You can't have a blog about gardens without a post about Versailles!

Versailles Palace and Gardens were built under King Louis XIV and they are both incredible reflections of wealth power control and excess. The gardens exemplify Louis' quest for control and dominance. These formal gardens are rich with symbolism and layers of meaning so I will pick just a few and talk about how they relate to King Louis the XIV and the culture that surrounded his reign.

The Orangery

http://holidayandtraveleurope.blogspot.dk/2013/02/france-versailles-gardens.html

Louis the XIV had a ridiculous amount of orange trees. They were hard to grow in France so maintaining them throughout the seasons was very difficult. They had to be moved indoors in the winter which was labor intensive and required space for all of his orange trees. By having these exotic fruits in copious amounts he was able to demonstrate the expanse of his power. In a way by having oranges in grow in France Louis the XIV was demonstrating that he had power over nature.





The Size of the Palace


http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_uw9CQVXKCnk/TJMekpgbpUI/AAAAAAAAA_k/1VScgqxUBbM/s1600/Versailles+3.jpg

Of course the size of Versailles is definitely overwhelming and arguably sickening but Louis the XIV had a practical use for the space. Louis the XIV had a bad case of paranoia and had the mind set to "keep his friends close but his enemies closer." He kept all of the nobles at Versailles. Here the nobles fought amongst themselves and frolicked in the gardens which kept them from thinking about overthrowing Louis the XIV.

The Fountains and the "Water Boys"

http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1156947200/tt0120484?ref_=tt_ov_i

There are 50 fountains at Versailles, 620 water gets and 35 kilometers of piping to feed the fountains. The amount of water these fountains needed was just another example of power and excess. Unlike the Italian Renaissance Gardens the fountains at Versailles weren't fed by gravitation and runoff from the mountains making it even more difficult to power all of the fountains. In order to alleviate some of the problems involved with moving so much water Jean-Baptiste Colbert devised a system with whistles to signal the King's location so that the fountains could be turned on and off as he approached and then passed fountains. I kind of image these people as ball boys running around after the king and then I thought of water boy and Adam Sandler and got distracted watching clips of water boy on youtube. But anyways...

Geometry

Everyone loves Math! Wait, no, that can't be right. I think math (especially geometry) is pretty intimidating and overwhelming especially when you start having to think in three dimensions. These gardens were a really cool 3-D manifestation of advances in math, science, perspective and reflected the mindset of the time with a focus on order and control. There were of course some variations and not everything was squares and straight lines. Within the sections that hung off the main axes of the gardens were ornate and swirly twirly parterres. Below is a picture is a picture of a parterre and the larger section that it is contained in.

Greenspace as a Garden

Green Space
 

Greenspace just north of Copenhagen. Courtesy of Bing Maps.

I think it is fascinating how political thought and culture influences the amount of green space in a certain area. For the sake of this post I will say that green space is anything from personal gardens to parks, nature preserves, forests and so on. I think that Copenhagen is especially good at preserving these spaces for people to enjoy and how it really reflects the nature of the government. Check out the map below to see how much visible green space there is that is open to the public at no cost! The further you zoom in on the map the more green space you can see. I tried to give the best scale to show you how many big parks there are but it’s important to note that there are little pockets of green tucked away all over Denmark.                              


 

“A Beech Wood in May near Iselingen Manor, Zealand” P.C. Skovgaard 1857. Courtesy of Google Art Project (which is so cool by the way!)

The 1857 painting titled “A Beech Wood in May near Iselingen Manor, Zealand” by Danish painter P.C. Skovgaard explores the idea of democratic nature and national identity. This Danish landscape shows an idealized beech tree forest which is the national tree of Denmark. This painting shows the importance of people being able to enjoy the benefits of nature regardless of class. The people in the forest is important because it shows people enjoying the Danish landscape which was, by this point much smaller than it once was.

 

The reason I am writing about parks and landscapes in a blog about gardens is because they serve very similar purposes. They are both planned out and serve can serve the function of a place to retreat. They are both considered forms of art. Parks and greenspaces in Denmark though are different from a garden like Versailles because Versailles was used as a display of power, whereas Danish greenspace is a display of commonwealth and democracy. Both of these places are a reflection of political systems. Check out the high level of order and the ridiculous expenses in maintaining Versailles. Compare it to the lake and path near my house Dyssegård (a suburb of Copenhagen).

