The Renaissance movement introduced many changes in the garden design in Italy, France, and England. Medici family is accredited for the new design concept that spread from Italy to the rest of Europe (Sider 119). The villas in Florence and Rome inspired a new design of gardens in Italy. The villas embraced the classical ideals of beauty. Turner argues that the de Medici family promoted Renaissance ideas by designing elegant country villas with gardens in order to entertain people (182). The gardens were exposed to the public and ceased being a preserve of monasteries and monks. In this respect, the gardens became a platform for social interaction, as well as a venue for philosophical debates. In essence, the Renaissance Movement introduced a modern technique for designing gardens using mathematical lines.
The Renaissance movement introduced a stylish technique of expanding gardens. The gardens were grander, larger, and symmetrical. For instance, gardens such as Medici Villa, Palazzo Piccolomini, Villa Madama, Villa do Castello, and Villa d’Este were filled with statues and flowers. The architects used plants to divide and decorate the space of the gardens. The compartmentalization of the gardens took effect during the Renaissance era. The notable plants in the gardens included flowers, orchards, and herbs (Turner 183). Similarly, the Renaissance movement changed the architecture of the building from that of the ancient Roman. Turner contends that the movement introduced central axis and linear aspects of geometry that linked building with the gardens (183). The architects constructed magnificent terraces and staircases to connect the levels of the gardens. Moreover, the gardens had covered walkways. Thus, the Renaissance architecture introduced the art of decoration of gardens in Italy.
The Renaissance movement initiated the element of measurements, as well as symmetry in the designing of gardens in England. Sider contends that “the first noteworthy Renaissance garden was created at the end of the fifteenth century for the royal palace at Richmond” (119). Essentially, the garden reflected the ideas advocated by the proponents of the Renaissance movement. The gardens had galleries with well-covered walkways. Turner contends that the Palace gardens such as Hampton Court feature the elements of geometry that characterized the Renaissance movement (182). The Hampton Court consisted of terraces. Other magnificent gardens that embraced Renaissance ideas were in ancient buildings such Godolphin, Hardwick Hall, the Vyne, and Moseley Old Hall.
The Renaissance movement brought about the interlacing technique in France. Notably, French gardens such as Chateau de Fontainebleau, Chateau de Bois, Chateau de Chenonceau, and Chateau d’Amboise featured interlacing strips of plants that created elegant geometric beds. The design of the interlacing patterns was intended to offer a clear view of the gardens at distant localities (Sider 120). In addition, the gardens had monumental fountains, moving water, ramps, and stairways.
In conclusion, the Renaissance movement brought about changes in the garden design. The movement introduced geometric patterns in the designing of the gardens. Notably, the Renaissance movement pioneered the adoption of linear elements in the designing of the gardens. In Italy, the gardens became a public platform for socialization and entertainment. The terraces and plants decorated the gardens. In England, the gardens had terraces and a series of gallery that created beautiful scenery. Similarly, the interlacing patterns of plants that characterized the design of gardens in France was attributable to the Renaissance movement.
Works Cited
Sider, Sandra. Handbook to Life in Renaissance Europe. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. Print.
Turner, Tom. European Gardens: History, Philosophy, and Design. London: Routledge, 2011. Print.