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Application of Elements of Art and Principles of Design in the Residential Gardens of the Vadodara City of Gujarat |
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Khyati Trivedi
Teaching Assistant
Department of Family and Community Resource Management
The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara
Gujrat, India
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DOI: Chapter ID: 16904 |
| This is an open-access book section/chapter distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. |
Abstract A home is complete when the house and garden is
designed and constructed as integral parts of a whole. An ideal garden design
is achieved when it occupied and used to the utmost extent. The application of
elements of art and principles of design in the garden design makes it more
beautiful and interesting for the owner who enjoys it. The three aims of
design, namely, beauty, expressiveness and functionalism are achieved when
these elements of art and principles of design are used with an utmost thought
and care. With a proper planning of garden, one can make it more beautiful as
well as useful. Present research is aimed at the achievement of aims of design
through the application of elements of art and principles of design in the
residential gardens of Vadodara city. The study was carried out through
descriptive research design where 90 residences of Vadodara city were selected
purposively through multi-stage sampling technique. The respondents for the
study were the homemakers. Observation sheet was used to collect the data for
the application of elements of art and principles of design. Questionnaire was
also used to collect the data of achievement of desired aims of design in their
residential garden. It was found that majority of the respondents were satisfy
and had attained the desired aims of design. But the researcher found that few
of them had not applied the elements of art and principles of design in their
residential garden. And it was also found that the respondents whose garden was
not having the application of elements of arts and principles of design were
not achieving the desired aim of design. So, the researcher had developed a
booklet on garden design, which contained the details of application of art and
principles of design in their residential garden as well as the drawings for
the garden designs. Keywords: Elements of art, principles of design
and aims of design. Introduction When a family buys a home; they own the entire land
around the house also. The house owner decides how to use that land. They may
utilise it for the maximum usage or can leave it as it is. The planning of
outdoor space falls under the domain of the landscape designing field.
According to Faulkner and Faulkner (1964), “Landscape design is the
modification of land at our disposal for use and pleasure”. “Landscaping means
planning a garden or space for use by people”. The creative arrangement of outdoor space for human
enjoyment and fulfilment is known as landscape design. A well-planned
residential landscape is both visually beautiful and useful. It provides
enjoyment for the family, improves the neighbourhood, and increases the
property's market value. With little care and preparation, one may arrange
their home site for optimal enjoyment and usage as well as establish a visual
connection between the house, its site, and the surrounding area. (Powell,
2010) It goes without saying that carefully thought out
landscaping is meant to give a beautiful appearance to the home, offer shade
and comfort during the summer, prevent the occurrence of dust in the air, break
the intensity of the wind by acting as a wind breaker, serve as a visual
barrier where necessary, and create a comfortable and happy environment (Gupta,
2001). The term design refers to several meanings like
purpose, aim, intention, plan, scheme, selection, and organization. When these
terms are put together, they describe the total design procedure of deciding on
one’s aim, developing a plan or approach and selecting and organizing the form
and materials best suited to the purpose. The term design in the context of
landscape is used in the context of treatment of land with grouped plants and
other elements in relation to the building but not in the construction of the
building itself. Also, landscape gardening relates to the design raising and
maintenance to garden plants and landscape horticultural to science of
it. A design becomes complete when it attains the three
Aims of Design. Thus, the ultimate goal to be attained in a home/garden is the
successful integration of the three aims: Beauty, Expressiveness and
Functionalism (Rutt, 1961). An ideal garden should aim at achieving beauty,
expressiveness, and functionalism. For the attainment of the above mentioned
aims of design in residential gardens there are specific elements of art and
principles of design which are widely used, namely, colour, line, unity,
simplicity, balance, natural transition, proportion, repetition, emphasis,
form, texture, scale, and rhythm. Residential gardens can be ornamented through
above mentioned elements and principles of design knowingly or unknowingly the
blend may be adopted by the owner. Garden design is the creation of plants for the
layout and planning of gardens and landscapes. The main difference between a
beautiful garden and haphazard plantation of trees and shrubs is designing.
Garden design can be done by anyone who has an interest and knowledge about
gardening. It can be done by the garden owner themselves or by professionals.
