up:: [[CKLA330 - Landscape Design Studio]] tags:: #source/course #on/design #on/landscape_design # CKLA330 M6 - Precedent Design Study Passion for landscape design drives us to explore outdoor spaces, and precedent studies offer inspiration by examining other designers' work. To initiate a precedent study, it is *crucial to develop a strategy, possibly starting with urban small-scale projects or individual landscape* designers who inspire. Consider exploring specific styles, eras, locations, or landscape types. Establish a personalized research approach. When designing outdoor spaces, studying precedent gardens and understanding the design philosophies of others is vital. In this context, we will delve into the secret gardens of Innisfree and the artistic expressions of renowned figures such as Roberto Burle Marx, Andy Goldsworthy, Robert Smithson, and Frederick Law Olmsted. #### Central Park [[Frederick Law Olmsted]], recognized as the father of American Landscape Architecture, played a pivotal role in shaping [[Central Park (New York City)]] alongside English architect [[Calvert Vaux]]. The design competition they entered resulted in a landscape that embraced naturally occurring features, reflecting Olmsted's emphasis on the pastoral and picturesque styles. The pastoral landscape featured open fields and lakes, while the picturesque incorporated rock outcrops, shrubs, and ground covers to enhance nature's fullness. Olmsted's vision for landscape architecture drew inspiration from the eighteenth-century English Landscape School, particularly influenced by theorists Price and Gilpin. Price delved into the origins of the sublime and the beautiful, *seeking to liberate landscaping from the picturesque*. He considered elements like a lightning-struck tree or a hill torn by floods, defining them as picturesque rather than beautiful or sublime. In the development of Central Park, Olmsted undertook a monumental task, moving ten million horse-cart loads of earth to establish a harmonious relationship between nature and people. This effort earned him the title of America's first earthwork artist, with Central Park being a solidly grounded masterpiece. Olmsted's understanding of *glacial geology influenced his decision to expose the underlying granite within the park*, adding another layer of depth to the landscape. **Key Points:** 1. Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux designed Central Park, emphasizing naturally occurring features in their landscape architecture. 2. Olmsted drew inspiration from the eighteenth-century English Landscape School, particularly theorists Price and Gilpin. 3. Price's ideas focused on distinguishing between the beautiful, sublime, and picturesque in landscaping. 4. In Central Park's creation, Olmsted moved vast amounts of earth to establish a balanced relationship between nature and people. 5. Olmsted's extensive earthwork earned him the title of America's first earthwork artist. 6. Central Park's design is deeply rooted in the earth, showcasing Olmsted's meticulous approach. 7. Olmsted considered glacial geology, exposing the underlying granite within the park for added geological significance. #### Innisfree Gardens Innisfree Gardens, located in Millbrook, New York, is a unique landscape designed in the Chinese style by artist [[Walter Beck]] and later connected by landscape architect [[Lester Collins]]. The garden integrates ancient oriental design techniques with the American landscape, creating a harmonious and artistic environment. The underlying philosophy of landscape as art guides the composition of intimate gardens that coexist with the natural features, offering scenes of distinctive beauty. Beck aimed to infuse the American landscape with a fresh and creative impulse using wise oriental design principles, emphasizing moments of contemplation. The garden is a series of interwoven, discrete compositions inspired by the lessons of 18th-century Chinese painter and garden builder [[Wang Wei]]. **Key Points:** - Located in Millbrook, New York. - Designed by Walter Beck and connected by Lester Collins in the Chinese landscape style. - Based on 18th-century paintings of Wang Wei, a Chinese poet and landscape painter. - Landscape as art philosophy guides the garden's creation. - Intimate gardens coexist with natural features, emphasizing unique beauty. - Beck aimed to give the American landscape a creative impulse using oriental design principles. - Chinese philosophy emphasizes contemplative spaces and natural processes. - The term "cup garden" coined by Beck to describe three-dimensional pictures in Innisfree. - Each cup garden is a harmoniously composed living picture, respecting the fragile ecosystem. - Lester Collins interprets Chinese garden art by weaving an experience of Beck's gardens. - Total landscape seen as a large cup garden encompassing many smaller ones. #### Roberto Burle Marx [[Roberto Burle Marx]], a versatile Brazilian artist, excelled as a landscape architect, painter, ecologist, naturalist, and musician. His artistic vision was deeply rooted in nature, exemplified by his design of parks and gardens. Burle Marx's unique approach involved using *large masses of the same color plants and native species*, showcasing his expertise in sculptural plant forms. He prioritized *light as a crucial element* in his designs, acknowledging its transformative effects on landscapes. Beyond aesthetics, Burle Marx's genius lay in his ecological consciousness, actively incorporating *endangered species into his work and advocating for environmental preservation*. **Key Points:** - Roberto Burle Marx: Brazilian landscape architect, painter, ecologist, naturalist, artist, and musician. - Design Style: Nature-based; avoided mixing flower colors, utilized large masses of the same color plants. - Use of Native Plants: Demonstrated skill in working with the sculptural form of plants, prioritized native species. - Emphasis on Light: Considered light as the most important natural factor, acknowledged its constant change in landscapes. - Ecological Awareness: Active in saving the Brazilian rainforest, incorporated endangered species into his gardens. - Artistic and Ecological Unity: Merged artistic and ecological concerns, viewed landscape architecture as an art form. - Three-Dimensional Compositions: Deep understanding of plant life cycles