在許多藝術(shù)創(chuàng)作領(lǐng)域,作者與作品的關(guān)系都是一個(gè)饒有趣味的話題。有人認(rèn)為應(yīng)該多了解作者,進(jìn)而更深入地解讀作品;另有人主張作者的匿名性,讓作品自己說(shuō)話。持這種觀點(diǎn)的以法國(guó)哲學(xué)家羅蘭 巴特(Roland Barthes)最具代表性,1967年他發(fā)表了《作者之死》(The Death of the Author)一文,倡導(dǎo)將作品從作者的權(quán)威中解放出來(lái),實(shí)現(xiàn)一種更為自由開(kāi)放的閱讀空間。
園林可以和造園者分離嗎?世界歷史上營(yíng)造的園林無(wú)數(shù),有一些園林,沒(méi)有思想,面貌平庸,或者只是模仿、組合他人的成果,這樣的園林最多只能算是一件產(chǎn)品,人們不會(huì)關(guān)心其設(shè)計(jì)者。然而歷史名園則完全不同,它們或是做出了原創(chuàng)性的探索,或是激發(fā)出特殊的情感,或是具有較高的藝術(shù)水準(zhǔn),他們不是產(chǎn)品,而是藝術(shù),代表著一個(gè)時(shí)代在造園領(lǐng)域的成就,對(duì)于這樣的園林,我們無(wú)法將作者與作品分離。
看到維康府邸(Vaux-le-Vicomte)、凡爾賽(Versailles)和索園(Sceaux)等這些法國(guó)歷史上最偉大的園林,我們又怎么能回避造園家勒 諾特(Andre Le N?tre)呢?他所開(kāi)創(chuàng)的那種寧?kù)o而開(kāi)闊,統(tǒng)一又變化,富麗堂皇、雄偉壯觀的園林風(fēng)格就被稱為勒 諾特式園林。不了解勒 諾特,我們甚至都無(wú)從研究17世紀(jì)以后的西方園林歷史。
對(duì)名園而言,我們需要確定作者的身份。勒 諾特是宮廷園林師,本人也出生于造園世家。無(wú)可否認(rèn),歷史上許多名園是由造園師設(shè)計(jì)的,但是,造園與其他藝術(shù)領(lǐng)域有很多不同,文學(xué)、繪畫(huà)、音樂(lè)的作者身份相對(duì)單純,而園林創(chuàng)作者的身份就復(fù)雜多樣。我們來(lái)看近代由法國(guó)藝術(shù)家設(shè)計(jì)的兩個(gè)著名園林。
在摩洛哥的馬拉喀什(Marrakech)有一處園林,藍(lán)、黃、紅、紫、綠色的地面、墻體、座凳和花缽賦予這座園林絢麗的色彩,光線穿過(guò)濃郁的樹(shù)叢投向蔚藍(lán)色的住宅和藍(lán)邊鑲嵌的水渠及鏡池,使得濃蔭覆蓋的園林更顯神秘。這個(gè)園林最初的主人是法國(guó)畫(huà)家馬約爾(Jacques Majorelle),雖然他創(chuàng)作了大量以摩洛哥風(fēng)景和村莊為題材的畫(huà)作,但這座園林才是他最著名的作品。1923年馬約爾在馬拉喀什購(gòu)買(mǎi)了這塊土地,隨后用了近40年的時(shí)間建造并養(yǎng)護(hù)著這座園林。1962年馬約爾去世后,園林逐漸荒蕪,直到1980年被法國(guó)服裝設(shè)計(jì)師依夫 圣 洛朗(Yves Saint Laurent)買(mǎi)下。隨后圣 洛朗修復(fù)了這座園林,并補(bǔ)種了大量新的植物,園林才成為今天的樣子。我不太清楚這個(gè)園林對(duì)馬約爾藝術(shù)的影響,但是在圣 洛朗的服裝世界里,明艷而和諧的色彩正如花園一樣,這座園林一定激發(fā)了他的藝術(shù)創(chuàng)作靈感。
另一處是位于法國(guó)吉維尼(Giverny)的莫奈(Claude Monet)花園。莫奈的后半生一直都在營(yíng)建這座園林,在其中種植了上百種樹(shù)木花草?;▓@里各種色彩的植物互相搭配,錯(cuò)落布置,協(xié)調(diào)地生長(zhǎng)在一起,形成豐富完美的色彩組合,猶如巨大的調(diào)色板。莫奈還引附近的河水入園,挖掘了一個(gè)池塘,建造了一座日式小橋,池中種滿睡蓮。莫奈的晚年都在畫(huà)這座園林,創(chuàng)作了上百幅睡蓮繪畫(huà)。莫奈的花園就是藝術(shù)家的畫(huà)布,花園的布局是按畫(huà)意安排的,他自己就表示“花園是我最美的作品”。
在馬拉喀什和吉維尼的這兩處園林每天游客絡(luò)繹不絕,人們排著長(zhǎng)隊(duì)購(gòu)票參觀絕不僅僅是為了享受園林藝術(shù),更多的原因還在于對(duì)園子特殊的主人和設(shè)計(jì)者的濃厚興趣。
在中國(guó),畫(huà)家或詩(shī)人為自己造園是一個(gè)普遍現(xiàn)象。唐代詩(shī)人畫(huà)家王維依據(jù)天然山水地貌,整理地形植被,以詩(shī)畫(huà)創(chuàng)作的藝術(shù)手法,構(gòu)筑建造了輞川別業(yè)?!翱丈讲灰?jiàn)人,但聞人語(yǔ)響”“明月松間照,清泉石上流?!蓖蹙S以輞川為背景,寫(xiě)下了他最美的詩(shī)作。王維成就了輞川之禪意,輞川也影響了王維的詩(shī)境畫(huà)境。只有理解了王維的詩(shī)和畫(huà),才能理解輞川。
