Jardins do ocidente e do oriente: ordenamento ou recriação da paisagem

Abstract

This paper analyses the formal structure of western and eastern gardens, studying its similarities as well as adaptations and variations over time. The interchanges of cultural elements and ideas among civilizations also relates to the gardens, seeing that principles of regularity and symmetry can be identified in the gardens of Egypt, Persia, Spain, India, Italy, and France. Ancient Chinese and Japanese gardens follow principles based on separate spaces, asymmetry and complementarity of forms, observed again in the English gardens designed after the 18th century. The approach is directed to the sequence over time, with no intent to compare gardens of the same period or to study local variations. Historic considerations are key to understanding the changes in the gardens, assisting contemporary design activities.