Design for the Gardens of the Château de Savigny-lès-Beaune 1777 - 1787

Curator: Looking at this delicate watercolor and print from the late 1770s to 1787, we see what's titled "Design for the Gardens of the Château de Savigny-lès-Beaune." It gives an overview of landscape architecture for a French estate. Editor: It's almost dreamlike in its rendering, with soft watercolor washes and orderly linework that is very characteristic. There’s an immediate sense of formality, a carefully planned relationship between nature and this rather large building. The light is airy and it feels both expansive and a bit enclosed. Curator: What strikes me are the materials themselves—paper, pigment, ink. Someone meticulously drafted this, carefully combining artisanal techniques of drawing and watercolor to map out someone else's landed property. The making of landscape architecture itself involved not only those constructing physical labor, but the invisible labor of draughtsmanship. Editor: Indeed. And I'm drawn to the arrangement of forms: that almost maze-like arrangement of paths at the upper left, in stark contrast to the more orderly central path leading to the pink-hued chateau. Pink—such a loaded color historically, one often associated with royalty and aristocracy. Could it imply a symbolic dominion over this land, literally coloring its perception? Curator: It also emphasizes an important intersection – artistic technique. Someone applied pink pigment, likely derived from minerals or plants, carefully across architectural drawing, each dependent upon the other. Editor: True, but the color use might indicate emotional coding. Landscape painting often evoked emotional associations—think of the sublime terror inspired by rough crags versus the gentle beauty of pastoral scenes. Even in what appears to be a technical design, there’s this implied symbolism. Curator: Symbolism informed by economic investment. We are talking about the symbolic power of money here. After all, who has the economic ability to make art and own an estate that necessitates that art being made in the first place? Editor: Yes, all so deeply entwined, aren’t they? After seeing all the design, one reflects on what could have bloomed within the design and the potential that it offered its commissioner and its makers. Curator: Thinking of the work that went into making this garden come to life—as well as rendering this beautiful watercolor—shows how important social stratification and craft can influence one’s artwork.