Garden designers all know that a landscape is indeed a composition -- one composed of line and harmony, scale and rhythm, and many other elements -- a two-dimensional symphony on paper that comes alive outside in 3-D. Now, one of the classic books on garden design, Envisioning the Garden: Line, Scale, Distance, Form, Color, and Meaning
In Mallet's view, designing a garden is all about seeing. As he puts it in the introduction, "We should ... try to understand how human vision 'works'; which optical effects open up broad prospects to the human spirit, and which ones, in contrast, lock it up in a cage."
With numerous drawings and photographs, Mallet explains why a garden should be composed like a painting; why people find pleasing proportions deeply satisfying; and why one misplaced "line" can make life almost unbearable.
The explanation of design is very simple, but it's explained in an entirely new way, i.e. finding a way to make the eyes leave the ground, perhaps through artistic pruning of tree branches that lift the eyes skyward.
Mallet covers all the details in garden design. Arches, he says, can be used right-side up or upside down, to different effect. He shows you how to integrate curved and straight lines, how to open or close a space, the use of a spiral or helix, perspective (true and false), distance, shadow and light.
To manage space, Mallet propounds some useful rules: large in front of small, jagged in front of oval and round, vertical in front of horizontal, glossy in front of matte. It may seem counter-intuitive, but when you look at the photographs, you'll be sold on his ideas.
In the conclusion to the book, Mallet argues that what the eye sees is transmitted through the brain, where it's converted into myriad emotions: a sense of wonder, respect for nature, joy and harmony, rejuvenation and happiness.
Every designer, and even homeowners who want to understand the garden-making process, should have a copy of this book. It will transform the way you "see" design and give deeper meaning to your work.
It's a wonderful book and highly recommended.
Posted by: judith tankard | June 06, 2011 at 02:43 AM