 I took the picture of the lake and the image of Versailles is from http://employees.oneonta.edu/farberas/arth/ARTH110/ARTH110_SL17.html




If you want to read more Greenspace in Denmark check out http://www.visitdenmark.com/east-jutland/nature/denmarks-national-parks-0 or look at a map and bike to the nearest green blob near you!

Check out http://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/collection/statens-museum-for-kunst?projectId=art-project for more Danish Landscapes with little snippits about Danish National Identity!

The Italian Renaissance Garden

The “rediscovery” of the classics and new Humanist ways of thinking were expressed in the design of the Italian Renaissance in a beautiful and influential way. The Italian Renaissance garden was really able to fully encompass the Renaissance spirit. Some of the most important aspects of Renaissance thinking were expressed in these gardens. The renaissance was defined by a shift from inward thinking to a drive to understand and question the world in a broader and more conclusive way. Humanism, religion, science, nature, architecture, physics and of course, the Greek Classics, were all part of the Renaissance and all present in various aspects of the Italian Renaissance gardens.

The Italian Renaissance gardens spanned large areas and were an integral part of the architecture of the Villas that they were built with. These differed greatly from the Hortus Conclusus which were small inward looking gardens in Medieval castles. The Italian Renaissance gardens had beautiful water features that required a great knowledge of hydraulics and the manipulation of the land in order for the water to flow where it was wanted. A water organ was in the garden at Villa D’Este which was powered by hydraulics which provided music for anyone in the garden.

 

I think this is the epitome of the Renaissance because the nice music was playing it was done in a way that had science behind it. The revival of Greek classics in Italy brought about this idea of Humanism. Humanism didn’t replace or reject religion but it was characterized by questioning. The writings of Pliny and his villa also brought back the idea of escaping city life and spending time in controlled nature. These gardens were designed as a way to study nature. By studying nature that was first improved by man (maybe in the form of a garden, or painting) people were able to study God and his creations and thus get closer to Him.

This picture from the Piccilomini Gardens in Italy is an excellent example of the link between man and nature and how the combination of the mountains and the garden were thought to reflect the work of God.

Because it was believed that nature is ordered by god and to understand god is to understand nature. Sculptures with symbolic meaning were also important aspects of the garden which allowed yet another form of art to flourish within these gardens. The Italian Renaissance gardens were artistically symbolic of renaissance thought so much as that they were not altered very much as the renaissance spread throughout Europe. These gardens were an art form that symbolized renaissance thought but also were just a beautiful and enjoyable place to be.

 

If you are interested in Italian renaissance gardens read more at: http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/i/italian-renaissance-villas-and-gardens/

 

 

Image Sources in the order they appear

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Villa_d%27Este_01.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pienza
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304259304576373020703249648


 

Religion and Gardens

Because religion is an important part of culture are and gardens a cultural element, gardens can be easily linked to religious beliefs. Roman, Medieval and Muslim gardens all say something about religious beliefs and practices in very beautiful ways. The role of religion in culture and everyday life can be reflected directly through gardens.

Figure 1

Roman gardens were a place where people went for otium. When Romans had had enough negotium or business they were able to retreat to their peristyle gardens (figure 1). Otium was a time to relax outside of the busy work day but it didn’t just mean sitting in a garden like a bump on a log. A garden was a place where Romans went to better their minds by discussing philosophy and literature and also paying homage to their gods. Gods such as Pan or Dynosius were often featured in peristyle gardens because they were the Greek Gods of pasture and harvest and wine. The reason they featured Greek gods in their gardens was because not only because their gods were very similar but it also meant that one had knowledge of the classics. To have a knowledge of classical Greek literature you had to be educated which meant that only the upper class was fully able to appreciate the statues of nymphs that allured one to come play in the forest, which in this case was the garden (figure 2). This way of displaying Gods reflected the symbiotic relationship that Romans had with their Gods. The Romans would worship their gods but expect something in return. Religious statues in Roman peristyle gardens were not used as the central focus point. This reflects the idea that the upper class planted gardens that focused on cultural values that coincided with education and class status and not strictly as a place to spend time devoting to Gods.  

