After. This wildly flowing Shimpaku (Shin) expresses pure movement. It also presents a lesson in perception. It's by Mario Komsta (aka Mariusz Komsta).
If you have a moment, take a close look at this tree and see if you can figure out why, with almost noting on the left and almost everything on the right, this tree has an overall sense of balance.
To my eye it looks like Mario did several things to make this tree appear to be balanced, and they all have to do with suggesting that you look to the left. Which is another way of saying that the sense of balance is purely psychological.
At the risk of stating the obvious… I’ll mention four features that stand out.
- The three strong jins at the top of the tree that all point left.
- The second branch (back branch) that flows behind the trunk and then to the left. This leftward movement is accentuated by the pointing tips.
- The branch coming off the crown that crosses the trunk and also points left.
- Finally, there’s that deadwood root at base of the trunk which also points left.
All these (and maybe others I don’t see) help create a sense of balance in spite of all the ‘weight’ on the right.
All the photos in this post are from a Mario Komsta photo album titled Angelito’s Shin.
Before. What a difference.
I love this photo because it shows the recovery stage after the initial heavy pruning and peeling. I don't know how long it took for the tree to recover its full strength, but I do know that this stage is sometimes skipped due to impatience. Not a good idea.
Now Michelangelo has simply removed all the rock (...foliage) that is not David (...the bonsai). Now to fill out a bit and a few finishing touches.
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