the incomparable pearl fryar

I watched the documentary on Pearl Fryar, the famous topiary gardener and artist, last night and I was struck by a statement he made on the film. It went something like: "It's not about the trees, it's about creating a feeling when a person walks through it..." Olmsted made multiple arguments to that same idea when he was seeking to elevate landscape architecture to its appropriate position in the fine arts. Pearl, whose work and personality is remarkably refreshing and matter-of-fact, enjoys a position of prestige by virtue of his craft--any theoretical discourse associated with his work is secondary.

On a slightly tangential topic, I was thinking about how some historians have made the casual observation that turbulent times have resulted in great art. The premier example of this is the Weimar Republic and the influential and long lasting efforts of Klee and the Bauhaus. I'm beginning to think that there is very little correlation. While I will grant that a repressive social order will inevitably dampen creativity, the converse has little evidence to back it up--Afghanistan and Iraq are not great spots for bohemian expressions and the avante garde. Revolutionary and original art is a rare phenemenon.