類(lèi)似的還有唐代白居易在洛陽(yáng)建造的履道里園,宋代司馬光在洛陽(yáng)建造的獨(dú)樂(lè)園,元代倪瓚在太湖邊修建的“清閟閣”,等等,他們不僅是園主人,也是詩(shī)人、文學(xué)家或畫(huà)家,還是造園家。只是到了明代,隨著計(jì)成、張南垣等造園專(zhuān)業(yè)人士的出現(xiàn),園林才更多地由造園師設(shè)計(jì)建造,但是園主、詩(shī)人、畫(huà)家或其他藝術(shù)家仍然廣泛地參與到造園實(shí)踐中。有時(shí)造園師和藝術(shù)家的身份就是交叉重疊的,最好的造園家往往也是畫(huà)家,又精通詩(shī)文,這種身份的疊加才能建造出具有詩(shī)情畫(huà)意的園林。
園林是否與造園家相關(guān),那要看怎么來(lái)定義園林,如果將園林看作是產(chǎn)品,可以復(fù)制,園林和造園家的關(guān)系如同是雞蛋和母雞,吃雞蛋未必需要知道是哪只雞下的。但我更將園林視為是藝術(shù),作為藝術(shù)品就一定離不開(kāi)藝術(shù)家的創(chuàng)作,藝術(shù)和藝術(shù)家是無(wú)法分離的。無(wú)論是王維的輞川還是莫奈在吉維尼的園林,都是園主人以藝術(shù)思想建造了園林,而反過(guò)來(lái)園林又造就了他們的藝術(shù)。閱讀名園離不開(kāi)研究造園家的思想。如果拋棄了作者的情感,只是從空間、序列、構(gòu)圖、虛實(shí)等分析研究園林,那就只能看到園林的表面,而無(wú)法深入園林的精神。
The correlation of authors with their works in many artistic creation fields is a popular topic.Some people think that the author should be known firstly so that the works could be comprehended while others argue that the author be anonymous to have the works understood.Roland Barthes,the French philosopher has been most representative for the latter view.He published The Death of the Author in 1967 advocating the emancipation of the works from author authority to achieve a more free and open reading space.
Can garden be separated from its designer? Of the countless gardens have been constructed in the human history,those with limited ideological inspirations,mediocre looks or high imitation and follow-suits of others are at best landscaping products,so few people care about their makers.Nevertheless,those famous gardens in the history have been completely different because they virtually conceive original explorations and inspire special emotions with high artistic standards.They are more arts than products for their internal representation of the landscaping achievements of an era so we cannot separate the works from the designers.
When appreciating the greatest gardens in French history such as Vaux-le-Vicomte,Versailles and Sceaux,how could we disregard the designer Andre Le N?tre? His creative garden style featured by tranquil openness,unified variation,wealthy splendor,majestic grandness has been called Le N?tre Gardens.Without knowing Le N?tre,the history of the western gardens after the 17th century could hardly be studied.
