Question

Critically comment on the development of 'Landscaping in eighteenth century England?​

Answer 1

Explanation:

In the eighteenth century the landscape garden, first brought to maturity in England, set out on a triumphal march, perhaps unique in its way, and soon became exemplary for the whole of Europe. Known as "le jardin anglais", "der englische Garten" or "il giardino inglese", it spread across the entire Continent and beyond. Its influence is felt from Zárskoje Seló and Pavlóvsk in Russia to Central Park or Prospect Park in New York. With its softly rolling greenery, its irregular patches of water – especially the serpentine lakes –, its naturally planted clumps of trees and its "painterly" views of buildings pregnant with meaning, the English landscape garden was a tremendous export hit. It can with full justice be called an English creation. Naturally, contemporary English authors such as William Mason in his poem The English Garden (1772-81) stressed its autochthonous character, and Horace Walpole, in his well-known History of the Modern Taste in Gardening (1771-80) indignantly protested against the suggestion that England must share its claim to originality with other nations. Numerous references in European literature as, for instance, even Rousseau’s double-edged compliment in La nouvelle Héloďse (1761), testify to the prior claim of the English. It is with good reason that the landscape garden remains the outstanding example of England not being on the receiving end in its exchange with the Continent in the field of fine arts; indeed it made a lasting impression on all of Europe. For some time this cultural achievement has been the focal point of an extremely lively research debate – and presumably not only as a reflection of ecological currents. I would now like to look at this debate from the specific perspective of my discipline.