Between the interior and exterior, between the finite and the infinite: a space for the re-enchantment of art

The thesis looks at the symbolic depiction of the garden and nature as subject from medieval times to the present day. The thesis makes the case that realist depictions of nature, framed by the grid of architecture, have developed out of the same tradition as the abstract grid. The thesis argues that the realist trajectory described can also induce a sense of transcendent reality that can articulate fundamental human emotions. The use of the grid structure in the works of the artists referred to provide a formwork for looking through, from inside to outside, from surface to space, from finite to infinite, a threshold which allows for a new realisation.