This thesis analyzes the English National Trust’s interpretation of the making and reception of Stowe Landscape Garden. Specifically, this is a critique of the Trust’s narrative of nationalism, which is overlaid by the use of romantic interpretive themes. Arguably, Stowe’s first contribution was the combination of expressions of nature through landscape with architectural and sculptural monuments of Englishness. The National Trust, however, has combined interpretations of multiple landscape gardens across a century, thus blurring its actual significance. Stowe has been lumped into a jumbled framework of anachronistic landscape commentary much based in the literature of reception. The use of receptive history as fact to define concepts like ‘Englishness’, ‘Landscape Garden’, and the ‘Picturesque’ only further aid the unsustainable development of the historical landscape. Stowe is recognized as the most extensive extant landscape garden to exemplify contributions by the first four designers in the medium: Vanbrugh, Bridgeman, Kent, and Brown. Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown’s place-making role in the history of English landscape, much derided by the proponents of the Picturesque, found its first expression at Stowe from 1740 to 1751. Thus, Stowe’s Brownian dominant landscape, of which the bones are still largely intact, should be used as the designated period of interpretation. In this way, the National Trust could fulfill a modern desire for connection to nature, and with greater specificity, diversity and transparency in historical accounts, expand the accessibility of ‘Englishness’ in the form the consummate national landscape garden.

This thesis analyzes the English National Trust’s interpretation of the making and reception of Stowe Landscape Garden. Specifically, this is a critique of the Trust’s narrative of nationalism, which is overlaid by the use of romantic interpretive themes. Arguably, Stowe’s first contribution was the combination of expressions of nature through landscape with architectural and sculptural monuments of Englishness. The National Trust, however, has combined interpretations of multiple landscape gardens across a century, thus blurring its actual significance. Stowe has been lumped into a jumbled framework of anachronistic landscape commentary much based in the literature of reception. The use of receptive history as fact to define concepts like ‘Englishness’, ‘Landscape Garden’, and the ‘Picturesque’ only further aid the unsustainable development of the historical landscape. Stowe is recognized as the most extensive extant landscape garden to exemplify contributions by the first four designers in the medium: Vanbrugh, Bridgeman, Kent, and Brown. Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown’s place-making role in the history of English landscape, much derided by the proponents of the Picturesque, found its first expression at Stowe from 1740 to 1751. Thus, Stowe’s Brownian dominant landscape, of which the bones are still largely intact, should be used as the designated period of interpretation. In this way, the National Trust could fulfill a modern desire for connection to nature, and with greater specificity, diversity and transparency in historical accounts, expand the accessibility of ‘Englishness’ in the form the consummate national landscape garden.

Meine Dissertation stellt den 1945 geborenen britischen Künstler Richard Long nicht nur in den Kontext der Land Art, der Minimal und der Concept Art, sondern zeigt dar-über hinaus Parallelen zur Tradition der englischen Landschaftsgärten und der Land-schaftsmalerei des 18. Jahrhunderts auf. Im Anschluß an eine detaillierte Kategorisie-rung und Analyse der von ihm verwendeten Medien (Photographien, Skulpturen, Kar-tenarbeiten, Textarbeiten) und Materialien (Stein, Holz, Erde/Schlamm, Wasser, Wind) steht Longs Auseinandersetzung mit rahmenden Blicken, mit der Bewegung durch die Natur, mit dem Aufsuchen geschichtsträchtiger Orte und mit Landschaftsphysiognomie, mit der Erfahrung von Raum, Zeit und Natur im Mittelpunkt. Zu Longs Leitgedanken gehört das Moment der Transformation. Long wandelt Natur in Kunst; er stellt Naturmaterialien dahingehend neu zusammen, daß sie durch Anordnung zum Kunstwerk werden. Er thematisiert die Umwandlung von Dingen und von Aggregatzuständen sowie den Wandel der Zeit (Jahreswechsel, aber auch den Tem-powechsel der eigenen Bewegung). Darüber hinaus ist seine eigene Körperbewegung wesentliche Voraussetzung für die skulpturalen Arbeiten, seine Bewegung wird zum Werk. Die Wechselwirkung von persönlichem Empfinden und Natur prägt Longs Werk. Natürliche Gegebenheiten veranlassen ihn zur Erschaffung von Skulpturen oder er ex-pliziert seine Sinneswahrnehmungen auf Wanderungen in Wort-Bildern. / In my PhD.-thesis, the oeuvre of the British artist Richard Long (born 1945) is dealt with in the context of Land Art, Minimal Art and Concept Art. Additionally, the tradition of eighteenth-century landscape gardens and landscape painting is discovered as another important influence on his artistic work. After giving a detailed analysis of Long’s artistic media (photography, sculpture, maps, textworks, film) and materials (stone, wood, turf, mud, water, wind), the study concentrates on the artist’s working methods based on his personal experience of space, time and nature. Moving through nature or visiting historic sites, Long not only discovers framed vistas in his surround-ings, but also gets involved with nature’s "physiognomy". Transformation is Long’s main topic: he changes nature into art, his arrangements transforming natural materials into works of art. These visualize the transformation of things or physical states as well as the change of time (e. g. the change of speed of his own movement or astronomical events such as the turn of the year). Generally, the movement of Long’s own body is turned into sculpture when he expresses either the characteristics of certain places or his perceptions during his walks by sculpture or textworks.

This thesis is focused to the ideal concept, design, implementation and em-placement of a sculpture in the respective area, designed in a deeper context of the work itself to its surroundings, its history and specific local character. To solve the emplacement of the sculpture, a scenic park surrounding the Castle at Štěkeň (South-West Bohemia) has been chosen. The design respects fully not only scenic dominants, but also neighboring architecture and vistas directly in the respective locality. A full appeal of the art work is enabled by applying convenient material re-specting its milieu and the sculpture theme itself as well. Also the onlooker´s position toward the sculpture proportions and its comprehensibility and readability has been taken in consideration. The theme and concept of the sculpture is closely connected to the Christian Or-der ?Congregatio Jesu? settled directly in the facilities of the Štěkeň Castle and related first of all to Mary Ward, its founder and to her first community of ?English Virgins? as well. A component part of this thesis is formed by a secondary pedagogic project ? a workhop meeting for children, convened in autumn 2010 directly to the Štěkeň Castle premises. It dealt with the human being´s relation to the landscape. This thesis focused to the relation between an art work and the surrounding sce-nery is concerned also to spiritual creativity from the point of view of actual cultural-social neediness respecting also the application and readability of Christian symbolism in respect to actual cultural experience.

The diploma thesis deals with inspiration sources of the Alois Landfras garden in Jindřichův Hradec and the possibilities of his inspiration. The first chapters of thesis deal with formation and development of landscape garden and romantick park in England, France, Germany and Czcech. Author approaches the inspiration sources two points of view. First she interested in inspiration based on Alois Landfras experience of landscape architecture. She deals with castles park in Chotoviny and Teplice, gardens near Jindřichův Hradec and in South Bohemia. After that she observes important garden in Germany and Vienna. She names the second significant inspiration source as garden literature in the form of semple books, magazines and handbooks. In conclusion she presents concrete works taht could provide Alois Landfras inspiration.