|
( For text with correct Vietnamese accent marks,
go here)
Hon means "island" in Vietnamese; Non,
"mountain," and Bo ,"an artful combination of water, mountain range and
forest," or "copying the way the scenery (mountain, forest, ocean,
animals, birds, structures, and people) looks in miniature." Hon Non Bo is
a mountain landscape reduced in scale, usually set in an area of the sea
close to the shore, often with full, lush vegetation. The open sea is
symbolized by the water in a shallow container; it is only necessary to
have the surface of the water; not a deep ocean, but merely the waves on
the top.
The inspiration for Hon Non Bo comes from the real world
and from cultural beliefs. Making a modern day Hon Non Bo builds on and
continues a long tradition of interest in and the belief of the power of
rocks and the beauty of mountains and plants. Throughout Vietnamese
history, Hon Non Bo have been built by emperors, kings, generals, and
other important people as monuments, decorations, personal vistas, and
cultural icons.
|
|
A temple in Hanoi, North
Vietnam, displays this Hon Non Bo. Its age and creator are
unknown.
(Click on
picture for larger size, then click the "back" button on your
browser to return.) |
Hon Non Bo has features that make it different
from other forms of living art. In bonsai, the emphasis is on the tree(s),
usually one to a pot; mountains may be represented by suiseki, a separate
art form, and other vegetation is represented by an accessory plant. The
three elements of tree, rock, and plant suggest a natural landscape in a
sparse, minimalist approach.
In the past, Chinese penjing has made
relatively little use of water features, while Hon Non Bo usually
represent islands in a shallow sea. Rock penjing may feature interesting
rocks, intricate and excellent abstract forms, but not necessarily in the
shape of mountains. In Hon Non Bo, the rocks are arranged always to look
like a mountain or a range of mountains.
The long-term historical
use of concrete containers is unique to Hon Non Bo. Bonsai and Penjing use
ceramic and marble containers, with some containers occasionally made of
other materials. The white of marble containers does not set off the
mountain scenery of Hon Non Bo nearly so well as the dull-colored concrete
containers and the size of most Hon Non Bo precludes the use of ceramic
containers. It is not unusual to see concrete Hon Non Bo containers which
take four persons to move. Truly skilled artisans can make concrete
containers nearly indistinguishable from ceramic containers.
Bonsai and penjing are usually designed to have a front, a side
from which the tree or the stones look best. Hon Non Bo are designed to be
seen from all sides. Bonsai are displayed so the viewer can look into the
center of the tree; Hon Non Bo are displayed so the viewer can look down
on the top of the display as well. The mountain must look good not just
from four sides but also from the top. Bonsai is half design and half
horticulture; Hon Non Bo requires the artist to be a sculptor to shape the
mountain as well as be a designer and a grower.
Trimming and
training trees for a Hon Non Bo is similar to that for bonsai, except the
style may be quite different. For some Hon Non Bo, traditional bonsai
styles are appropriate, even bonsai so carefully designed and shaped they
appear to be pieces of sculpture. For other Hon Non Bo, the tree's style
should be much less sculpted and instead be more natural, even having
somewhat of a wild appearance.
|
|
On the sparser
mountains in Vietnam, trees seem to be falling down the side of the
mountains. Vietnam is a country of monsoons, essentially having six
months of hot, dry weather and six months of hot, wet weather. The
trees on the mountains there must have the ability to withstand the
changes in moisture; they reflect the stress of growing under these
conditions, and the trees on Hon Non Bo should look the same.
Vietnam's Dog Island (Ha
Long Bay) limestone mountains and "falling" tree seem mimicked in
the work below. |
|
This Hon Non Bo work of art,
by Lit Phan,
is displayed in the Botanical Building at San Diego's Balboa Park.
|
|
Hon Non Bo, then, generally represent a
complete mountain scene, often an island mountain scene, in a shallow
concrete container with water to represent the sea.
Tieu canh are mini
scenes. The Vietnamese people also enjoy mini scenes and miniature plants,
both of which have a close relationship to miniature landscapes. The
difference between a mini scene and a miniature landscape is that in a
mini scene, the trees must be higher and bigger than the rock which
functions as the background for the trees. The rock may appear to be
farther off in the distance because it is smaller than the tree. A mini
scene is part of a more complete landscape. For instance, a steep cliff, a
cave, a beach, a bank of the river or stream or a lake, and so on are
subjects of mini scenes. The tree in a mini scene is usually in a bending,
inclining or growing-down position. Trees have to be "old, weather-beaten
and faint."
The styles of both Hon Non Bo and Tieu Canh continue
to evolve. Like other art forms, new ideas and change are incorporated
into modern Vietnamese miniature landscapes.
Information
History Continued
HistoryInformation Vietnam
Landscapes Miniature
Landscapes
.
|
