I'm getting back into the swing of my monthly features. This month I have chosen a lesser known book called: The Hospital For Wounded Angels by Jennifer Dickson. This is an art book. Photographs taken in the early 1980's of various gardens in Portugal, Italy, England and France interspersed with snippets of poetry. Dickson also includes research, journal entries and historical information about many of the gardens featured. The real appeal of this book to me are the stunning photos taken without filters or double exposures ( and since it is the 80s no Photoshop or digital photo magic either)
She focuses on statues like the terracotta statue of Daphne, from the Villa Garzoni and Brigit's Urn in the Lost Garden in Derbyshire. They have a mystical quality, timeless and evocative. You can't tell when it is. It could be the 1500's or 1925. It could be yesterday. The beauty of this book is that it allows you to look at the pages and piece your own story together or follow the story that Dickson was inspired to tell. I recommend this book to anyone who loves European gardens, villas and history. If you have a penchant for choosing your own adventure and looking into photos to uncover layers of meaning, this is a book you'll love.
No comments:
Post a Comment