The professional garden designers are trained in horticulture as well as in
principles of design and they have expert knowledge and experience regarding
plants and trees. The layout of hardscapes, such as paths, rockeries, walls,
walls, water features, sitting areas and decking, as well as the plants
themselves are included in the elements of garden design. The plants are
designed with the consideration for their horticultural requirements, their
season-to-season appearance, lifespan, growth habit, size, speed of growth, and
combinations with other plants and landscape features. Above this the
consideration is also given to the maintenance needs of the garden, including
the time or funds available for regular maintenance, which can affect the
choices of plants regarding speed of growth, spreading or self-seeding of the
plants, whether annual or perennials, and bloom-time and many other characteristics.
How the garden will be used, is the most important consideration of a garden
design. It is followed closely by the desired stylistic genres, and the way the
garden space will connect to the home or other structures in the surrounding
areas. All these considerations are subject to the limitations of the budget.
Owner can make a beautiful garden design with the limited budget by a simpler
garden style with fewer plants and less costly hardscape materials, seeds
rather than sod for lawns and plants that grow quickly. A design becomes
complete when it attains the three aims of design. Thus, the goal to be
attained in a home/garden is the successful integration of the three aims:
Beauty, Expressiveness, and Functionalism. Beauty: One simple
definition of beauty is “that combination of qualities that is pleasing eye or
ear.” The philosophy of beauty is known as aesthetics. Some of its premises,
which apply to the appreciation of art in the home/garden, are presented here.
They help to clarify vague ideas about beauty. Furthermore, acquaintance with
the standard terminology of aesthetics is necessary to understand others or to
speak or write effectively about aesthetic experiences. Aestheticians have
studied objects made by man and, by determining what qualities are common to
all beautiful things, have established certain principles that helps us to
recognize and appreciate beauty. Expressiveness: In addition, a
garden should be expressive of the personality of the owners and the most
important of all, should function effectively. One way to approach the subject
of selecting, decorating, and designing a home/garden, is to seek to express
some definite idea or theme in it. The word expressiveness is preferable
because it implies the power to excite emotional response that is lacking in
the word character, and it avoids the suggestion of human attributes which is
contained in the word personality. Every building, every well-designed room,
should carry in itself at least one message of cheer or rest or power.” The
following are some of the ideas that are expressed in homes/gardens consciously
or unconsciously: repose, animation, naturalness, sophistication, intimacy,
formality, warmth, coolness, delicacy, strength, freshness, antiquity. Four of
the typical ones are formality, informality, naturalness, and modernism. 1. Formality: A home/garden
that expresses formality usually also expresses dignity, strength, reserve, and
impressiveness. Features that contribute to this effect in a house/garden are
unbroken lines, large spaces, and a symmetrical façade, that is, a house front
in which the two vertical halves are alike. The furniture/artifacts are
usually, though not necessarily, traditional in style and arranged with formal
balance. The family that creates a home/garden of this type generally lives a
conventional. Dignified, ordered life made possible by efficient service. 2. Informality: Informality is
somewhere desired in-home surroundings also. Informality, unpretentiousness,
friendly hospitality, and intimate charm are expressed through various means.
Bright, warm colours and simple, comfortable furniture have these
characteristics. Houses/gardens express informality through modest size,
asymmetrical balance, and broken lines. 3. Naturalness (primitiveness): A house/garden of this character may express the following themes:
simplicity, handmade quality, sincerity, thrift, naïveté, playfulness, rugged
force, unpretentiousness, originality, or protest artificiality. Among the
factors that contribute to the attainment of the natural effects are the use of
native materials and native styles, handwork showing natural irregularities in
structure, direct treatment, inexpensive materials, and peasant or primitive
colours. Laboured effects, fine finish and imitations are avoided. The meaning
of word primitive as it is used in interior decorating today should be
explained. In the other words of dictionary primitive may mean “simple or
crude, old-fashioned, characterized by the style of early times.” The word
crude in this connection is not used in a derogatory sense. 4. Modernism: The Modern
home/garden expresses the spirit of this machine age. Speed and directness are
expressed by stripping off all non-essentials in design. The families that choose
Modern designing are usually young, courageous, experimental, impersonal, and
logical. Abstract design in arrangement of plants, pathways and patio design is
selected under modernism. Latest material for patio, shades, fences, and
pathways is given preference to express modernism. 5. Owner’s Personality: The personality of the owner determines the idea to be expressed in a
home. Qualities sincerely characteristic of the family that is to live with it
should be the basis for the home/garden designing. An interest which has
permanent significance and not a mere passing fad, should provide the
inspiration for a plan of decorating and designing garden. Functionalism: The
homes/gardens of today as well as the machines of today should be functional.
