Friday 11 November 2022 – From Monochrome to Polychrome: How Colour Transformed the Art of Garden Design (A History of the Art and Colours of Garden Design)

The study day consists of three parts (three lectures) as follows:
1. Broadening the Palette – This covers with the creation of gardens from Medieval times to the end of the 19th century. It includes gardens from Europe, Asia, and America, as well as England.
2. Seeing the Light – The story now looks at the use of colour by humans in everyday life and gardening and art from 30,000 to the present day.
3. Planting the Picture – The final part picks up the story from part one at the start of the 20th century and examines the process of, and motivation for creating living works of fine art in the garden.

This study day will try to answer some overlapping questions.
• What is a garden?
• What influences garden design?
• Is garden design art?
• Do gardens and art both reflect the society in which they are rooted?
• What role does colour play in the design of gardens?
• In what ways are the principles of garden design different from those of fine art?
• Are there any parallels between the motivations for creating gardens and creating works of art?