history of garden art midterm

Unity

Using familiar elements, the quality of oneness and making them appear that they belong together.

How can Unity be achieve?

a theme, consistency in characters, materials, plants and accessories, color, and a enclosure

Balance

Distribution of visual weight which creates stability

How can Balance be achieved?

Symmetrical balance and Asymmetrical balance

Symmetrical balance

duplicates the garden design on one side of a clearly defined central axis and repeated the exact same design on the opposite side - no variation in color, texture, or other elements

Asymmetrical balance

the center point may not be obvious - there is an illusion of balance. less rigid.

Transition

using line, form texture or color. Transition is the gradual chance from one area to another to assist in easy visual movement across the landscape - directs the eye

Proportion & scale

Using the elements in relative proportions

focalization

directs the eye to a focal point using the elements

repetition

repeating similar elements

rhythm

repeating similar elements in a pattern

Variety

varying the elements

What are the 5 elements?

Form, line, texture, color, scent

What are the principles of Garden Art?

Unity, Balance, Transition, Proportion & Scale, Focalization, repetition, rhythm, variety

what were the earliest records of man created gardens?

Mesopotamia (c.400 BC) Egyptian (c. 400 BC) and Persian civilizations (C. 550 BC)

What did nature represent in early garden days?

symbol of god and it can be considered as god

The symbol of god's mercy

water and vegetation

Epic of Gilgamesh

the earliest surviving work of literature. It tells a poem about an "immortal garden" that is sacred and divine.

hunting parks of Mesopotamia

built with sophisticated watering system, laid on the banks of rivers, spread to northern europe and continued to be as deer parks

ziggurats - 2500 BC

constructed by the Babylonians; it was a prototype to the hanging gardens. a sacred building representing mountains and a bond between heaven and earth

key features of the ziggurats

Pyramid-shaped with erraced owers - solid, made of bricks or adobe

Elevated above the surface of the street for protection from floods

The upper platform usually housed a temple

Plants are paced on the perimeter of the lower platform into specially designated pits filled with special soil

hanging gardens of babylon (602-562 BC)

one of the seven wonders of the world

Ancient Egypt

Crucial strategic position of Egypt

The Nile annual flood fertilized the land

gardens and agriculture had to be protected from the fooding of the nile

Rock cliffs that surrounded the nile were suited for the constriction of temples, graves, and gardens

early Egyptian gardens

formal, symmetrical (to make a statement that they can control nature) and strictly functioned to provide food and herbs.

the gardens of Pasargadae

The earliest surviving garden built by cyrus the great in southern Iran in 5050 BC

The garden were built geometric designs

The classical period aka golden age

Political eforms - ideas of democracy

Great philosophers -voltaire, rousseau, montesquieu

Cultural achievements

Arts: realistic rendering of human and animal forms

Classical period - greece

Athens reached its greatest political and cultural heights

Philosophical schools of socrates and Platos were found

Greek culture was a powerful influence in the roman empire

Historians consider it to be the foundational culture of western civilization

Fueled renaissance in western europe.

grotto

a cave

Amphi theatre in pompeii

the earliest known permanent stone amphitheatre in Italy

acanthis

its medicinal properties may have it popular bc of its association with funeral services and immortality

end of the golden era

All knowledge about plants and gardens lay dormant for 500 years until medieval times

Islamic Gardens

Viewed garden as a paradise. the word paradise came from a word 'Pairidaeza' from their ancient language

Introversion

The garden is turn inward and very private. Its not meant to be a public space, it is a place for prayer and contemplation

Is a retreat from the harsh landscape

typical features of an Islamic garden

Symmetrical layout - square or rectangle

Enclosed - walls or screens

A monumental doorway

The four-quadrant design

Courtyards

Pavilions for shade; chabutra

Calligraphy on walls and arches

Geometric patterns

Ornamental architectural detail

Glazed tile, intricate mosaic paving

Marble basins

Pathways and avenues

the chaarbagh

The center of a square is the source of energy (water) and it's from this energy that nourishes the garden

The sources of water have to be distributed to all parts of the garden

What did the four channels in the chaarbagh represent?

water, wine, milk and honey

hortus conclusus

an enclosed garden, closley connect to the virgin mary, the locked garden stood for the church and sealed baptism

plants that connected with Virgin mary

The white lily, an emblem of her purity and holiness

Red rose, love for god

The myrtle, emblem of her virginity

Violet, emblem of her humility

Columbine, emblem of holy spirit,

Strawberry, divine fruit of her womb, Jesus

hortus deliciarum

A garden of delight, a secular (nothing to do with religion) garden which was associated with palaces and manor houses

shadoof

a garden tool, used to bring  a huge amount of water to pour it onto plants, trees, and fields efficiently. 

Were greeks gardeners?

No, there was little domestic land and lack of rain. They respected and viewed natural nature as their garden.

Nemea

the only sacred grove proven by archeology

Monastery Gardens

paradisus terrestris, or paradise on earth with the garden of eden serving as a model. A purposefully isolated garden meant to be for spirituality and contemplation. a place for healing

gregory mendelle

a monk who made the Punnett Square by breeding peas

medieval cloister

to seclude from the world in as if in a cloister, medieval monk/nun lived a cloistered life

Features of a cloistered garden

• A covered walkway along the walls of a building enclosing a open area called a garth

• Historically, the peristyle court was an antecedent of the medieval cloisters

• The garth had the form of a square divided into four parts by paths - the crossing of the paths pointed to the death of Jesus Christ on the cross and his subsequent resurrection

• In the middle of the garden one would often find a well, a fountain or a small pond, with water acting as a symbol of life or knowledge

• Sometimes, a tree planted in the middle of the garden served as a reminder of paradise.