enabled envisioning three-dimensional compositions. - Nature as Medium: Used natural topography and elements as materials for construction, freeing himself from architectural constraints. - Juxtaposition of Texture, Materials, and Color: Fascination with enhancing visual unity through compositions. #### Andy Goldsworthy [[Andy Goldsworthy]] is an artist known for using the natural environment as his medium, creating *outdoor sculptures with materials like flowers, leaves, mud, snow, twigs, and rocks*. His process, art making, and photography are showcased in the 2001 documentary "Rivers and Tides." Goldsworthy's work revolves around the study and discovery of beauty in the natural environment, exploring the *qualities of place, land and water patterns, local cycles, and plant color and texture*. By collaborating with nature, he enhances inherent qualities of sites, creating unique, site-specific artworks that reflect the feeling of a particular place. Common themes in his work include shock, resistance of materials, weather, and energy. **Key Points:** - Andy Goldsworthy is an artist using landscape and photography as his medium. - Materials for his work include colored flowers, leaves, mud, snow, twigs, and rocks. - He works with bare hands and found tools to arrange materials. - Subject of the 2001 documentary "Rivers and Tides" showcasing his process. - Goldsworthy explores beauty in the natural environment, focusing on place, land patterns, cycles, and plant qualities. - He collaborates with nature, using materials like snow, ice, bark, rock, and twigs for site-specific sculptures. - Common themes include shock, resistance, weather, and energy in his works. - His art emphasizes the importance of energy and space around materials. - Goldsworthy's works are deeply rooted in place, becoming part of the landscape. - Goldsworthy aims to understand the total site, not just isolated materials, celebrating nature and the human connection to the earth. #### Robert Smithson [[Robert Smithson]], influenced by [[Frederick Law Olmsted]] and the picturesque landscape movement, was a multifaceted artist known for his contributions to land art. One of his notable projects, [[Spiral Jetty]], involved creating a basalt rock spiral jetty into the Great Salt Lake in Utah, documented through film. Smithson's impact extended beyond his artistic endeavors, as he produced theoretical and critical writings crucial to the land art movement. His ideas on the interconnection of art and ecology, demonstrated through sculptures like Spiral Jetty, were highly influential. Smithson *defied artistic limitations, working with diverse mediums such as metal, plastic, wood, minerals, asphalt, concrete, glue, and paper*. Photography played a central role in his art, used in collages, montages, sequences, films, and standalone photographs. **Key Points:** - Influences: Frederick Law Olmsted, picturesque landscape movement. - Notable Project: Spiral Jetty – basalt rock spiral jetty into Great Salt Lake, Utah. - Documentation: Filmed the construction of Spiral Jetty. - Contributions: Theoretical and critical writings significant to land art movement. - Artistic Range: Painter, sculptor, theorist, filmmaker, earth mover, photographer, and visionary. - Mediums: Metal, plastic, wood, minerals, asphalt, concrete, glue, and paper. - Photography: Integral to Smithson's art, used in various forms. - Impact: Influential in American sculpture, art theory, criticism, and photography. - Challenging Traditions: Smithson challenged formal and traditional art concepts. - Earthworks Movement: Central figure, pushing the limits of three-dimensional art. #### Jens Jensen **Summary:** [[Jens Jensen]], an American landscape architect, envisioned a *future city where automobiles are excluded*, replaced by public conveyance and a revival of walking as a healthy necessity. He believed in designing cities with *sufficient space for motor cars inside buildings, avoiding the unpleasant sight of streets lined with automobiles*. Jensen's views on urban planning aimed at preserving architectural beauty and promoting a return to the art of walking. In his career, Jensen pioneered the use of native plants in gardens, particularly in the northwestern landscape, symbolizing artistic freedom and a protest against dominant American culture. His success stemmed from an intense study of the mid-western landscape and prairie flora, emphasizing the use of living materials and expressing a time dimension in his art. Jensen's principles, based on climate, terrain, and available plant materials, remained consistent throughout his career as a garden designer. Jensen's significant contribution lies in creating masterpieces of landscape design in the *naturalistic-romantic tradition*, influenced by the English landscape school. His landscapes, characterized by directness, honesty, and deceptive simplicity, were a creative approach to the American landscape. Jensen's inspiration came from his intense response to nature, and he sought to convey "The genius of the place" in his landscapes. His strength lay in his mastery of space, sensitivity to light, shade, color, and texture, making his landscaping theory ecologically sound. **Key Points:** * Jens Jensen envisioned a future city without automobiles, relying on public conveyance and walking. * He advocated for sufficient space inside buildings for motor cars, avoiding streets lined with automobiles. * Jensen pioneered the use of native plants in gardens, particularly in the northwestern landscape. * His success was based on an intense study of the mid-western landscape and prairie flora. * Jensen's principles remained consistent, depending on climate, terrain, and available plant materials. * He created masterpieces in the naturalistic-romantic tradition, influenced by the English landscape school. * Jensen's landscapes were characterized by directness, honesty, and deceptive simplicity. * His inspiration came from an intense response to nature, seeking to convey "The genius of the place." * Jensen's strength lay in his mastery of space, sensitivity to light, shade, color, and texture. * He established "The Clearing" school, conveying the message of conservation and emphasizing contact with nature. * Jensen's vision stressed life-giving values in the native landscape and the necessity for wilderness conservation.