Download Clara Garvey LSA 220 Professor Fernandez Designer Robert Burle

Clara Garvey
LSA 220
Professor Fernandez
Designer Robert Burle Marx
Roberto Burle Marx
“A great artist in whose mind and heart were no boundaries, Burle Marx was a fluid
thinker unconcerned by living within limits.” A quote stated by fellow Landscape Architect
Martha Schwartz characterizes Roberto Burle Marx as the prominent designer he lived to be (1).
Roberto Burle Marx was not limited in the field of art, not only a designer but also a painter,
sculptor, illustrator, jeweler, and more. Burle Marx was born August 4, 1909 in Sao Paulo,
Brazil. Burle Marx began his career studying art in Germany in 1928, but soon became interested
in tropical plants while visiting the Dahlem Botanical Gardens. After returning to his home in
Brazil two years later, he completed his first design at his home, resulting to be 8,600,000 square
feet of gardens containing rare species of plants. From there, Burle Marx went on to complete
garden designs all over the world. Burle Marx will live as one of the most prominent figures in
the world of Landscape Architecture until his death in 1994. (2)
Roberto Burle Marx was a self-taught Landscape Architect first introducted to the
profession in Berlin, Germany in 1928. During the span of his career, Burle Marx completed
about 100 solo projects, and over 2,000 landscape designs worldwide. Though the communities
he worked in were diverse, he centered his career in Brazil, mostly in Rio de Janeiro. Burle Marx
was first influenced by Van Goh’s work that compelled him to study painting, which soon led to
the introduction of plants in Berlin. Burle Marx’s first official design was a garden terrace,
completed at the Alfredo Schartz residence located in Rio de Janeiro thanks to Lucio Costa. This
design led Burle Marx into the field of “modernist professionals” where he would soon become a
leading figure. (3)
Roberto Burle Marx had a specific set of principles he used to complete his designs.
These included analogy, contrast, repetition, isolation, expansion-reduction and rhythm. Analogy
refers to the grouping of different plants that held similar features in the garden. Burle Marx used
contrast complement different colors and textures for the viewer. Repetition was used to
emphasis plants with similar colors, forms or textures. Certain plants that held unique features
were highlighted using isolation. Expansion-reduction is the adding or subtracting elements of
landscape to create a desired effect. Lastly, Burle Marx used rhythm by changing the lighting,
natural effects such as the noise of water, sound of leaves rustling, the smell of flowers, etc (3).
All of these design methods effect how the experience visitor/viewer will have when viewing his
gardens. Burle Marx worked to create projects such as private and public gardens, and public
green spaces. (3)
One of Roberto Burle Marx’s most glorious private garden design was made for a friend,
Odette Monteiro, located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (3). This garden is known as one of his most
famous designs. Odette Monteiro was a close friend to Roberto Burle Marx, and after her death
the new owner requested that Burle Marx restore the area. He completed this design while still
preserving the existing landscape and topography of the area. This garden is described as, “The
outlines of the herbaceous borders echo the undulating silhouette of the hills, and the plant
section repeats the tones of the trees flowering on the hillsides”. The lake present produces a
mirroring image of the scenery and the continuous movement of the sky, creating a “garden” of
clouds and leaves. The formation of the vegetation, which is placed in clumps alongside the lake,
gives this garden a unique style. The vegetation of the garden, which is placed in curved beds
with massed plants, follows the natural decline of the landscape, is one element that makes the
garden famous. Burle Marx uses his principle of contrast when he placed monochrome blocks
filled with different colors of flowers and leaves. Burle Marx created a harmony within the
garden by the connection of the garden and the natural landscape.
The Ministry of the Army is a well-known public garden Roberto Burle Marx composed
in 1970, located in Brazil. (3). This public garden consists of a dynamic geometrical design,
which follows the shape of the area. Not only is it based off of a triangular motif, but it also
features heavily contrasting colors. The garden is within a very open space, appropriate for
holding a large crowd of people. The ground of this site is made up of granite slabs and
Portuguese stone, which is crossed by continuous plant beds filled with extravagant and colorful
flowers and plants. In the center of the garden is a lake, useful in the hot climate, which reflects
the images of the surrounding sculptures. These sculptures are placed for visual aesthetic, along
with anchors for the aquatic plants. The sculptures are shaped as crystals, which symbolizes a
tribute to the mineral riches of Goias. One problem with this garden was that many plants that
were proposed for the garden were not able to be planted, so a large number of buriti, a local
palm tree, and ornamental grasses were planted. The reflections of these plants in the lake, along
with the reflection of the sculptures create contrast in that area.
Roberto Burle Marx’s most famous public landscape design was called Copacabana
Promenade, located at Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro. It was designed and carried out in
1970 (3). The buildup of overdevelopment and building created a wall between the city and the
beach. In order to clear that wall and provide a transition area for cars and pedestrians, land was
claimed and this area was built. This project did have limitations due to car parking and
underground installations, so the solution was to create a broad, open paved area. Across the
area, groups of trees were planted where there was sufficient depth. Portuguese stone was used
for the pavement because of the thermal expansion it allows. Also, the color scheme of black,
white and red was able to be seem from the roofs of nearby buildings and passing motorists,
people, and those gathered at the cafes. The design of the black and white waves soon became
the trademark of the Copacabana beaches. The ripple design of the pavement represents the
notions of waves.
I thoroughly enjoy researching projects that Roberto Burle Marx created or was involved
in. I don’t only see him as a Landscape Architect that transformed the field, I see him as
someone to look up to for my own work. It is easy to relate to his designs and agree with the
elements he used to carry his projects out. The use of plants as a medium in the world of art is
amazing. Not only did he use plants to create landscapes, but also in other aspects of his life. I
feel as if Roberto Burle Marx’s work will always be relevant in the world of Landscape
Architecture.
Bibliography
(1) Montero, Marta Iris, and Roberto Marx. Roberto Burle Marx: The Lyrical Landscape.
Berkeley: University of California Press, 2001.
(2)"Burle Marx, Roberto." Encyclopædia Britannica (September 2014): Research Starters,
EBSCOhost (accessed November 27, 2015).
(3)Trukulja, Tanja, and Dubravko Aleksic. “Relationship Between Landscape Design and Art in
the Work of Roberto Burle Marx.” Prostor 20, no. 2 (July 2012): 369-379. Academic Search
Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed November 27, 2015).