They should give the maximum of service, Comfort, and pleasure for the minimum
of care. The designing of the garden should be such that it gives comfort to
the family. The garden furniture should be waterproof; upholstery fabric should
be durable. The selection of plants and trees should be such that gives
greenery all the yearlong. The areas should be properly divided in the garden
which fulfils all the functions (Rutt, 1961). Elements of Art: The elements of design are the visual qualities that people see and respond
to when viewing any space. Visual qualities can illicit many different emotions
and feelings. The people like to enjoy and use a space where they get positive
feelings. The most common element in a design or a composition is line. Line
creates all forms and patterns and can be used in a variety of ways in the
landscape. Line: Line in the
landscape is created by the edge between two materials, the outline or
silhouette of a form, or a long linear feature. Line can be used to create an
infinite variety of shapes and forms, and they control movement of the eye and
the body. Landscape designer use lines in many ways, like to create patterns,
develop spaces, create forms, control movement, establish dominance and create
a cohesive theme in a garden. These lines are created in a several ways, like
when two different materials meet on the ground plane, they create line, such
as the edge of a brick patio meeting an expanse of green turf; or when the edge
of an object is visible or contrast with background, then also the line is
created. Form: Form is the
three-dimensional mass of the shape, which is created by an outline that
encloses a space. Form is found in both hardscape and plants. It is typically
the dominant visual elements that spatially organizes the landscape and often
determines the styles of the garden. Formal, geometric forms include circles,
squares, and polygons. Informal, naturalistic forms include meandering lines,
organic edges, and fragmented edges.4 Texture: The surface of
the plant or hardscape material maybe it is coarse or fine, refers to the
texture of a material or a plant. Texture is used to provide variety, interest,
and contrast. The plant’s foliage, flowers, bark, and overall branching pattern
have texture. A plant can generally be described as having a course, medium or
fine texture. Course texture is more dominant than fine texture and tends to
dominate colour and form, while fine texture is more subordinate to other
qualities and tends to unify composition. Texture is also found in the
hardscape, including on buildings, patios, walls, and walkways. Colour: Colour in plants
and materials add interest and beauty in the garden. Colour is the most clearly
visible element in the garden. It is the most temporary element, usually
lasting only a few weeks a year for individual plants. The use of colour is
guided by colour theory to create colour schemes. From the colour theory one
can know the relationship of colours to each other and how they should be used
in a composition. The basic colour schemes are monochromatic, analogues and
complementary. Visual Weight: Visual weight
is the combinations of certain features which have more importance in the
composition based on mass and contrast. Some areas of a composition are more
noticeable and memorable, while others fade into the background. This does not
mean that the background features are unimportant—they create a cohesive look
by linking together features of high visual weight, and they provide a resting
place for the eye. High visual weight is found in upright or unusual forms,
large size, bright colours, bold texture, and diagonal lines. Low visual weight
is found in low horizontal lines, prostrate or low forms, fine texture, and
subdued or dull colours. Principles of Design: Design principles guide designers in organizing elements for a visually
pleasing garden. A harmonious composition can be achieved through the
principles of proportion, order, repetition, and unity. Physical and
psychological comfort is two important concepts in design that are achieved
through use of these principles. People feel more psychologically comfortable
in a garden that has order and repetition. Proportion: Relative
proportion is the size of an object in relation to other objects. Absolute
proportion is the scale or size of an object. Plant material, garden
structures, and ornaments should be considered relative to human scale. Other
important relative proportions include the size of the house, yard, and the
area to be planted. Order: Order generally
refers to the spatial layout or organization of the design and is most often
achieved through balance. Form, colour, size, and texture all affect balance.
