Book Description
British gardens-from the historic to the most contemporary-have long been a source of inspiration for artists. The lovely works featured in Art of the Garden span three centuries and range in media from traditional watercolors and oils to digitally enhanced photography and installation art. Turner, Constable, Bacon, Freud, Hume, Quinn: all of these artists have, at some point, returned to this most beloved of subjects and explored it in their individual way.
A unique mix of authors has contributed to the book, examining subjects as varied as the cross-fertilization between painting and design in the work of key garden designers and radical new takes on the garden in the work of contemporary artists. The book also features a gazetteer of artists' gardens, including those of James Tissot, Barbara Hepworth, Patrick Heron, Ian Hamilton Finlay, and Derek Jarman. AUTHOR BIO: Stephen Daniels is professor of cultural geography at Nottingham University. Martin Postle is a senior curator at Tate. Nicholas Alfrey is a senior lecturer in art history at Nottingham University.
About the Author
Stephen Daniels is professor of cultural geography at Nottingham University. Martin Postle is a senior curator at Tate. Nicholas Alfrey is a senior lecturer in art history at Nottingham University.
Art of the Garden FROM THE PUBLISHER
British gardens-from the historic to the most contemporary-have long been a source of inspiration for artists. The lovely works featured in Art of the Garden span three centuries and range in media from traditional watercolors and oils to digitally enhanced photography and installation art. Turner, Constable, Bacon, Freud, Hume, Quinn: all of these artists have, at some point, returned to this most beloved of subjects and explored it in their individual way.
A unique mix of authors has contributed to the book, examining subjects as varied as the cross-fertilization between painting and design in the work of key garden designers and radical new takes on the garden in the work of contemporary artists. The book also features a gazetteer of artists' gardens, including those of James Tissot, Barbara Hepworth, Patrick Heron, Ian Hamilton Finlay, and Derek Jarman.
Author Bio: Stephen Daniels is professor of cultural geography at Nottingham University. Martin Postle is a senior curator at Tate. Nicholas Alfrey is a senior lecturer in art history at Nottingham University.
FROM THE CRITICS
Library Journal
These are not your typical books about gardens. While each has its own perspective on the garden, conceptually and by design, both enjoy staking the garden as a place that is honored by artists or can become art. Art of the Garden, which accompanies an exhibition of the same name at Tate Britain, is a well-intentioned but weak assemblage of many painters' appreciation of gardens. It does feature some well-known art (often reproduced on too small a scale) but adds little to the greater bibliography of gardening. Many other books (e.g., Roy Strong's The Artist and the Garden) offer visually rich examples of plantings, design, and the art of gardening. The title of Padon's book is somewhat misleading since it is less about gardens and more a stage for edgy photographs about plants, remote vegetation, and parks. Padon (Nancy Graves) may have discovered a new niche, but the book he has assembled is a poor start. Unfocused images and extreme closeups prove more unnerving than revealing. A big, isolated tree and even a photograph of an electric chair all stretch the meaning of "garden," which would be fine if it opened up possibilities and understanding. This seems more an effort to dissociate a garden from its aesthetic pleasures and natural beauty. All in all, these are clumsy volumes that set out to overintellectualize gardens. Not recommended.-David Bryant, New Canaan Lib., CT Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Art & Photography
Book Info
