Gardens are the New Galleries: Artists and their Gardens

How are gardens represented in art and in writing?

We will embark on a grand tour of gardens created and depicted by painters, writers, photographers and sculptors, a tour that includes a number of surprises, drawing on examples from Great Britain, Europe and America and considering their importance in garden and landscape history.

We will consider the notion of ‘the Secret Garden’, which occurs in many artistic forms, allowing us to explore and discuss artists’ gardens as sanctuaries and the ideas they represent.

Examining both traditional and contemporary gardens, we will also focus on those modern garden creators and innovators that are making some of the most exciting gardens today.

Learning and teaching

The module will be delivered as ten 2-hour sessions. Sessions will consist of a 1-hour lecture, followed by class discussion and group work on specific topics relating to the module.

The discussion and group work will enable students to think critically and contribute to the debates and topics presented during the lectures.

Artists, gardeners and their stylistic approaches, including:

• Painters
• Photographers
• Writers
• Sculptors

Artists, Gardeners, and the messages they seek to convey

Examples of gardens created by and/or depicted by artists in public and private settings in Britain, Europe and America.

Coursework and assessment

Formative assessment / feedback will occur on a weekly basis through class discussion and group work.

Essay: 100% - Exact nature of the task will vary from year to year. 2000 words. Due at the end of the course.

Reading suggestions

• Jackie Bennett, The Writer's Garden: How Gardens Inspired our Best-loved Authors (Frances Lincoln, 2014)
• Monty Don, Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse (Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2015)
• Stephen Parker, England's Gardens: A Modern History (Dorling Kindersley, 2023)
• Victoria Summerley, Secret Gardeners: Britain's Creatives Reveal Their Private Sanctuaries (Frances Lincoln, 2017)
• Christopher Wood, Painted Gardens (Pavilion Books, 1998)

Library and computing facilities

As a student on this course you are entitled to join and use the University’s library and computing facilities. Find out more about using these facilities.

Accessibility

Our aim is access for all. We aim to provide a confidential advice and support service for any student with a long term medical condition, disability or specific learning difficulty. We are able to offer one-to-one advice about disability, pre-enrolment visits, liaison with tutors and co-ordinating lecturers, material in alternative formats, arrangements for accessible courses, assessment arrangements, loan equipment and dyslexia screening.