Tigers kept in zoos don't get flees and live long lives. That doesn't mean I like seeing them in cages. And like the big cats, seeing unique trees taken from the wild to be caged and starved of resources for purposes of art just rubs me the wrong way.
Also, I had thought these trees were grown from relatively normal saplings, not from already unusual wild trees. I see such trees growing in extreme conditions, usually at the windswept treeline of a mountain while hiking. I would not be happy to see some "artist" digging them up.
... But we are talking about Trees, not tigers. They don't "feel" anything. If they look good and healthy, it means they are good and healthy... because that's all they are.
It's still absolute domination of life[1] for the sake of aesthetics. It's not exactly inexplicable to be a bit unsettled by it or the mindset that leads to it.
Comparisons to other human activity are only going to make it seem comparatively innocuous and there's a gulf of difference between the relative and the absolute.
[1] honestly the alive/not alive bit isn't even strictly that important. People are often fairly opposed to destroying various rock features, even when it's for the purpose of a very practical and utilitarian dam. Somethings resonate with people in a way that they want that something to be allowed to just be
Well by that reasoning, antibiotics are "domination of life"... I bet you the rock formation folk aren't willing to let a festering infection - "just be".
So the difference is purely about aesthetics, which brings us back to why people do bonsai...
... Antibiotics was not chosen out of the blue. We control every part of their life in order to eradicate another life.
I read your full comment, and I don't really care what you care about, my point was to point out that your point was inconsistent, whether you were expressing it as your "own" point of view or a "friend of a friends" I don't care, the point is still inconsistent.
Collecting trees in the wild is illegal in many places. It's not a practice that I would personally endorse. Most bonsai enthusiasts grow trees from seed. There are quite a few that will train nursery stock, though.
As I said previously, bonsai trees are not starved of resources. Quite the opposite. They are specifically pruned in a way so that the tree is able to absorb nutrients much, much better than they would if left unpruned.
You are probably wondering why they trees are small if they aren't being deprived of something. I invite you to spend some time learning about horticulture if you are truly interested in the answer.
Also, I had thought these trees were grown from relatively normal saplings, not from already unusual wild trees. I see such trees growing in extreme conditions, usually at the windswept treeline of a mountain while hiking. I would not be happy to see some "artist" digging them up.