園林與造園家

在許多藝術創作領域，作者與作品的關系都是一個饒有趣味的話題。有人認為應該多了解作者，進而更深入地解讀作品；另有人主張作者的匿名性，讓作品自己說話。持這種觀點的以法國哲學家羅蘭 巴特（Roland Barthes）最具代表性，1967年他發表了《作者之死》（The Death of the Author）一文，倡導將作品從作者的權威中解放出來，實現一種更為自由開放的閱讀空間。

園林可以和造園者分離嗎？世界歷史上營造的園林無數，有一些園林，沒有思想，面貌平庸，或者只是模仿、組合他人的成果，這樣的園林最多只能算是一件產品，人們不會關心其設計者。然而歷史名園則完全不同，它們或是做出了原創性的探索，或是激發出特殊的情感，或是具有較高的藝術水準，他們不是產品，而是藝術，代表著一個時代在造園領域的成就，對于這樣的園林，我們無法將作者與作品分離。

看到維康府邸（Vaux-le-Vicomte）、凡爾賽（Versailles）和索園（Sceaux）等這些法國歷史上最偉大的園林，我們又怎么能回避造園家勒 諾特（Andre Le N?tre）呢？他所開創的那種寧靜而開闊，統一又變化，富麗堂皇、雄偉壯觀的園林風格就被稱為勒 諾特式園林。不了解勒 諾特，我們甚至都無從研究17世紀以后的西方園林歷史。

對名園而言，我們需要確定作者的身份。勒 諾特是宮廷園林師，本人也出生于造園世家。無可否認，歷史上許多名園是由造園師設計的，但是，造園與其他藝術領域有很多不同，文學、繪畫、音樂的作者身份相對單純，而園林創作者的身份就復雜多樣。我們來看近代由法國藝術家設計的兩個著名園林。

在摩洛哥的馬拉喀什（Marrakech）有一處園林，藍、黃、紅、紫、綠色的地面、墻體、座凳和花缽賦予這座園林絢麗的色彩，光線穿過濃郁的樹叢投向蔚藍色的住宅和藍邊鑲嵌的水渠及鏡池，使得濃蔭覆蓋的園林更顯神秘。這個園林最初的主人是法國畫家馬約爾（Jacques Majorelle），雖然他創作了大量以摩洛哥風景和村莊為題材的畫作，但這座園林才是他最著名的作品。1923年馬約爾在馬拉喀什購買了這塊土地，隨后用了近40年的時間建造并養護著這座園林。1962年馬約爾去世后，園林逐漸荒蕪，直到1980年被法國服裝設計師依夫 圣 洛朗（Yves Saint Laurent）買下。隨后圣 洛朗修復了這座園林，并補種了大量新的植物，園林才成為今天的樣子。我不太清楚這個園林對馬約爾藝術的影響，但是在圣 洛朗的服裝世界里，明艷而和諧的色彩正如花園一樣，這座園林一定激發了他的藝術創作靈感。

另一處是位于法國吉維尼（Giverny）的莫奈（Claude Monet）花園。莫奈的后半生一直都在營建這座園林，在其中種植了上百種樹木花草。花園里各種色彩的植物互相搭配，錯落布置，協調地生長在一起，形成豐富完美的色彩組合，猶如巨大的調色板。莫奈還引附近的河水入園，挖掘了一個池塘，建造了一座日式小橋，池中種滿睡蓮。莫奈的晚年都在畫這座園林，創作了上百幅睡蓮繪畫。莫奈的花園就是藝術家的畫布，花園的布局是按畫意安排的，他自己就表示“花園是我最美的作品”。

在馬拉喀什和吉維尼的這兩處園林每天游客絡繹不絕，人們排著長隊購票參觀絕不僅僅是為了享受園林藝術，更多的原因還在于對園子特殊的主人和設計者的濃厚興趣。

在中國，畫家或詩人為自己造園是一個普遍現象。唐代詩人畫家王維依據天然山水地貌，整理地形植被，以詩畫創作的藝術手法，構筑建造了輞川別業。“空山不見人，但聞人語響”“明月松間照，清泉石上流。”王維以輞川為背景，寫下了他最美的詩作。王維成就了輞川之禪意，輞川也影響了王維的詩境畫境。只有理解了王維的詩和畫，才能理解輞川。

類似的還有唐代白居易在洛陽建造的履道里園，宋代司馬光在洛陽建造的獨樂園，元代倪瓚在太湖邊修建的“清閟閣”，等等，他們不僅是園主人，也是詩人、文學家或畫家，還是造園家。只是到了明代，隨著計成、張南垣等造園專業人士的出現，園林才更多地由造園師設計建造，但是園主、詩人、畫家或其他藝術家仍然廣泛地參與到造園實踐中。有時造園師和藝術家的身份就是交叉重疊的，最好的造園家往往也是畫家，又精通詩文，這種身份的疊加才能建造出具有詩情畫意的園林。

園林是否與造園家相關，那要看怎么來定義園林，如果將園林看作是產品，可以復制，園林和造園家的關系如同是雞蛋和母雞，吃雞蛋未必需要知道是哪只雞下的。但我更將園林視為是藝術，作為藝術品就一定離不開藝術家的創作，藝術和藝術家是無法分離的。無論是王維的輞川還是莫奈在吉維尼的園林，都是園主人以藝術思想建造了園林，而反過來園林又造就了他們的藝術。閱讀名園離不開研究造園家的思想。如果拋棄了作者的情感，只是從空間、序列、構圖、虛實等分析研究園林，那就只能看到園林的表面，而無法深入園林的精神。

PREFACE

Gardens and the Garden Makers

The correlation of authors with their works in many artistic creation fields is a popular topic.Some people think that the author should be known firstly so that the works could be comprehended while others argue that the author be anonymous to have the works understood.Roland Barthes,the French philosopher has been most representative for the latter view.He published The Death of the Author in 1967 advocating the emancipation of the works from author authority to achieve a more free and open reading space.

