Louis Robert Carrier-Belleuse, Elegant Figures in a Flower Garden, Oil on canvas, Schiller & Bodo European Paintings. Click to inquire.

“In the Backyard” profiled the private enclosures of modern residences.  This post looks to the (art) historical precedent of cities’ public spaces-especially gardens.  While Hausmann provided breathing room for Parisians through grand boulevards, the delineation of public parks, like Parc Monceau, followed the models of royally commissioned parks, Tuileries + Luxembourg, which transferred to public domain after the revolution. 

Harry A. Davis, In the Park, Paris, Watercolor, Eckert & Ross Fine Art.  Click to inquire.

Across the pond, Victorian novels almost require the mention of a hansom cab or carriage ride through Hyde Park. While contemporary imagery, or an American visual language, favors the exclusivity of privacy, academic works, equally represented in FADA’s inventory, expounds upon the public space as the theatrical stage of seeing others while being seen. 

Jade Fon Woo, Japanese Tea Garden, Watercolor, George Stern Fine Arts.  Click to inquire.

Modern urban planning created space, and thus a new perspective for artists to see their world. Landscape architects throughout cities were often commissioned to design spaces to accommodate large populations for world fairs. Lush gardens with Baroque statuary become the backdrop of these artworks, a decorating scheme soon replaced by laconic luxury materials of the international style. Parks in San Francisco and New York often appropriated European elements in their construction and decoration of Golden Gate and Central Park. As a gathering space for all individuals, parks offer residents the ability to enjoy the art of nature.

William Merritt Chase, On the Lake-Central Park, Oil on panel, Godel & Co. Fine Art.  Click to inquire.

Donald Teague, Berkeley Square, Watercolor, Thomas Nygard Gallery.  Click to inquire.