Bonsai tree art is a unique art category because it is essentially artwork that depicts art. These small trees are manipulated, pruned, and grown by man to be very small. Because the art of bonsai growing is an ancient Asian art, many of the bonsai tree prints are treated and depicted in the same way as Asian art prints.
The word 'bonsai' means 'tree in a container' and the symbolism of Asian bonsai tree images is one of the most illuminating forms of Asian art prints available to art audiences today. In many ways bonsai tree paintings represent the qualities that Asian culture has traditionally striven for in their artwork. Bonsai trees are symbols of meditation, orderly thought, and all other good mental practices. As such bonsai tree art is, in many ways, the image of a perfect mind and soul, as lauded in Asian culture.