Plan for Garden Pavilion 1715 - 1754

Robert Morris created this 'Plan for Garden Pavilion' using graphite and gray wash on paper. Morris emerged during a period of significant social and political upheaval, including the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War protests, which shaped his artistic concerns. Morris was a key figure in the development of Minimalism, but his work consistently challenged prevailing norms. His interest in phenomenology, or how we perceive and experience the world around us, led him to focus on the viewer's physical and temporal experience of art. The Pavilion plan echoes ideas of simplicity that is characteristic of the Minimalist movement. Consider how a garden pavilion provides a contemplative space, a sanctuary. This prompts us to reflect on the relationship between the self and the surrounding environment. It is not just an architectural plan, but an invitation to explore the potential of art to reshape our understanding of space, body, and being.