Great Company

Eric Herman

In all great human endeavors from the arts to science and industry, we typically find small numbers of pioneers whose achievements are so astonishing that they inspire

others for generations to come.

For watershapers, this constellation of luminaries includes famous architects, landscape architects, designers, engineers and sculptors who have defined the ways in which water is used as an artistic medium. Some of these names are familiar – geniuses including Frank Lloyd Wright, Julia Morgan, Ricardo Legorreta, Luis Barragan, Lawrence Halprin, Eric Ore, Isamu Noguchi and John Lautner. Each certainly merits consideration as being among the greatest creative forces of the past century.

In this issue, we consider another whose name belongs on that list: the legendary Brazilian designer and artist Roberto Burle Marx. Inside, you’ll find “A Master at Work,” in which Raymond Jungles – a renowned landscape architect in his own right – recounts the years he spent getting to know Burle Marx and traces the influence this master practitioner had on his own work and approach to life (click here).

Along the way, Jungles lets us in on some of what made Burle Marx tick – his history, his work, his love of art and the natural world and, perhaps most significant, his generous spirit. The article includes images of Burle Marx’s finest projects along with work by Jungles that to some extent or other reflect the master’s influence.

In both cases, we see tapestries of plant material, stone and water woven into timeless spaces that by any fair measure can be considered among the best expressions of “environmental art.” Both men may be called modernists, but there’s a warmth to what they do in integrating architectural forms, landscapes and water that is sublime, mesmerizing and resistant to mere classification.

If I seem impressed, it’s because I am. The words and images are extraordinary, but what gets me is the way in which Jungles shows us how the influence of a master can be embraced, internalized and transmitted through the imaginations of those who follow the master’s lead with fresh, new ideas of their own.

Indeed, although they are kindred spirits, I’m amazed by how different their work actually is. Jungles doesn’t copy Burle Marx, but instead uses what he’s learned from him to stoke his own creative fires. When seen side by side as they are here, the projects of these two men become a perfect case study in how the brilliance of an original mind may be reflected and refracted through in the efforts of those who follow the trail someone like Burle Marx has blazed.

For my part, I can’t help getting excited when I have the opportunity to work with material of such beauty and dignity. My sincere hope is that when you read this remarkable story and view these stunning landscapes and watershapes, you in your own ways will latch onto the inspiration to be found in true genius.

It’s a path worth studying – and following.