Explain, with examples, the ways in which the
Renaissance spirit of a rediscovery of the classics and the new Humanist ways
of thinking were expressed in the design and content of the Italian Renaissance
garden.
The Humanist system of thinking and
learning that characterized the Italian Renaissance grew out of a renewed
interest in the classics, specifically art, culture and academics of the Romans
and the Greeks. Humanism, as the name may suggest, focused on the human
experience when evaluating (and re-evaluating) bodies of knowledge or creating
new works. Humanism influenced all areas of the Renaissance, but especially
aided in creating the Italian Renaissance garden.
Because of
the way Humanism elevated the experience of man and sought to reevaluate man’s
(“man” also becomes “Man” with Humanism, and if that doesn’t drive the point
home I don’t know what does) relationship with God and Nature. This “looking
outward” evaluation of man’s place among the perceived greater forces of the
world are perhaps most reflected in the Renaissance garden with the elimination
of walls that were characteristic of the Medieval garden. Rather than being a
place of silent prayer or inward deliberation, the Italian Renaissance garden
became again a place for thinking, relaxation and escape, but thinking in
particular about the world and how man is involved. This is typified by the use
of terraces and lack of walls to elevate the viewer for best observation—and
contemplation—of the landscape, which quite literally represented God and
Nature. The use of terraces also made the garden appealing to look at, which
comes from the classical ideal that a garden is a place to be looked at and
looked from.
An example of a terraced garden. The home, garden and the surrounding landscape (not pictured): to be looked at. Top of the terrace: to be looked from.
With the newly deemed importance of man came the need to
boast, and what better way to boast about your humanly importance than to
create a magnificent garden? While terraces may have been the backbone of Renaissance
garden magnificence, it was the content of the garden that really made a garden
magnificent. Grottoes, elaborate fountains, water organs, ponds and artwork
such as statues were all signifiers of wealth and importance within the garden.
The types of plants (i.e. rare citrus fruit trees) also signified importance.
The Oval Fountain at Villa D'Este.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_Renaissance_garden#mediaviewer/File:Villa_d_Este1.jpg
Buontalenti Grotto of the Boboli Gardens in Florence, Italy
Source: https://www.travelblog.org/Photos/7582190
