THE NEW AESTHETIC OF MODERNISM  Charles-Edouard Jeanneret:

 Modernism in landscape architecture refers to the o Applied the International Style to residential
rejection of traditional styles and approaches and design
the embrace of functionalism. o House -> “machine for living”
 The new aesthetic overcame the eclectic mix of o Villa Savoye: raised up on pilotis (columns)
historical styles that was prevalent at the turn of the and disconnected from the landscape
century.  Nature functioned as a romantic
 Modern designers articulated in their work values backdrop for architecture
that were democratic, accessible, and reflective of a
Early influences on modernist gardens
new more casual lifestyle.
 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs
 Landscape designs were antiaxial and
et Industriels Modernes (Paris)
omnidirectional, and incorporated nontraditional
o Art Deco
materials, abstract shapes, and sculpture.
o The temp. “viewing” gardens had an
o Designers employed plants and sculptures
enormous influence on early 20th century
purely for aesthetic impact, not their
landscape design.
associative meanings.
 Gabriel Guevrekian
The international style o Garden of Water and Light
 Designers were optimistic about the role of machine- o Modern Persian Garden
age technology and saw its potential to encourage o Based on the use of triangular forms and
healthy and leisurely lifestyles. reflective surfaces, as well as on optical
 Architectural theorists promoted an International color theories that created the illusion of a
Style that expressed industrial materials and 3-D painting
processes and that was free of any trace of o The plan formed a large triangle, broken up
authority, hierarchy, social class, or vernacular by triangular planting beds and triangular
flavor. pools of water. The surrounding “fence” was
o Objects and spaces expressed utilitarian compose of tinted glass triangles. A rotating
functions. spherical sculpture was made of faceted
o Ornamentation was unnecessary; design reflective glass.
elements had to be purposeful. o conceptual artistic statement: plants
 “FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION” functioned as abstract masses of color
o The Bauhaus (Dessau, Germany)  Villa Noalles: “cubist garden” ->
 stressed the unity of art, industry, created the illusion of representing
and nature multiple points of view all at once
 Students explored the use of  Fletcher Steele
industrial materials and o His work can be seen as a link between
technologies (less expensive -> more Beaux-Arts formality and modernism
egalitarian aesthetic) o His purity of line, fluid geometric forms, and
 Walter Gropius: founder and use of color typify the Art Deco style.
director (1925-1933) of the o Naumkeag (Stockbridge, Massachusetts)
Bauhaus. He became the head of the  Illustrated a new conception of the
Graduate School of Design at landscape as a setting for outdoor
Harvard (1933) and brought the living
International Style to America.  30 years
 German Pavilion  Rose Garden, Afternoon Garden,
o Ludwig Miles van der Rohe Blue Stdeps
o Barcelona Exposition (1929)  Christopher Tunnard
o The archetype of modern spatial o Wrote a book entitled Gardens in the
composition Modern Landscape: the garden as a social
 Its open floor plan and modular concept; functional requirements dictated
system of support created a new form
sense of space (interpenetrating o Advocated asymmetrical balance and a
vertical and horizontal planes) harmony of indoor and outdoor spaces
Midcentury modernists in America  Dan Kiley
 Thomas Church o Demonstrated a concern with form and
o Beaux-Arts trained landscape architect spatial hierarchy
whose practice primarily focused on o Used strong geometries to order the
residential design landscape and was able to achieve a sense of
o Gardens are for People (book, 1955) directionality
 Consider foremost the needs of the o Developed a style characterized by the use
client in designing landscape spaces of overlapping planes and repeated
 Provided practical advice to modules to create a dynamic
homeowners about how to exploit interpenetration of landscape space
unique aspects of a site o Miller Garden (Columbus, Indiana; 1955)
o He employed line, texture, and form in  Offset axes, long allees, and
