Mirrors of Infinity : The French Formal Garden and 17th-Century Metaphysics
Editorial Reviews Book Description From the Japanese Zen Garden to André Le Notre's Versailles, the?history of landscape reveals that every garden embodies a philosophy.?Focusing on the metaphysics, aesthetics, and theology of the seventeenth?century, Allen Weiss's analysis offers new insight into the major gardens?of this period: Vaux-le-Vicomte, Chantilly, and Versailles.?
?From the Meditations of Descartes and Pascal's?Pensés, to the intrigues of court politics, Weiss reveals?how the structure of these gardens reflects -- sometimes literally -- the?power of Louis XIV, the relationship between God, King, sun, and infinity,?and the new science of optics. Weiss's sophisticated yet highly readable?text combines contemporary theory with a careful historical reading. He?gives us a richer understanding of gardens than allowed in more?traditional formal and stylistic analyses.
Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French
Mirrors of Infinity : The French Formal Garden and 17th-Century Metaphysics,Allen S. Weiss,Princeton Arch,1568980507,17th century,Architecture,France,Garden Design,Gardening / Horticulture,Gardens,Gardens, French,History,Landscape,Philosophy,Symbolic aspects,Gardening / General,Le Nôtre, André
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