ART & GARDENS

Let us, then, begin by defining what a garden is and what it ought to be...

It is a piece of ground fenced off from cattle, and appropriated to the use and pleasure of man: it is or ought to be, cultivated and enriched by art…it is therefore to be wished that the exterior of a garden should be made to assimilate with park scenery, or the landscape of nature; the interior may then be laid out with all the variety, contrast and even whim, that can produce pleasing objects to the eye. 

This is what Humphry Repton wrote in the XVIII century in his “Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening” , but before the English Garden  reached its full blossom, the history of gardens dates back to the first time man got an eye for beauty and felt the necessity to be in harmony with nature.

  Every age, every country, every culture  has its flowery spot because, after all, a beautiful garden is the most efficient refuge from the adversities of life.

“Gardens reflect our dreams and aspirations: they are our fantasies.” Says Lady Walton  who has made an exotic garden out of a lava river-bed in Ischia.

 And to show how people have fantasized during the century, the European Academy  presents at its venue ( 8 Grosvenor Place , London SW 1X , 020 72350303)  the following lectures:

•   The History of the Garden: an introduction to the historical evolution of   the Italian Garden (Thursday 11 May 2000- 18,30 – 19,30)  

•   Grandi Giardini Italiani : opening the gates of some of the most beautiful private gardens in Italy (Thursday 18 May 18,30 –19,30)

 ( Friends  £ 6.00    -    Others  £10,00 )  

To experience the beauty of such gardens, the Academy  also offers to tour them starting with the ones in the luxuriant surroundings of Lucca during the European Academy’s art courses in Italy:  

One week sketching and painting course hosted  in September in the stunning  Borbone Royal Palace of Capezzano Pianore.

Mornings will be spent attending history of art lectures and practicing sketching, the afternoons will be spent visiting museums, workshops, villas and gardens.

Guided tours of Lucca, Pisa, Pistoia, Carrara, Pietrasanta will be available, local markets and  traditional fairs  will be enjoyed as well as gastronomy delights in typical Italian trattorias.

The introduction to the Italian art heritage will be hold by Dr Margherita Moscogiuri, historian, lecturer and journalist, the practice painting and sketching will be under the supervision of the Academy’s artist in residence , Shaun Dolan.