Landart
Landart is the sculpting of the landscape into art.
This art can be concrete or abstract in nature. Concrete forms can resemble human faces, animal life, or manmade structures. Abstract forms use geometry to generate interest, emotion, sentiment, and dramatic effect. The integration of land/earth art will significantly enhance the curb appeal of any property with images that capture the imagination, and that move the eye from one point of interest to the next.
Earth art is arguably the oldest form of art in existence. Earthworks were erected by many ancient cultures throughout the world. Most of these structures stand to this day. Stonehenge, the circles of stone in France, the Nazca lines in Peru, and the serpent mounds of the Mississippi basin are all made from naturally occurring materials that were arranged by ancient people into emblems of cultural and religious expression. Modern land art is an attempt to return to the purity of ancient forms by rejecting the commercialism of art galleries and the formalities of museums. It is a longing to take art back to Nature itself, and to use Nature as the raw material out of which to represent the forms it inspires.
Landart is always composed of natural materials to some degree or the other. It would be misleading, however, to refer to this genre as purely organic. Many materials in earth art are not organic by nature. Rocks, boulders, gravel, and crystal are naturally occurring materials, but they are not organic. Soil is not technically organic, either, and it plays a major role in the sculpting of many earth/land art pieces. There are also times when land artists will deliberately introduce something manmade into the work in order to add special emphasis to one or more of its elements. Concrete, glass, steel, and wire have all been used by earth artists at various times in order to create a stronger bond of unity between the natural world and the many elements of human infrastructure.
There is no hard fast rule as to how much natural material land art should be created with. In our service, we tend to use manmade materials like glass and steel in contemporary landscapes. Traditional landscapes that show a definitive preference for Nature are better supported by works of art made from mostly natural materials like wood, soil, stone, and moss.
Because landart is so subjective by nature, it affords the landscaping designer a tremendous range of creative freedom. It can be both concrete and abstract; and it can support both formal and modern landscape designs. Concrete earthworks typically represent animal life, human faces, or well-known structures. Abstract earthworks are based upon geometry. A basic shape, like a circle, is morphed into a spiral that winds around a meditation fountain. Or, a simple line is built into a decorative retaining wall, or a serpentine berm, that divides a front yard into public space near the road, and private space behind the wall.
The best way to enhance your curb appeal with landart is to hire a professional landscaper from Exterior Worlds to design the forms as part of your landscaping design plan. Because earth art has the effect of creating unity and movement, it is the ideal medium for linking your home to your yard, and different zones of interest in your yard to one another.