asymmetrical compositions that were both rectilinear forms
pragmatic and artistic settings for family life
and casual entertaining Modern maverick
o Hallmark: patterning of the ground plane,  Lawrence Halprin
w/ emphasis on the structure of space rather o His work serves as bridge between the
than the planting modernist and environmental design
 He often juxtaposed curvilinear and movements
blomorphic forms against o RSVP Cycles: Creative Processes in the
orthogonal shaped Human Environment (book, 1969)
o Donnell Garden (Sonoma, Californina)  Outlined his ideas about the
 Garrett Eckbo relationship between humans and
o Dedicated to providing affordable, nature
functional and dynamic landscapes for  A holistic site analysis was integral to
middle-class families the development of a successful
o Landscape for Living & The Art of Home design
Landscaping (books, 1950 & 1956) o Developed an original technique for
 Provided guidance appropriate for “scoring” the landscape that maps natural,
the design of small-scale spaces social, and cultural patterns
o Organization & Composition of Space: focus o One of the first advocates for citizen
of the garden participation in the design process
o Developed plans based on user needs and o Sea Ranch (Gualala, California)
functional spatial relationships  An excellent example of his
o One of the first landscape architects to rebel commitment to working
against the Beaux-Arts formalism collaboratively w/ other
o Inspired by contemporary cultural trends professionals and w/ the forces of
(jazz, fashion, film, art) nature
o Concerned with progressive causes and  Clustered the houses and tucked
socially conscious design them into slopes to preserve open
o Farm Security Administration space, maintain view corridors and
 Designed migrant-worker housing provide shelter from the wind
and community centers o Valued urban life and promoted the
o Alcoa Forecast Garden (1959) revitalization and greening of cities.
 Laurel Canyon, California o Public Plaza in San Francisco
 Financed by the Aluminum Company  Old Ghirardell Chocolate Factory
of California  One of the first examples of
 Demonstrate how the new material successful adaptive reuse
could be used in residential o Ira Keller Fountain (Portland, Oregon)
applications o Freeway Park (Seattle, Washington)
o Used his own backyard to showcase his o Levi Strauss Plaza (San Francisco, California)
innovative design solutions (aluminum o FDR Memorial (Washington, DC)
screens, trellises, and fountain)
 Environmental art  Fernando Caruncho (Mas de les Voltes, Spain)
o Wheat Parterres: reinterpreted the
Nature as medium
ferme ornee
 LArchs became more focused on corporate culture
o Structures the landscape with agrarian
(1960s)
geometry, combining plants, water, and
 Environmental artists work w/ the earth as their
mineral elements
medium.
 Earthworks: large-scale landscape interventions that
required heavy machinery to realize; often in remote
locations, distance and solitude became part of the
experience
 Robert Smithson
o Spiral Jetty (Great Salt Lake, Utah)
 Andy Goldsworthy
o Works w/ nature and time to construct
temporary sculptures
o Uses natural materials (ice, leaves, stones,
wood) found on a particular site to create
patterns and forms in the landscape
 Env. Art & Land Art: gave visual expression to
ecological processes and brought the idea of the
landscape as an expressive medium
Artistic trends in lands. Design
 A focus on form-giving through the manipulation of
color, texture and line
 Burle Marx
o A Brazilian landscape designer whose work
reflected his interests in botany and
planting.
o Treated the ground plane as a canvas on w/c
he painted abstract compositions w/ colorful
masses of typical native plants
o Monteiro/Fernandes Garden (1948)
 Treats the space as a purely visual
experience
o Banco Safra Plaza (Sao Paulo, Brazil)
 Barragan
o Mexican architect known for his colorful,
minimalist, spatial compositions
o Used walls to subdivide landscape
space in a way that recalled the
courtyards of the Alhambra (Spain)
o Horse Farm (San Cristobal)
 Kathryn Gustafson
o Folds and pleats the ground plane like
fabric
 Patricia Johanson (Dallas, Texas)
o Translates organic forms into built
elements
o Leaonhardt Lagoon: translated the form
of an aquatic plant into a path system at
Fair Park