For those famous gardens in the history,we need to identify the author.Le N?tre is an imperial garden maker born in a garden makers’ family.Undoubtedly many well-known gardens were designed by garden makers,but there is much difference between garden making and other artistic fields.The authorship of literature,painting and music is relatively simple while that for the landscaping is complex and diverse.Let us look at two famous garden cases of French artists in modern times.
In Marrakech of Morocco,there is a garden with grounds,walls,benches and flowerpots brilliantly colored with blue,yellow,red,purple,green so when sunshine penetrates dense bushes to reflect the azure houses and blue-selvedge canals and mirror ponds,certain mysterious inspirations arise to the visitors with the dense shades in the garden.The first owner of the garden was Jacques Majorelle,a French painter who created plenty of paintings on Moroccan landscapes and villages,yet it is this garden that became his most famous work.Majorelle bought the plot of land in 1923 and spent nearly 40 years for construction and maintenance.After Majorelle’s death in 1962,the garden became desolate and in 1980 was bought by French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent for restoration and additional planting to make it what it is like today.I’m not quite sure how this garden had affected Majorelle’s artworks,however the bright harmonious colors in Saint Laurent’s world of clothing have resembled the beautiful colors of the garden which should have prompted Laurent’s artistic creation inspirations.
Another case is Claude Monet’s Garden located in Giverny,France.Monet spent his later part of life building the garden where over a hundred species of trees and vegetation were planted in mixtures to grow harmoniously in well dislocated terrains forming rich immaculate color combinations like a huge palette.Monet introduced water of nearby river into an excavated pond in the garden for extensive growth of water lilies and buildup of a Japanese bridge.Monet kept painting the garden in his later years creating hundreds of painting works of water lilies.To this end,Monet’s garden is the artist’s canvas and the garden was built to meet the ideological needs of painting.He said,“the garden is my most beautiful work.”
Both gardens in Marrakech and Giverny are now visited by numerous tourists every day.They stand in long queues to buy tickets not only to enjoy the landscape are,but also to meet their keen interest in the special owners and designers of the garden.
It is common in ancient China that painters or poets built gardens for themselves.Wang Wei,the poet and painter of Tang Dynasty constructed Wangchuan Villa with poetic painting and artistic method based on local natural landscape terrain and vegetation.In his most well-known poems “None is visible in empty mountains but someone’s voice is heard.” and “Clear bright moon casts light on pine woods while creeks flow above stones” the beauty of Wangchuan is portrayed.Wang Wei accomplished the tranquil peaceful mood of Wangchuan while Wangchuan had affected the poetic ideation of Wang Wei.Only by understanding Wang Wei’s poem and painting can the Wangchuan Suburban Villa be comprehended.
Similarly,Lvdaoli Garden was constructed by Bai Juyi in Luoyang in Tang Dynasty,Sole Paradise Garden by Sima Guang in Luoyang in Song Dynasty and Qingbi Pavilion by Ni Zan by Taihu Lake in Yuan Dynasty.They are not only garden owners,but also poets,litterateurs,painters and as well as garden makers.It was up till Ming Dynasty when more professional garden designers such as Ji Cheng and Zhang Nanyuan came to design and construct gardens,still the owners,poets,painters and other artists were largely involved in the whole practice process.The identities of landscape architect and artist may overlap sometimes,which means to some extent the best designers are often also outstanding painters and poets.Such dual identities integrate to construct gardens with due poetic inspirations.
Whether gardens correlate with its makers depends on how we define it.If regard it as products that can be replicated,the correlation of landscapes and gardens with the maker is like that between an egg and a hen:it is unnecessary for the egg eater to know which chicken is the hatcher.However,I prefer to regard it as art.Artwork is inseparable from creation of artists so art and artists cannot be separated.For both Wangchuan Suburban Villa by Wang Wei and Monet’s garden in Giverny,the garden owner’s artistic ideologies helped build the garden and in turn the garden helped create artworks of the owners.Comprehending famous gardens deserve studies of the garden makers’ thoughts.If the garden makers’ emotions are neglected and garden is analyzed and studied only from space,sequence,composition,virtual reality etc.,we could only explore the appearance of the garden and unable to dip into the spirit of it.
Translator:WANG Xiyue
Chief Editor:Prof.Dr-Ing.WANG Xiangrong
February 16th,2019