Abstract
Isamu NOGUCHI (1904-1988) is a Japanese-American sculptor, whose inspiration for spatial sculpture was influenced by the traditional Japanese gardens. This paper is the sequel to ‘Isamu Noguchi’s Garden Projects, Banrai-sha and Reader’s Digest Tokyo Branch’. Noguchi’s struggle in absorbing the spirits and the techniques of the Japanese gardens became full scale in the Gardens for UNESCO (1956-1958) after finishing the Gardens for Connecticut General Insurance Company (1956-1957). The purpose of this study is to clarify the process and the design of two gardens mentioned above by examining 389 documents, mainly written in Japanese. In the Gardens for Connecticut General Insurance Company, Noguchi confronted the huge scale of modern architecture in comparison with the objects in the garden. In the Gardens for UNESCO, he developed the techniques such as the pictorial ground composition to be overlooked, the sculptured ground, the space created by arranging objects, and the introduction of the stage setting into the gardens. The Gardens for UNESCO became Noguchi’s turning point in relationship with the Japanese gardens.
