Gardens are a joint work of man and nature, an artistic expression based on plant life, which the artist-gardener modulates to create deep sensations and emotions. The Art of Gardens, like the Art of Music, needs other collaborations to fully manifest itself. A score contains a work of art that is not revealed until the violinist, the pianist, or the orchestra performs it. This is also the case in the Art of Theatre, where it is the actors and the director who bring the work of art to life.
In the Art of the Garden, the artist and the plants also need an interpreter, the gardener. In gardens in the Latin tradition, the geometric and formal composition is patiently accompanied by the man-gardener. In the irregularly shaped gardens of the northern traditions, man proposes and nature arranges. In these, the role of the gardener is reduced to a minimum, to a silent guardian of the artistic values of the gardens.
Montse Rivero, teacher of the Postgraduate Diploma in Garden Art and Design
Image: Stefano Baroni
Stefano Baroni