PHOTOGRAPHERS IN GARDENS: PART I

THE PHOTOGRAPHER IN THE GARDEN

Gardens have been centers of beauty for thousands of years, the earliest significant gardens were planted in Mesopotamia, around 3000 BC. And as soon the camera was invented in the 1800s, gardens became a favorite subject of photographers.

The special relationship between photographers and gardens has carried on over time, from Steichen and Weston, to Mapplethorpe and Steele-Perkins. It is captured beautifully in new book, “The Photographer in the Garden,” by Jamie M. Allen and Sarah Anne McNear, published by the Aperture Foundation and George Eastman Museum.

The book features a carefully curated collection of garden-themed photos by a range of fine art photographers throughout history.

Many images convey a strong sense of place, from the gardens of Versailles to Giverny to suburban LA. “In a way [a garden] is a set,” writes Allen.

Of course flowers make anything or any place look more beautiful, but they are also powerful symbols and centers. Take the Victory Gardens developed during World War I and II. They can convey romance, as Dennis Stock’s images do --  or eroticism, as Imogen Cunningham and Robert Mapplethorpe have shown us.

Photographer Imogen Cunningham is best known for her sensual black and white botanical photographs. Her style is echoed in Robert Mapplethorpe’s flower photos. “Calla,” from Cunnigham’s “Pflanzenformen” series, taken in 1929, is one of several images in the “In the Garden” book.

Plenty of people have gardening in their hearts and in their blood, but they don’t own land. Garden allotments and community gardens offer them a place to create and tend to their joy. Photographer Andrew Buurman photographed the Uplands Allotments in Birmingham, which includes 422 garden plots. It is the largest allotment site in the U.K. Buurman’s series is entitled “Allotments.”

Photographer Catherine Opie is known for both her social/political themes as well as for her landscapes. There is overlap. Her photo of a bust, surrounded by trees in a shady garden, speaks to both history and culture.

Larry Sultan photographed suburban life, capturing its kitsch, as it straddles cultural lines between city and country dwelling. People opting to live in the suburbs often because they want a garden of their own. Closely cropped super-green lawns, with geometric patches of bedding plants are softened by the profusion of climbing pink roses, even as the homeowner tries to tame them with pruning.

Italian photographer Luigi Ghirri was a pioneer of color photography in Europe. He photographed the gardens of Versailles. Interestingly, the image features muted colors except for the bright clothing of the garden visitors.

Read more about In the Garden all this week on BeautifulNow.

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IMAGE LIST:

1. Image: by Jacqueline Hassink. “Haradani-en 1 Northwest Kyoto.” Featured in “The Photographer in the Garden.” Courtesy of Aperture Foundation & George Eastman Museum.
2. Image: by Imogen Cunningham. “Calla.” Featured in “The Photographer in the Garden.” Courtesy of Aperture Foundation & George Eastman Museum.
3. Image: by Andrew Buurman. “Birmingham, UK.” Featured in “The Photographer in the Garden.” Featured in “The Photographer in the Garden.” Courtesy of Aperture Foundation & George Eastman Museum.
4. Image: by Catherine Opie. Untitled. Featured in “The Photographer in the Garden.” Courtesy of Aperture Foundation & George Eastman Museum.
5. Image: by Larry Sultan. “Los Angeles, Early Evening.” Featured in “The Photographer in the Garden.” Courtesy of Aperture Foundation & George Eastman Museum.
6. Image: by Luigi Ghirri. Featured in “The Photographer in the Garden.” Courtesy of Aperture Foundation & George Eastman Museum.
7. Image: by Abelardo Morell. “View of Monet’s Gardens with Wheelbarrow, Giverny, France.” Featured in “The Photographer in the Garden.” Courtesy of Aperture Foundation & George Eastman Museum.
8. Image: by Martin Parr. “Weston-Super-Mare.” Featured in “The Photographer in the Garden.” Courtesy of Aperture Foundation & George Eastman Museum.
9. Image: by Martin Parr. “National Garden Scheme, England.” Featured in “The Photographer in the Garden.” Courtesy of Aperture Foundation & George Eastman Museum.