Aesthetics of the Garden

 

 

 

Wang Tingyun (1151-1202 AD), Secluded Bamboo and Withered Tree                      

SOURCE:  Zhongguo meishu quanji, Huihua bian3: Liang Song huihua, shang (Beijing: Wenwu chubanshe, 1988), p. l 57, p. 158. Collection of Fujii Yurinkan, Kyoto.  Section of handscroll, 15"h.

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?

A corner of the Garden of the Artless Official    

 
SOURCE:  Photograph courtesy of Jerome Silbergeld.

Bird's eye view of Garden of the Artless Official

SOURCE:  Liu Dunzhen. Suzhou gudian yuanlin (Nanjing: Zhongguo jianzhu gongye chubanshe, 1979).

An overall impression of tidiness and precision rarely strikes the visitor to a Chinese garden. Unlike its Japanese counterpart, the Chinese garden is enjoyed for its apparent disorder. Most gardens try to incorporate aspects of rusticity and spontaneity inherent in nature. This is a similar goal to that found in many Chinese paintings where subjects, such as gnarled trees or rigid bamboo (see the painting at the top of this page), are often chosen for their character. 

Treebark pavilion, Chongqing (Sichuan province)                              

SOURCE:  Pan Guxi, ed., Zhongguo meishu quanji, Jianzhu yishu 3: Yuanlin jianzhu (Beijing: Zhongguo jianzhu gongye chubanshe, 1988), p. 181.  Rustic pavilion, Green Wall Mountain Pavilion, Guan county, Sichuan province.

What positive value do you think disorder might play in a Chinese garden?

The personality of the garden's designer determined to a large extent the types of buildings, plants, and other features that were selected. The exterior environment might also influence how rustic or elegant a garden was in its architecture and decorative details.

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?

HINT:  Consider the ways views are framed by these different architectural structures.

Moon gate, Garden of the Artless Official, Suzhou

SOURCE:  Pan Guxi, ed., Zhongguo meishu quanji, Jianzhu yishu bian 3: Yuanlin jianzhu (Beijing: Zhongguo jianzhu gongye chubanshe, 1988), pl. 88, p. 90.

Another preference in garden design is to use shapes that metaphorically refer to elements in nature; some of the subtlest examples of this practice are also the most highly appreciated. The wall opening, above, is one example of an allusion to nature.

What might be some reasons for undulating walkways or walls in a garden like the one on the right?

ANSWER:  Like pavilions, crooked pathways are intended to make a visitor slow down to better appreciate views.  In terms of fengshui, undulating paths prevent bad spirits, who can only travel in straight lines, from progressing forward.

Wall and bamboo at the Shrine of Count Wu (Zhuge Liang), Chengdu (Sichuan province)  

SOURCE:  Pan Guxi, ed., Zhongguo meishu quanji, Jianzhu yishu bian 3: Yuanlin jianzhu (Beijing: Zhongguo jianzhu gongye chubanshe, 1988), p. 176.

Covered walkway at the Garden of the Master of Nets, Suzhou 

(Jiangsu province)                                                                     

SOURCE:  Pan Guxi, ed., Zhongguo meishu quanji, Jianzhu yishu bian 3: Yuanlin jianzhu (Beijing: Zhongguo jianzhu gongye chubanshe, 1988), p. 107.

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?

Rejoicing in the West Tower, Chongqing (Sichuan province)

SOURCE:  Pan Guxi, ed., Zhongguo meishu quanji, Jianzhu yishu 3: Yuanlin jianzhu (Beijing: Zhongguo jianzhu gongye chubanshe, 1988), pl. 88, p. 90.  Autumn scenery viewed from Rejoicing in the West Tower, Chongqing (Sichuan province).

 

Move on to Garden of the Master of Nets