Figure 2

Medieval gardens were also a reflection of cultural values. You might be thinking that medieval culture sounds dull and even non-existant but this couldn’t be further from the truth! They simply had different values, many of which can be seen in their gardens. Monastic utilitarian herb gardens, cloister gardens, large scale hunting parks, vineyards and orchards, and romantic gardens were all characteristic of the medieval ages. The romantic garden was an especially interesting place during the medieval ages. They often had four quadrants in a cruciform pattern which was symbolic of the four rivers in the garden in Eden. There were evergreen plants that symbolized the tree of life and there were also many flowers that were symbolic of the Virgin Mary. Lillies represented her purity, yellow flowers represented her glowing soul, the red rose symbolized the crown of thorns and violets her humility. Paintings of these gardens are important because art during this time was very symbolic. It wasn’t that people in the medieval ages didn’t know how to paint or draw, but creating a naturalistic human was less important than showing that God and religion were paramount (figure 3). The combination of chilvary and the cultural and religious importance of virginity and purity led to courtly love. Courting in a romantic garden was probably a rather fun past time. These gardens were an enclosed place where lords and ladies could escape the confines of a dark and dirty castle. It was a place to walk under arbors and sit on turf seats with chamomile and let the romance begin (while being surrounded by pure white lilies and the Virgin Mary of course).

 

Figure 3

 

Muslim gardens are my personal favorite. I think this is because of their explicit focus on beauty. Muslims believe that God is beautiful and that God loves beauty. To create beautiful things is a form of devotion which is why art and beauty are deeply important. Another key concept is that beauty is without arrogance because when you create beauty you do it to please god. Arabesque geometry and calligraphy are three important elements in Muslim art that can also be found in Muslim gardens. One of the reasons beauty was manifested in gardens was by attempting to create the garden of paradise that is promised in the afterlife. These gardens were meant to be everything the desert wasn’t. They were shady and cool and had beautiful water features (figure 4). These gardens were meant to be an earthy paradise much like the one they were promised in the afterlife. The gardens even followed the blue print given in the Koran. They often had four sections, were geometric, were enclosed and had fruit trees near the wall. The water features provide cool air and the trees, shade. The surrounding architecture is geometric and the arabesque design is beautifully intricate (figure 5)

Figure 4

 

 

Figure 5

 

 

Picture Sources

Figure 1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_gardens

Figure 2: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chirk_Castle_garden_statue_2008-06-26_14-02.jpg  

Figure 3: http://retrofantasy.missyeh.nl/blog/history-of-gardening-%E2%80%93-medieval-gardens/

Figure 3: http://www.spain-holiday.com/blog/wandering-in-granada-a-fresh-look-at-the-alhambra.php

Figure 4: http://www.nehomemag.com/blog/rosalia-sanni-water-landscape

 

 

 

 

More than just flowers!

 

Gardens have always been an intrinsic part of European culture. Although gardens are part of culture they also are shaped by culture. Gardens began with Sumerian hunting parks and Egyptian gardens as a place where one could find and enjoy a unique and important escape. As ideas and cultures were shared and spread throughout the world gardens continue to be an intrinsic part of European culture today. Current gardens are always influenced by past gardens but how a culture chooses different aspects of different garden styles can show a lot about changes in society.

 

The long history of gardens and how they change and adapt over time are evidence that gardens are an important aspect of culture. Differences in styles of gardens reflect changes and differences in society over time. One example of this is the difference between formal and informal gardens. Baroque gardens were highly formal gardens that were precisely trimmed and controlled and very orderly. This was seen as a direct reflection of the King’s power. This type of garden was meant to show someone’s power and status. An English Romantic garden was much less formal. These gardens were popular during a time that revolted against aristocratic social and political norms and instead focused largely on the importance of nature. Below is a picture of the juxtaposition between an English Romantic garden with a winding path that moves around the Earth’s natural features and a Baroque Garden with very straight paths and beds at Frederiksborg Castle in Denmark (Figure 1).

Figure 1

Besides the history and culture, something about a garden can just make people happy. (Of course I am saying this with my own pre-determined cultural perceptions of nature being pure and healthy and good) Gardens are an oasis that can provide an escape from everyday life. They can be beautiful, peaceful, and useful. Not to mention watching things bloom and grow is simply amazing! Whether gardens were being used as herbries (Figure 2) for medicinal purposes in the medieval ages, or for Ashurbanipal to hunt lions in his paradise (Figure 3), they have remained an important cultural aspect in and around Europe.

 

Figure 2. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sqxJOqJoVA/ToY3oyf7khI/AAAAAAAAEKk/PsuWmXPY_OA/s400/herb-garden.jpg

Figure 3. http://www.ancientreplicas.com/king-hunting-2-o.jpg

 

For a cool website and farm that uses gardens to make a living... check out Green Hope "farm" in New Hampshire and see how beautiful this place is!

http://greenhopeessences.com/