Famous Figures of the English Landscape Movement

        18^th Century English landscape artists were just that- artists. They wanted to design landscapes that looked like they were right out of a painting themselves. English landscapes were thought to break the traditional thought of a confined garden and open it up to the world around the viewer. They were vast and natural, showing the fluidity and expression that nature has in and of itself. It diverged from the baroque period by taking away the controlling aspect of humans in the garden, and showed a different side, allowing nature to take its rightful place in garden art.  There were a handful of famous English landscape artists of the 18^th century: Charles Bridgeman, William Kent, and Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown. For a brief background on the English Landscape Movement and numerous examples of gardens in this style, please refer to this link (http://www.britainexpress.com/History/landscape_gardens.htm).

Charles Bridgeman was a major artist at the onset of the English landscape movement. He started to take the formality out of the baroque period gardens, and redesign the style to become more like the English landscapes we know today. However, he did not completely revolutionize the art. He did keep some of the formal structures of previous gardens, such as the main axis, parterres, and geometric symmetry. Yet he did begin to transition in the newer art form through use of lawns, amphitheaters, vantage points and Ha-Has. He wanted to break the rules of formality, and so he did with the garden at Stowe. There he emphasized the use of the landscape around the garden to be seen, and not hidden away (thus the use of the Ha-Ha’s dip in the field, as pictured below). (https://austenonly.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/p1100432.jpg)

William Kent was another master of his time, his reputation exceeding the work of Bridgeman’s. Kent was first, and foremost, a painter. He painted and sketched landscapes to make them look beautiful. Oscar Wilde was quoted saying “Life imitates art far more than art imitates life.” Kent must have believed that to be true, because he would take the beautiful sketching he drew and make them a reality. The landscapes he made were meant to be beautiful: a work of art. In Kent’s style, they were much less formal than Bridgeman’s because he needed them to fit into his “pictureframe imagination.” One example of his gardens, Rousham, not only expressed beauty in sight, but also in mind. He designed the garden to make you experience different feelings from place to place. The informality leads the viewer to the unexpected journey ahead, filled with classical inspiration as well as allegory.

(http://www.rousham.org/images/gardens/venus_vale.jpg)

‘Capability’ Brown was often hailed as one of the greatest English Landscape gardeners of the 18^th century, even more so than Bridgeman and Kent. Brown emphasized informality, which can be seen in his famous garden at Chatsworth. He strayed far from the baroque lines and main axes of the period long before him. In this fashion, he made the layout of his landscapes curved, in almost every aspect. Hills, fields, hedges, and rivers were all curved to express informality. Brown wanted to keep away from what was already known about gardens, and push the limits even more. His gardens were barely what people would consider a ‘garden.’ Brown would include trees few and far between in his landscapes, and flower beds were not used in excess. He still emphasized the use of landscape and incorporating scenery in his landscapes; he used his predecessor’s Ha-ha design to include the countryside in his landscapes. 

(http://malcolmkirk.com/assets/image/images/Chatsworth.jpg) (http://www.bootsandpaws.co.uk/pics/chatsworthh/chatsworth4b.jpg)

(http://www.microlightflight-lessons.com/userimages/chatsworth%20house.jpg) 

No One Man Should Have All That Power

                The French baroque period was entirely about showing wealth, power, and a French identity. Taking the gardens of Versailles as the epitome of the French baroque period gardens, these three aspects can be seen throughout the history and layout of the garden. King Louis XIV had this palace and garden build up from a humble hunting lodge to the world’s most iconic baroque garden to show that he was the one true and divine ruler of France.

                The gardens at Versailles were, in a large part, constructed to show off King Louis XIV’s vast wealth. During a French time of prosperity, he was able to spend millions to build and maintain his garden. 

(http://www.marlymachine.org/meng1a.jpg) 

The Machine de Marly is an enormous example of his wealth. This machine was essentially a very large water pump that was constructed and used for the sole purpose of supplying millions of liters of water to King Louis XIV’s fountains at Versailles. The amount of engineering, construction, and planning that went into this device was a marvel. Anyone who walked around the gardens would be able to see how much water is being pushed through every day, and could tell that large sums of money were being spent on it. The machine itself also plays a part in displaying how massive of an operation it was to run the gardens, and how much power it took a King to organize it.

