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AnnaAntonowicz
Asenseofsuperioritywaspresentalsointheeighteenth-centuryprefer-
enceforEnglishlandscapegardendesignsoverFrenchformalgardens.Infact
thegeometricallyarrangedgardenwastheprinciplegardeningstyleinBritain
intheprecedingperiodsoftheRenaissanceandBaroquewhosedominant
aestheticandphilosophicalideaswhereepitomizedbytheformaldesign
ofthegarden.Inthesixteenthcenturytheso-calledItalianRenaissance
garden(thepredecessoroftheFrenchgarden)becamepopular.Thisstyleof
gardenbasedonsymmetry,harmonyandorder,andtheprincipleofimpos-
ingorderovernaturerepresentedtheidealsoftheRenaissanceandrecalled
thevirtuesofAncientRome.LaterintheseventeenthcenturytheFrench
gardernwithintricateregularpatternscarvedinandupontheflattened
surfacereflectedtotheBritishtheidealsofthescientificrevolutionandin
particularthepowerofthenewlydevelopedsciencesofbotany,geometry,
astronomy,agricultureandpoliticaleconomytoelimitatechaos,irrationality
andwilderness.33
Intheeighteenthcentury,however,thenewgenerationofBritishgarden-
ers,influencedbytheclassicalChinesegardenoftheEast,ontheonehand,
andtherationalismandhumanitarianismoftheEnlightenmentontheother,
begantoseetheformal,geometricalgardennotjustasmonotonous,unnatu-
ral,coldandspiritlessbut,moreimportantly,asmonstrous.Critiquesofthe
geometricalgardenwerereferredintermsofaesthetictastelessness,ethical
condemnationandpoliticalcrime.TotheEnlightenmentBritish,theviola-
tionofnatureintheFrenchgarden,exemplifiedbyitsnaturebeingsegre-
gated,clipped,straightenedandturnedintogeometricalshapes,stoodfor
thecruelanduncivilisedpastthattheBritishhadputbehind.Inparticular,
itsymbolisedtotheBritishtheunjustandunnaturalsystemofgovernment
basedonabsoluteroyalpowerandfeudalsystem.Thegrid,geometrical
patternofpathsandcanalsandtheregularpatchesofgreeneryreminded
offormativesectionsofthefeudalsocietywithclearlybutbrutallydefined
limitsofdestinationsandpurposesaswellasrigorouscodesofbehaviourin
allrealmsoflifeandreflection–thelimitsandcodesaimedatuprootingor
weedingoutanyundesirable,unrulyparasiticsocialgrowth.Awholevariety
ofcorrectiveproceduresofdiscipliningnature(pruning,rolling,levelling,
weeding)wereseenasrepresentationsoftheabsolutepowerofGod-king
whooperatedasthedistributoroforder,guardianoflimits,tyrantwho
ostracizedalllicentiousnessandruthlesslyreducedthewildtothedomesti-
catedandtamed.34
33JohnDixonHunt,TheGeniusofthePlace.TheEnglishLandscapeGarden1620–1820
(London:Elek.1975),pp.3–8.
34DavidJarret,TadeuszRachwałandTadeuszSławek,Geometry,WindingPathsand
theMansionsofSpirit.AestheticsofGardeningintheSeventeenthandEighteenthCenturies
(Katowice:WydawnictwoUniwersytetuŚląskiego,1997),pp.24–76.
