Landscapes. Le Nôtre's Legacy.
South Acts| N° d'inventaire | 23485 |
| Format | 20 x 25 |
| Détails | 336 p., paperback. |
| Publication | Arles, 2021 |
| Etat | Nine |
| ISBN | 9782330147051 |
What we remember today about classical gardens is often the opposite of what André Le Nôtre (1613-1700) brought to landscape and garden art. The landscape thinking of this designer in his own right is not reduced to parterres drawn with a ruler or monotonous perspectives, but opens up to the organization of the territory, to the networking of the different spatial entities that make up the estates, to urban planning. Speaking today of Le Nôtre as the "father" of contemporary landscapers could seem totally anachronistic, almost an appropriation a posteriori. During his lifetime, the designer of the gardens of Louis XIV was never called a "landscape artist" because this word indicated at the time a "landscape painter". It was not until the 19th century that the term "park and garden designer" appeared alongside this first definition, and it was not until the 20th century that the latter entered dictionaries and everyday language. However, Le Nôtre is part of the history of French landscape architects as a representative of the disciplinary field in which this training has its origins - the art of gardens - and as the creator of principles of composition so current that they could be considered "universal". There is indeed a form of contemporaneity in Le Nôtre's work. And, conversely, there are echoes of Le Nôtre's approach in the work of many landscape architects. In particular, in the way of capturing the genius of the place, of inscribing a new development there by crossing scales, from the garden to the territory and from the city to the countryside. This work presents the contributions of different specialists - landscape architects, researchers, artists, etc. - who question the approach of this emblematic figure and his legacy. Le Nôtre's work is questioned in the light of ecology, regional planning, and our relationship with history and nature. Thus, the designer of the gardens of Versailles is sometimes a pretext, sometimes a formidable driving force for reinventing the world.
What we remember today about classical gardens is often the opposite of what André Le Nôtre (1613-1700) brought to landscape and garden art. The landscape thinking of this designer in his own right is not reduced to parterres drawn with a ruler or monotonous perspectives, but opens up to the organization of the territory, to the networking of the different spatial entities that make up the estates, to urban planning. Speaking today of Le Nôtre as the "father" of contemporary landscapers could seem totally anachronistic, almost an appropriation a posteriori. During his lifetime, the designer of the gardens of Louis XIV was never called a "landscape artist" because this word indicated at the time a "landscape painter". It was not until the 19th century that the term "park and garden designer" appeared alongside this first definition, and it was not until the 20th century that the latter entered dictionaries and everyday language. However, Le Nôtre is part of the history of French landscape architects as a representative of the disciplinary field in which this training has its origins - the art of gardens - and as the creator of principles of composition so current that they could be considered "universal". There is indeed a form of contemporaneity in Le Nôtre's work. And, conversely, there are echoes of Le Nôtre's approach in the work of many landscape architects. In particular, in the way of capturing the genius of the place, of inscribing a new development there by crossing scales, from the garden to the territory and from the city to the countryside. This work presents the contributions of different specialists - landscape architects, researchers, artists, etc. - who question the approach of this emblematic figure and his legacy. Le Nôtre's work is questioned in the light of ecology, regional planning, and our relationship with history and nature. Thus, the designer of the gardens of Versailles is sometimes a pretext, sometimes a formidable driving force for reinventing the world.