                The gardens at Versailles were also constructed to demonstrate power. This is shown through the immense size of the gardens that were typical in the baroque period. (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/1920s_Leconte_Map_of_Paris_w-Monuments_and_Map_of_Versailles_-_Geographicus_-_ParisVersailles-leconte-1920s_-_2.jpg) 

The gardens stretched on for miles and were designed to look as if they went on even further. Looking out from the palace was supposed to give the feeling of looking out to the horizon, filled with only the garden. If a patron were to walk the grounds, they would be able to tell that the owner was powerful. The gardens were so large that you could get lost in them, while still discovering new features with every turn. The size of the garden was directly proportional to the owner’s power in the baroque period.

                Finally, the French baroque period was meant to show a nationalistic identity. It was supposed to show the world the pure, unadulterated French attitude. One feature, in particular, showed French influence and that was the parterre de broderie. This intricate groundwork of trimmed hedges shaped like waving scrolls or other ornamental art pieces was intrinsically French. With features in the garden like the Parterre du Midi (shown below) and the Parterre de Nord, the gardens at Versailles displayed a very French atmosphere. 

(http://www.routard.com/images_contenu/communaute/Photos/publi/027/pt26687.jpg) 

The grounds were filled with parterre de broderie and were meant to show that King Louis XIV was looking out, not only for himself, but for France.

              The gardens of Versailles were a very important part of King Louis XIV’s rule. With them in hand, King Louis was able to show his guests and fellow noblemen that he was, indeed, the most wealthy, powerful, and influential king at the time. He believed in France as a nation and was able to lead through his own divine right.

The Purpose of Water Features in Garden Art

                Water features have been used across European gardens since the time of the Roman Empire. From simple still ponds to intricate river divergent systems, the use and purpose of the water features in garden art has progressed and changed. Several themes have governed the inception of water features in gardens, yet the most prevalent seems to be the ability to impress others. From roman, to Islamic, to Renaissance gardens, water features were meant to impress.

                Some of the earliest European gardens were found within the Roman Empire, and even then, water features could be seen in the layout and designs. One example was the reconstruction of the House of Vettii in Pompeii

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_gardens#mediaviewer/File:Ricostruzione_del_giardino_della_casa_dei_vetii_di_pompei_(mostra_al_giardino_di_boboli,_2007)_01.JPG) which contains very simple water fountains. The fountains were used for several reasons, one of which being the outward show of wealth. The wealthy aristocracy decided to show the money they owned by these seemingly simple water features, but it was actually very difficult to come by. The water would have to be diverted from nearby streams or rivers, isolated, and sent directly to their villa. Even a small display of moving water showed immense private wealth in the Roman Empire, and the development of water would only get more elaborate for viewers.

                In contrast, the Islamic gardens employ a different shift on the classical purpose of water features. The main use of water in the Islamic gardens is religious. The Islamic style focuses more on the expression of art for God and to impress God with their works, but the other styles in garden art focus more on the impression of others with your own power. Islamic garden water features include the central pool with four rills pouring out in four directions.

(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/04/fc/e0/04fce080fb23735162adbef2171236b9.jpg) This is meant to symbolize the four rivers from Eden, which shows a dedication to God and the Qur’an.  While recreating images from the Qur’an, it is creating images that will please God. The importance of gardens to Go din the Qur’an can be researched more thoroughly through the interpretive seminar titled ‘Origin of Islamic Gardens’ which explores quotes from the holy book of Islam and their meaning behind garden art. (http://www.academia.edu/1861364/Origin_of_Islamic_Gardens) The gardens are not made to impress other worldly beings, but they are made in shadow of the word of God and meant to impress Him.

                Water features in the Italian Renaissance, however, returned back to the classical Roman and Greek purposes. In the example of the Villa D’Este, the Cardinal wanted to show visitors of his immense power and wealth. At that point, he did not get elected into the position of Pope, but he still wanted to show the world that he was a force to be reckoned with. So he constructed this immense garden with several water features to demonstrate that force.

(http://people.umass.edu/latour/Italy/2005/RDIZEL/delugebig.jpg) 

(http://www.benvenutolimos.com/images/tours/cities/tivoli-walk-of-100-fountains.jpg) In these two examples of fountains in the Villa D’este, the Cardinal had the water diverted from one of the major rivers running through Rome directly into his garden. The force of the river into the gardens is powerful that the main fountain of the villa does not even require a hydraulic system to allow the water to flow out of the fountain. This spectacular feat of engineering was meant to impress all visitors to the villa and provide a status symbol for the D'este family.