Is The Garden an Art Form?

Last summer I live to a talk by the author Rory Stuart about his script : What Are Gardens For?He brought up the interrogative : ‘ Is the garden an art form ? He suggested that if our gardens are to be view as artwork then they should be subject to criticism like any other artistic creation form . He said that there is a lack of any material decisive judgement of garden amongst garden writers and garden visitor . Anne Wareham in her book : ‘ The Bad - Tempered Gardener’also think that to be reckon as works of art garden should be open to honest literary criticism . She thinks we are all too skillful about each other ’s garden .

These two points caused a enceinte plenty of enliven discussion in my group of gardening friends . We are still not all in concord about the first tip . i.e. whether the garden is an art form .

In his treatise ‘ Aesthetics’Hegel put artistic production into five category : Architecture , Sculpture , Painting , Music and Poetry . He said that horticulture and dancing were imperfect art and he did n’t seem to think them worth discussing . Well I do n’t know what dance enthusiasts make of that but I certainly take issue with it . How could he so cavalierly turn down The Alhambra , The Gardens of the Moghul , Versailles and Japanese gardens as imperfect art ? And nowadays , of path we have representative such as Sissinghurst , Giverney and Ninfa to name but a few .

And what about your garden ? And mine ? Most of us are obsessional gardener but are we artists ? I sense that your garden is a depiction created by you and even if it does n’t appeal visually to me it is still a variant of artistic creation because you pick out those colours and soma and placed them in a shape that you thought pleasing . Just because you are work with living material rather than paint or marble does n’t imply that it is n’t graphics . You have create it . A bloom by itself , however endearing can not be called fine art because it is a natural matter . But once you have placed it in your garden with other industrial plant and compile a picture which you find aesthetically pleasing then of line that is art . It is multi - dimensional , not just spatially but it also has the added dimension of perfume , time , conditions and the season . I have say that some people maintain that because garden are inherently precarious and are subject to change and deterioration then they can not be called artistic production . The musical theme that art , once made must stay unchanging and unchanging is , I conceive a poor argument .

Not all gardens are art though . They do n’t all draw a bead on to be . Many gardener are more concerned in amass a collection of industrial plant like a impression collection and make no endeavour to coiffure them artistically . Some people ( normally men ) set all their plant in nifty row and consecrate hours to lawn care . I do n’t think you could call their gardens art . But most gardeners seek to create beautiful pictures with their plants . Of course , we ca n’t all produce masterpieces , anymore than any other kind of artist can .

Now on to the second point ; if a nurseryman displays his garden as an art form should it be open to literary criticism like any other conformation of artistic production ? In theory I reckon it should . But nurseryman are kindly people and we can generally find something to admire in a fellow gardener ’s garden , even if it is not to our taste . Most of us would be reluctant to criticize someone else ’s dear garden because to do so would be injurious and unkind . And who are we to criticize someone else ’s body of work because it does n’t go in with our idea of artistic perfection ?

Liz Sketch

I would be very glad to hear other blogger ’ opinions . There are artist and highly gifted photographers whose blog I understand and who interpret mine . amount on now say me what you think . Is the garden an art form ?

70 Responses toIs The Garden an Art Form?

I remember you hit the nail on the head when you say that not all garden are art , which presupposes that some are . The argument that gardening is n’t nontextual matter because the stuff is dependent to deterioration could be applied as well to computer architecture and even the fine fine art of painting as , in time , everything is subject to deterioration . I think gardening , like music , saltation and other forms of verbal expression , means different things to different people . A caboodle of multitude detest rap music , while others see meaning in it . Many people detest graffiti but some multitude enhance it to the level of art . Engineering constructions ( and could n’t gardening also be described as a form of engineering ? ) are frequently take in as artwork , even ( God help us ) cars may be view as fine art . My personal view is , if it transcend the individual materials and create feeling or an mind , it ’s art . Should it be dependent to criticism ? If by criticism , we think psychoanalysis against some acknowledge form of criteria , sure ; however , a consistent criterion for that rating is no more likely to be found for gardens than it is for the fine arts . One can measure a garden , like a house painting , from a range of different , as valid perspectives and find oneself it good or bad but one should always keep in mind that individual judgement are , by definition , biased in their own peculiar ways . Generally speaking , I think forms of personal expression , gardens include , should command esteem , if not needs appreciation .

You did a great job express your impression . I do think horticulture is an artistic production form . Now , some of us are still at the point of trying to stay in the parentage with a crayon , and painting things the wrong colour . But some people have real artistic talent and have create masterpieces . So , yes , I do think gardening is art . It ’s just that most of us would n’t want our gardens criticized , just as I would n’t want my spliff drawings to be equate to Monet ! But I do think that a picayune constructive critique can be helpful , just as those with more art gift can help those that are learning , and yet I would n’t criticize a child ’s drawing , so criticism must be made at the right time to the garden / artist . But you make a expectant head that the * style * should n’t be criticized – whether your garden is the style of Picasso or the style of one of the Old Masters . And we are all in a different position in our works of prowess . For me , I am still couch in the synopsis . It ’s a longsighted room from a straight work of graphics , but it ’s post like this that make me realize how much more my garden can be .

Interesting , Art and Gardening . I think a lot of gardeners have very little sense of colour . That is why Gertrude Jykell was a maestro and her garden would be described as Art . I notice that Newby Hall is about to dig up their long herbaceous borderline and do something dissimilar . When I saw it last summer it struck me rather a repetition of the same plant .

large post ! Philosophy of gardens is an area that clearly needs more public give-and-take , and many gardeners seem up to the task . My own thought process : http://gardenfancy.blogspot.com/

An most interesting and think provoking post Chloris . The first question that comes to my mind is what is the definition of “ art ” . My dictionary come up with several definition 🙂

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A garden to me on any form is artwork no matter any others view , the world we live in and the hoi polloi that surrounds it are so busy with all the “ What If”s . Instead they tend to forget to see the dish that can come in any shape or form an appreciate it just as it is . One random act of kindness can make the biggest difference in the world . There is beauty in all we see and kindness which seems to be getting rarer to come by cost no coin or even kill you to divvy up with one another is becoming extinct . My greatest garden I keep in me and each individual assist me produce it from the sweetest to the mean and portion out it through the smallest acts of kindness I can . Every smile I see refulgence on another ’s face grow from my kindness is another blossom in my Secret Garden and mean ppl are the gage and conditions that day I have tear of joyousness or tears of sorrowfulness , everyday I choose to lean to my Secret Garden because I live everyday and will only pass once . I go with blind eye ’s and see with my heartThank you

A garden to me on any form is artistic production no matter any others judgement , the world we hold out in and the people that skirt it are so busy with all the “ What If”s . or else they incline to forget to see the mantrap that can come in any contour or form an appreciate it just as it is . One random deed of forgivingness can make the expectant difference in the world . There is smasher in all we see and forgivingness which seems to be getting rarer to come by cost no coin or even kill you to share with one another is becoming extinct . My greatest garden I keep in me and each mortal helps me grow it from the sweetest to the meanest and share it through the smallest human activity of kindness I can . Every smiling I see shine on another ’s face grows from my kindness is another flower in my Robin ’s Secret Garden and mean ppl are the weeds and weather condition that day I have tears of joy or tears of sadness , everyday I choose to incline to my Robin ’s Secret Garden because I experience everyday and will only die once . “ I go with blind middle ’s , see with my heart and my cupith will always run over” . give thanks you

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Is The Garden an Art Form?