THE GARDEN OF FINE ART
The Garden of Fine Art located just out of Kyoto’s bustling historic town, was one of the most surprising and delightful architecture experiences I have ever had. Having recently visited many of Tadao Ando’s grand edifices and having just explored Naoshima Island, I knew to expect something breathtaking, yet still I had underestimated the level of perfection Ando is able to achieve.
I am excited to share the fact that there was not a single living organism intentionally placed within the boundary of this garden. Somehow the delicateness of a vegetative garden had transfigured through concrete that played with form, texture, light and shade in such a stunning way. In contrast exists a giant fountain which plummets over a storey to the ground below. The sound of the water traveling initiates a state of mindfulness and the still reflection of pools of water became meditative.
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Geometric parameters were so meticulously composed while considerately integrating famous impressionist artwork, placing them into the architecture as though they were a new thought. Water lilies by Monet distort in ripples beneath a pool of water by the entrance, Renoir's Two Sister’s in the distance as though about to begin their own walk through the garden. Falling into a daydream of deep thought while the sun warms the concrete around you and illuminates the painted ceramic tiles of Michelangelo’s The Last Judgement.
I found it most profound in the way that a material like concrete could be configured in such a way as, to give one the same sublime feeling when looking at a bird of paradise. The very interpretation of the human experience within nature was matched not mimicked here in this marvellous Garden of Fine Art.
