<Emphasize visual symmetry in landscape photography>
The inspiration for this gallery was to highlight artificial, man-made symmetry forced into landscapes. I choose to photograph 16th-17th century gardens as a visual representation of this. Using the highly designed and unnatural essence of formal gardens, with symmetrical shrub worked and painfully manicured plants, it plays into the theme of artificial symmetry represented through landscaping.
In going on theme with my AP 2D studio art sustained investigation-The juxtaposition between the contemporary age and what we call natural- these photos play into the theme of artificial natural and perfected augmentations of nature.
Image 1.)
The gardens at Filoli in Menlo Park, CA (1914) represent this form of landscape symmetry. This stately manor, being built by the former head of Pacific Gas & Electricity (PG&E) showcases the top technologies and advancements in landscaping from the early 1900s, being built before Silicon Valley was what it is today. The gardens of the house were designed by top Gilded Age landscape designers and highlighted landscape symmetry.
Image 2.)
The bird’s eye view off the top of the Eiffel Tower highlights the park’s symmetric design around its base. Being situated in the middle of a large urban city, this image shows how both the gardens and surrounding blocks are symmetrical while being built throughout the area’s 300-year history.
Image 3.)
The formal gardens at Chateau Vaux le Vicomte, outside Paris, shows a prime example of royal landscape design in 1700s France, using immensely symmetrical gardens to highlight the epitome of 18th-century French design.
