Re: Artistic vs Mechanical

["James Purchase" <jpurch@interlog.com>]

I was hoping I wouldn't have to wade into this sort of discussion, but it
looks like Roger has called my hand...

>This contest originally came up in the context of an APD discussion of
>aquascaping and artistic style.  James has since altered some of the
>things I originally wanted to see in the contest, but I sincerely hope he
>doesn't want to alter this aspect.  Illustrating art and style was (from
>my point of view) the only reason for the undertaking.
<snip>
>As I said earlier, my interest here is specifically in an "aquatic artists
>showcase" and I don't think I'm the only one here with that exclusive
>interest.  I really couldn't care less for a "grow the biggest sword
>plant" contest, or a contest that might hinge on just how many plants can
>be grown in a given sized tank.

Roger is right - my original posting to the APD was caused by a thread on
the differences between the state of aquascaping in America, Europe and
Japan. (remember, I posted earlier that I spent several hours this morning
going over _all_ of the material related to this discussion, posted in
several venues)

My idea was to have a contest so that we could see for ourselves just where
we stood, from an "artistic" point of view, as compared with people in other
parts of the world. I suspect that even though the planted aquarium section
of the hobby is not as pervasive in North America as it might be for example
in Holland, Belgium or Germany, that there are many people involved in this
hobby in the United States (and Canada too) who are capable of producing
beautiful, thought provoking aquascapes, every bit as "worthy" as anything
Amano or any German can do. America has produced some magnificient "Art". It
just has not been in existence for as long as some other cultures, but in
many ways is probably a lot more vital and alive than those older cultures,
which feel more bound by tradition.

This _not_ going to become a "who can grow the biggest sword plant contest".
No way, no how, no sir (or madam, as the case may be). <g>

That being said, aquascaping, like photography, is more properly (IMHO)
termed a Craft. In any true Craft, you start out as an Apprentice -
indentured to a Master. There you learn the technical skills and do the
grunt work that must be mastered in every Craft. In aquarium terms this
would include things like learning to do water changes, the elements of
proper plant nutrition and lighting, how to trim and propagate plants. The
"Master" is usually an older mentor who gives advice and answers the
novice's many questions. Remember how helpful George Booth _used_ to be? <g>
And how large a following of mantra chanters Steve Pushak seems to have? <g>
<g> (I'm not intimating that these two esteemed gentlemen are Masters - just
that many novices seem to _think_ that they are. Nor an I poking fun or
deriding their obvious skills in their chosen areas of expertise. I admire
both men a great deal and have told them both so on numerous occassions. I
am merely illustrating my point with people who will be familiar to you
all.)

>From Apprentice, if you have the perseverance to stick with the hobby and
learn from your mistakes (and let us not forget that almost as many people
leave the hobby every year as join), you eventually graduate to Journeyman
status. At this level, you no longer need to ask that many technical
questions - these things have become second nature and are done as a matter
of course. You begin to be able to anticipate things almost before they
happen and are able to prevent most catastrophic problems. But you are
_still_ spending most of your time and energy doing _mechanical_ things.
When it comes to aquascaping, you are more concerned in obtaining enough
plants to cover 75% of the substrate so that there will be a sufficient mass
of higher plants in the tank right from the start to suck the nutrients out
of the water quickly, preventing an algae explosion. Most people, I suspect,
get to this level and stay there, quite happily, for many years, if not
forever.

The pinacle of a Craft, _any_ Craft, is the Master. Reached usually only
after years of study, work and practice, the Master is more cerebral in his
approach to his work. Indeed, for many "Masters", it ceases to be work at
all and becomes a philosophical exploration for universal truths. Last week
I made reference to the Canadian photographer Freeman Patterson. If any of
you want to _really_ know what I'm talking about here, go to a library and
look at some of his books (Photography for the Joy of It - ISBN
0-442-29883-8; Photography Of Natural Things - ISBN 0-7706-0022-0). Many
years ago I had the privelage of attending one of Freeman's workshops - it
changed the way I approached photography forever.

In aquascaping terms, a Master would not think twice about using only a few,
well chosen plant species in a tank - there is an underlying theme or mood
that he wishes to convey and _everything_, plants included, become
subservient to that theme or mood. Amano at his best is a Master (again, in
_my_ opinion). I don't know of _anyone_ else who I would place in that
category. Hopefully, a showcase such as this might reveal another, maybe
after a few years and iterations, several.

It might nudge some of the long term Journeymen (Journey-persons) among us
up that slick slope to the pinacle of their Craft, to the level of true
Master.

Go read Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach and Russel Munson again,
it says the same thing in much more poetic language.

James Purchase
Toronto

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