Gardens of Revelation: Environments by Visionary Artists (How Artists See) - Softcover

John Beardsley

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0789207974 ISBN 13: 9780789207975

Publisher: Abbeville Press, 2003

Synopsis

With incisive intelligence and beguiling prose, John Beardsley tells the story of some twenty-five "visionary environments" and the fiercely independent individuals who created them. Beardsley also situates the work in the larger contexts of traditional garden design, religious architecture, environmental sculpture, and folk art. The thought-provoking text combines with dazzling views of the far-flung gardens to make this an inspiring volume.

About this title

Review:

"It's hard to imagine a more amazing group than the people you meet in John Beardsley's book. They are so interesting I can scarcely keep them out of my dreams - visionaries who turned their visions into art on a grand scale even though they had no training in art. The sheer labor of some of these people, and their accomplishments, are unbelievable. What staggering ambitions they had, and what workers they were! It is the people who make this book wonderful reading." - Red Grooms, New York Times Book Review "Gardens of Revelation is itself a revelation, with its wealth of luminous color plates (largely photographed by James Pierce) inspiring the eye imaginatively to enter the most enticing of dream spaces. Though it transmits useful information, the volume should be seen not so much as a guide-book than as a compendium of treasures. Text and Illustrations combine to earn it pride of place on that select shelf of works true to the spirit of these exemplary creators." - Roger Cardinal, Folk Art Messenger --.

Synopsis:

With incisive intelligence and beguiling prose, John Beardsley tells the story of about twenty-five "visionary environments" and the fiercely independent individuals who have created them in the course of the last century. Many of these handmade environments - usually the result of years of obsessive work - express profoundly personal and frequently unorthodox beliefs. These gardens are often a form of persuasion, places to make public the creators' heartfelt ideas about past or future, politics or religion, sexual fulfillment or healthful living. The forms they take are varied and extraordinary, from luminous bottle villages to garishly painted temple compounds, from mock castles to miniature cities, from sculpture gardens populated with biblical and historical figures to artificial grottoes encrusted with glittering geodes. While capturing the spirit of each individual's unique creation, Beardsley also situates the work in the larger contexts of traditional garden design, religious architecture, environmental sculpture, and folk art.

He muses about the compulsion to create, the sense of place, and the visionary spirit that has inflamed these artists, quoting at length their own poignant and pungent commentary on what they have created and why. The thought-provoking text combines with dazzling views of the far-flung gardens to make this a richly rewarding and often inspiring volume.

About this edition

• Publisher: Abbeville Press
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0789207974
• ISBN 13: 9780789207975
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 121