Balance can be symmetrical, asymmetrical, or perspective. Repetition: Repetition is
created by the repeated use of elements or features to create patterns or a
sequence in the garden. Repeating line, form, colour, and texture creates
rhythm in the garden. Repetition must be used with care—too much repetition can
create monotony, and too little can create confusion. Repetition can be made
more interesting by using alternation, which is a minor change in the sequence
on a regular basis. Gradation, which is the gradual change in certain
characteristics of a feature, is another way to make repetition more
interesting. Unity: Unity is
achieved by linking elements and features to create a consistent character in
the composition. Unity is sometimes referred to as harmony—the concept of
everything fitting together. Unity is achieved by using dominance,
interconnection, unity of three and simplicity to arrange colours, textures,
and form. Although hardscapes and plants can be unified by the blending of
similar characteristics. The use of elements like colour, line, form,
texture, simplicity according to the principles of unity, balance, natural
transition, proportion, repetition, emphasis, scale, rhythm leads us to attain
the goals of beauty, expressiveness, and functionalism. While preparing any
design it is important to take into consideration the elements of art and
principles of design. These elements of art and principles of design help to
create a pleasing environment to the garden. Objective of the Study To find out the achievement of desired aims of
design through the application of elements of art and principles of design in the
residences of Vadodara city. Methodology The present study was undertaken to find out the
achievement of desired aims of design through the application of elements of
art and principles of design. The research design for the present study was
descriptive research design. The locale of the study was Vadodara City,
Gujarat. The residences that were having gardens were purposively selected
through multi-stage sampling method. Sample size for the study was 90. The
homemakers were selected as the respondents for the study. An observation sheet
and questionnaire were used as tool for the data collection. Findings Findings
of the study covers application of principles of design namely, unity,
simplicity, balance, transition, proportion, repetition, emphasis, and rhythm
with the help of elements of art namely, line, colour, form, texture, and light
in the existing residential garden of the respondents. Table 1: Distribution of the respondents according to the principles of design namely, unity, simplicity, balance, transition, proportion, repetition, emphasis, and rhythm attained through the elements of art namely, line, colour, form, texture, and light present in their existing residential garden.
It
was found that principles of design were attained through the different
elements of art namely, line, colour, form, texture, and light. More than half
of the respondents had attained transition, proportion, and rhythm through
line. The maximum number of the respondents had gained all eight principles of
design through colour. Three-fourths of the respondents had gained repetition
through form and less than one-fourth of the respondents had gained simplicity
through form. It was found that very few numbers of respondents had attained
all the seven principles of design through texture. More than one-fourth of the
respondents had attained emphasis through light. More than half of the
respondents had created balance through form in their residential garden. Analysis of description of the elements of art and principles of design
applied in the existing residential gardens of the respondents. It was
found that the elements of art and principles of design were applied in the
majority of the residential gardens. It was found that the elements of art and
principles of design present in the existing residential garden were helping in
the beautification of the garden. The different elements of art namely, colour,
line, form and texture helped in achieving the principles of design namely,
unity, simplicity, balance, transition, proportion, repetition, emphasis, and
rhythm. It was found that the majority of the respondents had red colour as the
first highlighted colour in their garden. It was attained by different flowering
plants namely, aster, beloperone, daisy, adenium, ixora, jasud, jetropha, rose
& ticoma capensis, different shrubs namely, yesterday-today-tomorrow &
red powderpuff, different hedges namely, cat tails, acalypha, painted copper
leaf, fire-dragon, copper leaf, dadano, Chinese evergreen, aglaonema &
drecena mahatma, non-flowering plants namely, red pineapple & false palm
and climbers namely, bougainvillea, madhumalti & red morning glory.
