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Designing a garden was seen as an intellectual pursuit, and often took a lifetime to perfect. The garden was an unfinished work constantly under revision and improvement. In its aesthetic goals and the symbolism employed, it was closely linked to activities such as Chinese painting.
To an individual of cultivated tastes, the scholars' gardens of the Ming represented a culmination of many values expressed in other art forms like painting, calligraphy, and poetry. Landscape painting in particular was very influential on garden design.
The aesthetic goals of a Chinese garden were not the same as those in typical Western gardens. Compare below two views of the same garden, the Garden of the Artless Official, located in Suzhou, Jiangsu province.
What seem to be the dominant elements or most distinctive features?
Are these different from parks or gardens with which you are more familiar? |
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A corner of the Garden of the Artless Official
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What positive value do you think disorder might play in a Chinese garden? |
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Compare the Treebark pavilion (above) with the view through this gate in a city garden.
How do they each take advantage of the natural surroundings?
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What might be some reasons for undulating walkways or walls in a garden like the one on the right?
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Special thought was given to planning the Chinese garden for year-round enjoyment. It was thought that the garden should have a distinct look in each different season of the year.
How do you think the planners incorporated this preference into their final design of this garden? |
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Move on to Garden of the Master of Nets
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