The Garden In Art

"A complete tour through the development and production of the hit animated miniseries Over the Garden Wall, this volume contains hundreds of pieces of concept art and sketches"--

Impelluso analyzes the constituent elements of gardens, both real and imagined, and uncovers their often-hidden symbolic meanings. Paintings and the nearly 400 works presented here provide a continuous visual record of the myriad forms of gardens.

Rich in symbolism and metaphor, and blessed with its own varied and dramatic palette, the garden has proved to be an extremely fertile source of artistic inspiration. In The Garden in Art, acclaimed art historian Debra N. Mancoff reveals the many different ways in which artists from all periods of history - from ancient Egypt to the present day - have employed the motif of the garden. Featuring more than 200 illustrations of both renowned and lesser-known works, the book approaches its subject thematically, exploring such topics as working gardens, the garden through the seasons and artists’ gardens. Complete with a detailed timeline and a suggested list of gardens to visit, The Garden in Art is an absorbing and highly rewarding examination of the meaning and significance of the depiction of the garden.

In this book Miller challenges contemporary aesthetic theory to include gardens in an expanded definition of art. She provides a radical critique of three central tenets within current intellectual debate: first, the art historical notion that art should only be studied within the context of a single culture and period; second, the philosophical belief that art should be conceived as a discrete object unrelated to our survival as persons, as cultural communities, as a species; and third, the notion that all signifying systems are like language.

The Artist’s Garden will feature up to 20 gardens that have inspired and been home to some of the greatest painters of history. These gardens not only supplied the inspiration for creative works but also illuminate the professional motivation and private life of the artists themselves – from Cezanne’s house in the south of France to Childe Hassam at Celia Thaxter’s garden off the coast off Maine. Flowers and gardens have often been the first choice for artists looking for a subject. A garden close to the artist’s studio is not only convenient for daily material and ideas, but also has the advantage of changing through the seasons and over time. Claude Monet’s Giverny was the catalyst for hundreds of great paintings (by Monet and other artists), each one different from the one before. Sometimes a whole village becomes the focus for a colony of artists as at Gerberoy in Picardy and Skagen on the northernmost tip of Denmark. This book is about the real homes and gardens that inspired these great artists – gardens that can still be visited today. The relationship between artist and garden is a complex one. A few artists, including Pierre Bonnard and his neighbour Monet were keen gardeners, as much in love with their plants as their work, while for others like Sorolla in Madrid, his courtyard home was both a sanctuary and a source of ideas.

This comprehensive garden sourcebook is replete with inspiring ideas for seasonal gardening, interior design, and entertaining from Relais & Châteaux hospitality insiders. Experts in the creation of beautiful environments, they show how to translate their savoir-faire into indoor and outdoor sanctuaries and festive events at home. Showcased are a variety of Relais & Chateaux enchanting horticultural havens--from simple cutting and kitchen gardens to more elaborate formal plantings, including parterres and topiaries at fifteen celebrated establishments in North America. The delights of the garden are then brought indoors through botanical prints, textiles, wallpapers, and objets d'art, such as metal and porcelain flowers. How-to sidebars show ideas for setting a festive table using rose petals, garlands, bud vases, and more, and for dressing up dishes and cocktails with edible flower garnishes and creating culinary delights harvested by the local terroir. A must-read for passionate gardeners and flower lovers, and all those who appreciate the masterful creativity of Relais & Châteaux, The Art of the Garden shows how to bring the sparkle and freshness of the outdoors into your home.

In this book of essays Anthony Daniels tackles the complex relation between good and bad art on the one hand and good and bad ideas on the other. In several essays he contrasts authors or artists whom he considers good with those he considers bad, and tries to explain why his opinion is not merely a matter of individual taste but is based upon reason as well as taste. He argues that judgment and discrimination (between good and bad, beautiful and ugly) are intrinsic to any conceivable human existence, indeed to thought itself, and that the pretense that they are avoidable, that one can indefinitely suspend judgment, are merely a means by which bad or false judgments are smuggled into public life.

Gardens are where man and nature meet. They change by the hour, day-to-day, and with the seasons. They carry associations about the status, approach to life, and sometimes even the political affiliations of their creator. Gardens can be intended for public enjoyment or private delectation; they can be open to the masses or closed to all but a few. They may be places of scientific study; havens for the solitary thinker; spaces for frolicking and games, for flirtation and for love. Presented with the many faces of the garden, artists in Western Europe have looked at the garden in different ways, extracting and emphasising those facets of the garden unique to their culture and their time. At the same time individual elements drawn from the garden whether architectural or botanic have at certain periods come to the fore and taken their place in the decorative arts of Western Europe. This book explores the way in which the garden has inspired artists and craftsmen in Europe between 1500 and 1900. "