Red colour was also attained by the material used in the garden like bricks
used for pathway and plantation. The second highlighted colour was white which
was attained by different plants like, different shrubs namely, white dwarf
orchid tree, white stickpea, lily thorn, do-re-me plant & bell flower,
different flowering plants namely, barmasi, champo, daisy, jasmine, juhee,
lily, mogro, rose, sevanti & tagar and different climbers namely, easter
lily vine, belkum & jue. It was attained by different material also like
rocks, pebbles, marbles used in the garden. The third highlighted colour was
light green which was attained by different non-flowering plans namely, aechmea
foster’s favourite favourite, aglaonima katyal, aglaonema crispum MLG,
aglaonema earnest hybrid, aglaonema maranta, billbergia seidellii,
dieffenbachia glow, hedera helix glacier, pleomele reflexa variegata, samke
plant & inch plant and different hedges namely, asparagus fern, asparagus
fern tile and golden duranta. The background colour was found green which was
attained by all the plants and trees present in the garden. It was also found
that different colour combination was done by using different colour plants in
the garden. Curved lines were created by using bricks, pebbles, rocks by
placing them in a curved manner in the garden. Circular form was seen in ornamental
pruning of plants which were given rounded shape in the garden. medium texture
was created through the different textured flowering plants, palms, hedges,
shrubs, and different material like, rocks, pebbles, marbles, kota-stone in the
garden, which were the mixer of the fine and coarse texture. Thus, the medium
texture was majorly found in the residential gardens. All the principles of
design were achieved through all these elements of art. By using the same
materials and similar kinds of plants unity, simplicity and balance were
achieved in the garden. By having properly shaped shrubs, bushes and hedges
proportion was created in the garden. The transition was created through the
groping of similar types and coloured plants and bushes in the garden. Repetition
of certain plants, colour, and texture was giving the rhythmic flow to the
garden. The emphasis was created through the colouring flowering plants and
lighting in the certain areas of the garden. This section deals with the findings regarding the extent to which the desired aim of design is attained by the respondents through their existing residential garden design.
It was
found from the above table that most of the respondents had attained their
desired aim of design namely, functionalism, beauty, and expressiveness. It was
found that most of the respondents had attained their desired aim of design,
functionalism to a great extent by the best use of available space, adequate
shade to the surrounding, sufficient barrier against wind, external privacy,
open space with soft surface for outdoor activities, size of the garden
sufficient for the family, shape of the garden for easy maintenance and
provision of cool air during sunny days. Less than twenty percent of the
respondents (15.56%) had a low extent of desired aim of design, functionalism
by the external privacy. It was found that more than ninety percent of the respondents
had attained their desired aim of design, beauty to a great extent by the
flowerbeds and flowering plants, interesting backdrop by the trees, rhythmic
flow in the garden, repetition of certain plants in systematic manner and
proportion through size and shape of the plants. It was found that more than
three-fourth of the respondents had attained their desired aim of design,
expressiveness, to a great extent by the garden design which provides cheerful
environment, feeling of closeness to the nature, visual appeal, depicts social
status of the family, feeling of connectivity to the nature and feeling of
spaciousness. More than half of the respondents had attained their desired aim
of design, expressiveness to a great extent by the garden design which depicts
the status of the family and creates intended mood. Less than half of the
respondents had attained their desired aim of design, expressiveness to a
moderate extent by garden design which depicts the status of the family and
intended mood is created through the garden. Nearly fifteen percent of the
respondents had attained their desired aim of design and expressiveness to a
moderate extent by the visual appeal obtained through the garden. Table – 15: Frequency and percentage distribution of the respondents regarding the extent to which the desired aim of design has been attained.
It was
found that for all the respondents’ desired aim of design, functionalism was
attained in their existing residential garden. Conclusion The
major conclusion drawn is that elements of art and principles of design were
also present in the majority of the garden to attain the design aims i.e.,
beauty, expressiveness and functionalism. The findings showed that color was
majorly used element of art in the garden and all the principles of design were
majorly attained by the color in the existing residential garden of the
respondents. From the findings it can be concluded that most of the respondents
had given importance to functionalism and beauty as their desired aim of
design. The designed booklet containing the details of
application of art and principles of design in the residential garden as well
as the drawings for the garden designs were also developed and distributed to
the respondents. Bibliography 1. Faulkner R.
And Faulkner S. (1964). Inside Today's Home. New York: Holt, Rinechart and
Winston, Inc. |
