Frustrated by what he saw as the over-grooming prevalent in British landscape gardening and associated with the work of Capability Brown, Uvedale Price (1747 1829) published this essay in 1794. He emphasises here the importance of naturalism and harmony with the surrounding environment. Providing examples of how certain features in a garden may be improved through adherence to picturesque principles, Price seeks to apply the lessons of landscape painting to the practice of landscape gardening. He also stresses the importance of paying attention to changing light and the effect of shadow. The...

In 1794, Uvedale Price (1747 1829) published his seminal essay on the application of techniques found in landscape painting to the art of landscape gardening. Considered by many to be the successor to Capability Brown, whose approach to landscape design was rejected in no uncertain terms by Price and his followers, Humphry Repton (1752 1818) wrote a letter to Price, with whom he had previously enjoyed good relations, in which he contested certain points in the essay - in particular the necessity of adhering so closely to the principles of landscape painting in the creation of a garden. This...