Land art, art in the garden

A garden can be a work of art

Nature is a valuable source of inspiration for artists, be they painters, sculptors or writers for example, but it can also be for you, since with almost anything it is possible to create authentic works of art, as the Land Art.

This is an artistic trend that began in 1968 with a very clear purpose: reflect the relationship that humans have with nature, managing to transmit some emotion to the viewer. And the truth is that it is not difficult to achieve.

What is Land Art and what are its characteristics?

Landart seeks to alter the landscape

Image - Wikimedia / Thilo Parg

We are talking about a unique way to do landscaping. Land Art, also called earthwork, earth art or simply Lant, It is a type of contemporary art in which the human being leaves his mark on the landscape, using earth, stones, plants, sand, ... any material that can be found in it. Sometimes, for this reason it seems that it is combined with other artistic currents, such as sculpture or architecture.

These works are made and kept abroad, usually in large places so that they are accessible to a large number of people. In this way, the artist has more possibilities to convey his message, which is none other than to show how we show ourselves with nature. Thus, with Land Art pain is expressed, since the environmental deterioration that exists on Earth is such that it would even be contradictory to express joy.

Where did Land Art originate?

The Spiral Jetty is the most famous work of Land Art

Image - Wikimedia / Jacob Rak

The history of this art begins in October 1968, in New York. Virginia Dwan, the founder of the gallery where "Earthworks" was exhibited at the time, was the first patron, sponsoring the sculptures created by Michael Heizer and Robert Smithson.

In February 1969, at the hand of Willoughby Sharp, the first works of art that wanted to convey the need to preserve the environment were exhibited in the United States. But without any doubt the popularity of this trend did not arrive until 1970, which was when Smithson created what is considered the most famous work of art: the Spiral Jetty.

As you can guess, it is a work featuring a very long spiral. Is overhangs the Great Sacred Lake, and was made from rocks, seaweed, and dirt. However, the most interesting thing is not the work itself, but the fluctuations of the water, since depending on these the spiral remains visible or remains hidden.

It is simple in appearance, but that is precisely what I was looking for. In this way, he succeeded in turning Land Art into a trend, perhaps not as popular as architecture, for example, but well known among landscapers.

What are the forms of Land Art?

There are many methods of making one, depending on the materials used, the staging, or what you want to highlight. For example:

  • Materials: stones, earth, wood, logs ...
  • Puesta in escena: wind, fire, water, and even the orientations of both the solstices and the equinoxes.
  • Highlight of nature: lightning rods, machines, mobiles, fabrics, etc.

As well there are other forms, such as the one that expresses the passage of time, or walks. In fact, a Land Art can simply be passing many times and many days in a row through a section: the impact of the footsteps prevents the seeds from germinating, so that with the passing of the days a path is achieved in which only the earth and the stones that there may be.

How to make a Land Art?

With the branches of rosemary many works of land art are obtained

To make a Land Art you need to first decide which landscape you want to show, since there are many types of materials that you can use: branches, leaves, petals or whole flowers, stones, sand, and a long etcetera. He also thinks that artists often even modify the topography of the terrain to adjust it to what they want to convey, sometimes using excavators to make trenches or holes, or cranes to pile large piles of earth. The idea is that you unleash your creativity, but taking into account what we have just explained about Land Art.

If you want to make a simple one, we recommend that you get the following:

  • Wooden tray, like this one they sell here.
  • A 1kg sandbag
  • Branches of a plant: rosemary, peppermint, ...
  • A dried flower
  • Small stones that you can find outside

Once you have it, the steps to follow are:

  1. First, you have to fill the tray with sand. You can make piles if you want, but make sure that they are not too high and that they do not have a very steep slope.
  2. Then place the flower in the center or near a corner.
  3. Now, place the stones simulating the four cardinal points.
  4. In the middle of each of these points, place the branches.
  5. Now, if you want, you can place more stones, joining the cardinal points.

And last but not least: take a photo of it. Land Art is not only based on making a work and showing it, but also on the fact that said work lasts, so… what better way than to photograph it and share it with family and friends?

Photos of Land Art works

To finish, we leave you with a few images of works from this curious artistic trend:

Landart can be done in the garden

Making Land art with simple things is the simplest

Image - Wikimedia / Paolo Redwings

It is possible to make land art with wood

Make a hand in your garden and it will look great

Image - Wikimedia / Guilherme Minoti

Make land art with things you find in the garden

Which of these designs did you like the most?


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