Japanese-Style Gardens of the Pacific West Coast
by Melba Levick, Kendall Brown
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Book Summary Information
Author: Kendall Brown, Melba LevickEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Format: Illustrated
Published: 1999-04-15
ISBN: 0847821099
Number of pages: 176
Publisher: Rizzoli
Book Reviews of Japanese-Style Gardens of the Pacific West Coast
Book Review: Are Japanese Gardens in the U.S. fakes?
Summary: 5 Stars
Kendall H. Brown begins his history of Japanese-style gardens with a quote from James Rose to the effect that Japanese gardens outside of Japan are fakes. Brown's attitude is, however, more ambiguous than ambivalent. He seldom says he doesn't like something. His liking may be found between the lines. At the end of his history, Brown concludes that Japanese-style gardens are meant for play. It is pleasant to think of people having a smiling time in Japanese-style gardens . . . the wistaria, azalea, carp and waterfalls call for that. Nevertheless, Japanese in Japan are as out of touch with their past traditions as are Americans with their's. There is pleasure in knowing the symbolic uses of gardens in Japan and in their transplanted versions in the United States. Gardens in both countries should be more creative as is the case with "California Scenario" by Isamu Noguchi, the last garden Brown describes. (It is popular with skateboarders!) "Japanese-Style Gardens of the Pacific Coast" is a splendid book and the only book extant that gives the historical background of West-Coast Japanese-style gardens. Melva Levick's photographs whet the desire to see the gardens, if for no other reason than to see which is better . . . the photographs or the gardens. A small objection: If Brown had included acreages, one might be better able to compare the problems and successes of the individual gardens.
Summary of Japanese-Style Gardens of the Pacific West Coast
From 1890 to the present, Japanese-style gardens have been built on the Pacific West Coast so skillfully and in such large numbers that they have become an integral part of the region's landscape and culture. "Japanese-Style Gardens of the Pacific West Coast" explores the significance of these delightfully elegant landscapes, presenting those of the United States and California as being distinctly North American, rather than imitations of the Asian original.Primarily designed by Japanese immigrants and their descendants as a way of maintaining ties to their motherland while assimilating into a new culture, these gardens of the Pacific West Coast offer a reflection of the complex role of Japanese culture in North America before, during, and after World War II.
Melba Levick's splendid color photography vibrantly captures the beauty of twenty gardens featured in this volume. Kendall Brown's authoritative text discusses the evolution of function and aesthetic, as well as patronage, of each of these gardens.
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