Roberto Burke Marx

 

Art In Landscapes 

Brazil's Civic Square

Ministry of Health and Education roof garden, Rio de Janeiro,1938

I had not heard of Roberto Burke Marx before, however I straight away recognised these garden. I chose to research Buke Marx this week as I was in love with the rhythm and creativity of his designs. 

He was a Brazilian Landscape Architect who lived from 1909 till 1994. He came form an artistic background as a painter and I think this is very apparent when you look at his impressive designs.

He uses juxtaposition very well in his work, often seeing crazy paving in his designs with bright colours and fascinating patterns. This is paired with vegetation that's thick and dense, giving a strong contrast.  

His landscapes have been described as "Living works of art" (MOMA 2002) and I couldn't agree more. His gardens feel whimsical, the abstract shapes take you into a different dimension, guiding you through the landscapes. The vegetation he uses is always easy to maintain, as they were always native to the location. 

The composition that Burke Marx uses is very impressive, as he highlighted very well in the second image, that the main focus is the statue. He works with very interesting materials as well, in the first image you can see all the different paving materials, making a fascinating landscape to walk through. The paving subconsciously creates areas to the park for playing or eating etc., which I think creates a very successful outdoor area.