. You may even have to sacrifice an otherwise important branch.
When studying Zhao's work carefully, you'll notice a clear preference for asymmetrical lines and variation in height, mass, trunk girth, etc. These dramatic contrasts generate interest and a certain degree of visual tension. Nevertheless, there's an overall sense of harmony and structural coherence. What intrigues the viewer is this interplay and resolution of complimentary opposites, striking a finely tuned balance. In order to create this effect, pay close attention to the movement of each tree, i.e. the direction of its trunk, roots, and branches. Clearly identify the main tree in the composition, place it off center, and po-sition all other trees so they relate to it. Consider the need for perspective. Rocks, too, have direction, determined by their shapes and surface patterns. Arrange them so their energy flow complements that of the trees. Again, perspective is critical . As a general guideline, consider placing larger pieces toward the front, smaller ones toward the back.
When you feel satisfied with your tentative layout, attach the rocks to the container surface with waterproof cement. Then proceed with actually planting the trees. Afterwards, the land area should be landscaped very carefully. For visual interest, build up more soil in some areas, add rocks and small grasses, and plant mosses. The latter will also be your main safeguard against soil erosion. Fine-tune all details and make any adjustments you deem necessary. Mist the trees well, but hold off on thorough watering for several hours until the cement has set.
Artistic Considerations
When looking at Zhao's water-and-land penjing for the first time, viewers are usually intrigued with the meticulous amount of detail encountered in each piece. The artist presents entirely believable landscapes in miniature. They attract the mind and stimulate the imagination, enticing the viewer to wander and roam among the dwarf trees and rocky shorelines. Beyond this initial impression, however, the most fascinating aspect of Zhao's artistry is the aura of serenity each piece transmits. A sense of timelessness prevails - each component appears wedded to the others, and they all appear peacefully joined as if they had existed in this state of harmonious tranquility for a long time. Indeed, the way he transforms a magical moment in time into timelessness has become a hallmark of Zhao's work.
To achieve this overall effect, he employs a wide palette of artistic devices. Many have derived from principles of traditional Chinese landscape painting. Let's take a closer look at one of his pieces and analyze these techniques.
Zhao's water-and-land penjing "Horses by the Water" features a small grove of Chinese Elm by a lakeshore. One tree clearly stands out as the focal point. Two horses, enveloped by the trees, are resting; one is by the water drinking, the other one is watching. They help to establish perspective by making the trees appear fairly large. The varied topography of the shore, generated through successive layering of rocks and boulders, not only creates an interesting scene but suggests extension and continuity of the land beyond the horizon line. This visual illusion is reinforced by the use of smaller trees with changing proportions and by the undulating shoreline created by skillful rock placement. The small bay on the right in particular not only enhances this impression, but also lends complexity and richness to the overall composition. Subtle expressions of linear and atmospheric perspec-tives further enhance the depth of the scene. The entire image is a web of intriguing variations and contrasts.
The white marble slab represents open water, but it also serves a vital function as void or negative space to counterbalance the solid area. It at once limits and also opens the scene beyond its limitations, just like a scroll of rice paper or a white canvas would frame a scene for a painter.
Each element in the composition has been blended together masterfully. The trees and rocks complement each other. The outline formed by the trees and the contour of the soil flow in similar patterns. The two horses clearly belong together, and the drinking horse joins the water and land areas, linking the major void and solid elements. In all his pieces, Zhao uses a technique known in Chinese art as "eyeing" and "echoing". Because each design element appears to be in visual contact with all the others, every piece seems tuned into the landscape as an all-embracing, encompassing entirety. Because each component of the composition appears to "echo" the others, every part of the penjing appears to act in unison. The result of this reverberation is a harmonious, unified landscape.
Zhao describes all these techniques and artistic principles in detail in his book . However, as he points out, if we want to create art, we have to progress beyond a mere learning of the steps involved and look toward the spirit that marks true art. In Eastern as in Western art, technique alone will produce a flat and lifeless composition only. What is really called forth and brought to life in great art is an inspiration, a vitality, an inner spirit. In English, inspiration derives from "infuse", "to breathe life into", often thought of as a "divine infusion". In China, a country with a strong pantheist tradition, this life energy is called qi (ch'i), and it is believed to permeate everything - even the rocks and other objects that Westerners consider 'inanimate'. Guided by this inner awareness, the artist seeks to infuse his composition with this energy.
Looking at the piece "Horses by the Water", we notice that the majority of trees appear intertwined at the base, which forms the visual center of the composition. It is also the main repository of energy. The tree canopies radiate outward, sending the energy in an arc. The horses, too, direct the energy flow outward, only to pull it back together at the very moment of drinking. The result is a circular, continuous energy flow reminiscent of the yin/yang symbol in the Tai Chi diagram. It not only captures the viewer's interest, but it epitomizes the ebb and flow of life itself, the expanding and contracting energies that constitute the universe.
In Chinese landscape painting, the objective is not to produce physical likeness - a sheer reproduction of a natural scenery - but to capture the spirit or essence of a landscape; to render the invisible visible. Therefore, the connoisseur judges a painting not so much by the quality of its outer form, but more by its ability to suggest an idea or evoke an emotion beyond the immediate form. The same holds true for penjing. In their art, Chinese landscape painters and penjing artists have explored the mysteries of nature and celebrated the image of the mountain recluse enjoying a simple life, free of social restraints. Zhao has followed this time-honored tradition. Each of his pieces represents a rustic retreat, an elysium into which we can let our minds escape.
This article was first published in International Bonsai, 1998/No.2