Can garden be separated from its designer? Of the countless gardens have been constructed in the human history,those with limited ideological inspirations,mediocre looks or high imitation and follow-suits of others are at best landscaping products,so few people care about their makers.Nevertheless,those famous gardens in the history have been completely different because they virtually conceive original explorations and inspire special emotions with high artistic standards.They are more arts than products for their internal representation of the landscaping achievements of an era so we cannot separate the works from the designers.

When appreciating the greatest gardens in French history such as Vaux-le-Vicomte,Versailles and Sceaux,how could we disregard the designer Andre Le N?tre? His creative garden style featured by tranquil openness,unified variation,wealthy splendor,majestic grandness has been called Le N?tre Gardens.Without knowing Le N?tre,the history of the western gardens after the 17th century could hardly be studied.

For those famous gardens in the history,we need to identify the author.Le N?tre is an imperial garden maker born in a garden makers’ family.Undoubtedly many well-known gardens were designed by garden makers,but there is much difference between garden making and other artistic fields.The authorship of literature,painting and music is relatively simple while that for the landscaping is complex and diverse.Let us look at two famous garden cases of French artists in modern times.

In Marrakech of Morocco,there is a garden with grounds,walls,benches and flowerpots brilliantly colored with blue,yellow,red,purple,green so when sunshine penetrates dense bushes to reflect the azure houses and blue-selvedge canals and mirror ponds,certain mysterious inspirations arise to the visitors with the dense shades in the garden.The first owner of the garden was Jacques Majorelle,a French painter who created plenty of paintings on Moroccan landscapes and villages,yet it is this garden that became his most famous work.Majorelle bought the plot of land in 1923 and spent nearly 40 years for construction and maintenance.After Majorelle’s death in 1962,the garden became desolate and in 1980 was bought by French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent for restoration and additional planting to make it what it is like today.I’m not quite sure how this garden had affected Majorelle’s artworks,however the bright harmonious colors in Saint Laurent’s world of clothing have resembled the beautiful colors of the garden which should have prompted Laurent’s artistic creation inspirations.

Another case is Claude Monet’s Garden located in Giverny,France.Monet spent his later part of life building the garden where over a hundred species of trees and vegetation were planted in mixtures to grow harmoniously in well dislocated terrains forming rich immaculate color combinations like a huge palette.Monet introduced water of nearby river into an excavated pond in the garden for extensive growth of water lilies and buildup of a Japanese bridge.Monet kept painting the garden in his later years creating hundreds of painting works of water lilies.To this end,Monet’s garden is the artist’s canvas and the garden was built to meet the ideological needs of painting.He said,“the garden is my most beautiful work.”

Both gardens in Marrakech and Giverny are now visited by numerous tourists every day.They stand in long queues to buy tickets not only to enjoy the landscape are,but also to meet their keen interest in the special owners and designers of the garden.

It is common in ancient China that painters or poets built gardens for themselves.Wang Wei,the poet and painter of Tang Dynasty constructed Wangchuan Villa with poetic painting and artistic method based on local natural landscape terrain and vegetation.In his most well-known poems “None is visible in empty mountains but someone’s voice is heard.” and “Clear bright moon casts light on pine woods while creeks flow above stones” the beauty of Wangchuan is portrayed.Wang Wei accomplished the tranquil peaceful mood of Wangchuan while Wangchuan had affected the poetic ideation of Wang Wei.Only by understanding Wang Wei’s poem and painting can the Wangchuan Suburban Villa be comprehended.

Similarly,Lvdaoli Garden was constructed by Bai Juyi in Luoyang in Tang Dynasty,Sole Paradise Garden by Sima Guang in Luoyang in Song Dynasty and Qingbi Pavilion by Ni Zan by Taihu Lake in Yuan Dynasty.They are not only garden owners,but also poets,litterateurs,painters and as well as garden makers.It was up till Ming Dynasty when more professional garden designers such as Ji Cheng and Zhang Nanyuan came to design and construct gardens,still the owners,poets,painters and other artists were largely involved in the whole practice process.The identities of landscape architect and artist may overlap sometimes,which means to some extent the best designers are often also outstanding painters and poets.Such dual identities integrate to construct gardens with due poetic inspirations.

Whether gardens correlate with its makers depends on how we define it.If regard it as products that can be replicated,the correlation of landscapes and gardens with the maker is like that between an egg and a hen:it is unnecessary for the egg eater to know which chicken is the hatcher.However,I prefer to regard it as art.Artwork is inseparable from creation of artists so art and artists cannot be separated.For both Wangchuan Suburban Villa by Wang Wei and Monet’s garden in Giverny,the garden owner’s artistic ideologies helped build the garden and in turn the garden helped create artworks of the owners.Comprehending famous gardens deserve studies of the garden makers’ thoughts.If the garden makers’ emotions are neglected and garden is analyzed and studied only from space,sequence,composition,virtual reality etc.,we could only explore the appearance of the garden and unable to dip into the spirit of it.

Translator:WANG Xiyue

Chief Editor:Prof.Dr-Ing.WANG Xiangrong

February 16th,2019