Penjing: Worlds of Wonderment: A Journey Exploring an Ancient Chinese Art and Its History, Cultural Background, and Aesthetics - Hardcover

Qingquan Zhao

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0965529703 ISBN 13: 9780965529709

Publisher: Venus Communications LLC, 1997

Synopsis

A lavishly illustrated book, endorsed by six internationally recognized experts. It is likely to become a classic and will delight anyone interested in Oriental gardening, culture, and art. Penjing is the Chinese art of creating a miniature landscape in a container. Using trees, rocks, or a combination of the two, the Chinese artist seeks to express the beauty of a conceptual idea, to grant outward form to an inner vision. Penjing magically and succinctly captures the atmosphere and magnificence inherent in a natural landscape. The artist strives to express the mood and spirit observed in Nature and the emotions or morality instilled in him.

Although China is the cradle of this art and the forerunner of the more widely known art of bonsai associated with Japan, little information had been available on this time-honored Chinese art, and this is the first major work shedding light on this subject. Penjing places the art into the wider context of Chinese culture. While it was written for the bonsai and penjing enthusiast who, having mastered the basic skills of shaping and caring for miniature trees, wishes to hone his or her artistic sensitivities, the book's appeal is by no means limited to people wanting to create their own penjing. Instead, it addresses anyone interested in the Chinese experience. Any lover of Oriental gardening and any aficionado of Chinese culture and art will treasure Penjing.

About this title

From the Publisher

This unique book showcases the work of China's foremost penjing master and presents his interpretation of an ancient art form. A true master of composition, Zhao magically transforms moments in time into timeless images, capturing eternal truths. An artist steeped in tradition, Zhao creates much more than miniature microcosms of the wider natural world: His pieces possess lyrical qualities and embodyi some of the best features of classical Chinese poetry, painting, calligraphy, and garden art, bringing these time-honored traditions alive. While his work is uniquely Chinese, it holds universal appeal. Magic begins to unfold when he groups trees and rocks together, and once completed, his landscapes appear as if every tree, every rock, and every blade of grass had existed in this very place joined with their surroundings for a long time.

From the Author

In this book, I've spent very little time discussing matters of horticultural maintenance and technique since many excellent books have been written on these subjects. Instead, I've chosen to focus on aesthetic considerations, exploring what it is that takes penjing from the level of horticultural practice to the realm of art. I've concentrated on the two most distinctly Chinese forms of penjing: literati penjing and water-and-land penjing.

Edition details

• Publisher: Venus Communications LLC
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0965529703
• ISBN 13: 9780965529709
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 144