coffee with a curator

“from frida’s garden to the dalí’s garden”

panel discussion

feb. 1, 2017

Dave Portilia, Director of Security and Grounds

Gus Vargas, Groundskeeper Nicole Matwijczyk,

HorticulturalistJene VanButsele, Log Cabin

Garden CenterPeter Tush, Curator of

Education

our coffee panelists

Nicole Matwijczykdalí horticulturalist

Laurie ClementGarden volunteer; former garden curator of the

Gertrude Jekyll Garden at the Glebe House Museum in Woodbury, Connecticut

Sharon Hartleydalí Docent; former garden docent Vizcaya, Miami

Lauren Collins2016 dalí intern

thank you:

kahlo and dalí in their gardens

a director’s visionIt cannot be overestimated how essential Director Hank Hine’s vision of the garden has been from the very beginning

section onefrida kahlo’s casa azul

Frida Kahlo in her garden, 1951

“[following the revolution]… Mexican intellectuals were not just rediscovering native traditions and rituals, they were also discovering the Mexican natural world again, and the plant world particularly” - Adriana Zavala, Curator of Kahlo at the New York Botanical Gardens

mexico rediscovered

casa azul

Frida’s Casa Azul (“Blue House”), Coyoacán Painted with traditional blue Mexican pigment, this is where Frida was born and died. Rivera bequeathed it to the people of Mexico. Her ashes are displayed here in a pre-Columbian urn.

Frida Kahlo:My Grandparents, my Parents, and I - Family Tree, 1936.

Family is situated in Casa Azul.

family home

Nopal cactus, which is in symbolic form on the Mexican flag

nopal cactus

Frida Kahlo's garden diagram

nopal cactus

Frida cultivated a garden of succulents and flowering plants. It was also home to her monkeys, dogs and birds. The garden, with its terraced temple inspired by ancient Mexico, expressed her deep love for her country, its ecology, and its customs.

This is where she cultivated the world glimpsed through her paintings.

frida’s garden

The original garden emulated the 19th-century European taste for ferns and palms. To these Kahlo added native plants such as agave, cactus and prickly pear, which grew alongside orange and apricot trees, quince and pomegranate.

contrasts

Frida and Diego’s collection of Pre-Columbian (Pre-Cortezian) artifacts atop their Aztec-inspired pyramid at the end of her garden

frida’s pyramid

In the center of her garden she had an alter filled with succulents and cacti

(Photo of the altar recreation from the New York Botanicl Garden)

frida’s garden

Key plant-related concepts in her art: • Duality• hybridity• cross-pollination Kahlo took a mystical view of the relationship between humans and the cosmos, and absorbed powerful oppositions — sun and moon, life and death, male and female — into the complex symbolic forms in her art.

section twohomage to frida kahlo’s casa azul

In the center she had an alter filled with succulents and cacti

dalí museum garden homage to frida

Our garden team created this Monument and its surrounding environment in homage to Frida Kahlo’s Casa Azul garden

homage

Their design incorporates the four states of matter: earth, fire, water, air

states of matter

The Four States of Matter: Earth, Water, Air, and Fire

Our tribute to Frida Kahlo unifies a sense of mythology and tradition often found in both her work and Dalí’s work. Though both artist

were ultra-local and from different parts of the world (Old World/New World), they shared a strong traditional connection with

their land.

Earth, air, fire, and water are all recognized in this tribute.

earth, water, air, fire

Earth is the most broad category, encompassing plants, succulents, and even Dalí’s ants

earth

In addition to the plants, the earth is also symbolized by terracotta pots

earth

Water is symbolic of purification, fertility and nourishment.

water

Air is the conjoining force that enables the flame to dance, the water to run, and the earth to cultivate.

Many of these cacti and succulents get their moisture from the air.

air

Fire is used to burn fields to purify. It is a symbol of rebirth.

fire

Our pyramid features burning lanterns.

fire

Desert Cassia is placed at the top of the monument

succulents and cacti

Succulents and cactuses adorn the Monument and it’s surrounding area

section threefrom frida’s garden to dalí’s garden

Frida’s garden was designed with great artistry, but her depiction of the plants in her art was approached more with the eye of a botanist.

Her drawings of plants were exacting and anatomical

frida’s plants

Frida Kahlo: Portrait of Luther Burbank, 1932Hybridist; circle of LifePhilodendronCitrus trees

agaveorgan pipe cactus

bougainvilleacanna lily

Mexican cypressold man cactus

oleander

orangepomegranite

quincerose

scented-leafed geraniumyam

yucca

plants found in frida’s garden

beloperone guttata (shrimp plant)

bougainvillea

cephalocereus senilis (old man cactus)

agave

sansevieria trifasciata (Viper's bowstring hemp)

section fourfrida’s flowers in the west garden

frida’s flowers

Flowered BraidedRibbonedFrida’s hair style suggests both feminine religious figures, but also symbolizes of fertility and fecundity

flower hair style

1890 portrait of Frida’s maternal family dressed in the Tehuana tradition, which also featured headpieces made with pleats and flowers and ribbons.The photograph shows that this Tehuana legacy existed for Kahlo’s family before meeting Diego.

tehuana style

By adorning her hair, Frida invites us to concentrate on her face and torso, distracting us from her legs

flower hair style

Diego Rivera Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in the Alameda Central, 1946.She was originally created by originally created by Jose Guadalupe Posada in 1910, and he is the gentleman on the right.

la calavera catrina

Often wearing flowers and using them in her paintings as a celebration of her national heritage, their symbolism of fertility and fecundity was also pertinent to Kahlo who was unable to have children herself as a result of the accident in her teenage years.

poinsettia

"I paint flowers so they will not die."- Frida Kahlo

Long before it became poinsettia, or Euphorbia pulcherrima, the plant with flaming red foliage was called cuetlaxochitl by the Aztecs. This is Mexico’s plant. The flowers in Frida’s hair are Poinsettias.

poinsettia

It derives its common English name from Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first United States Minister to Mexico,[4] who introduced the plant to the US in 1825.

poinsettia

dalhia

coreopsis (calliopsis, tickseed)

hibiscus, double rose & classical

The hibiscus was used in many of Kahlo’s paintings. In our Garden we have both the double rose hibiscus, which is present in a few of her famous flower crowns, and the classical Hibiscus, which is referenced in her 1944 painting The Flower of Life.

Aztec goddess of flowers and female sexual power, serving as a protector of young mothers and a patron of pregnancy, childbirth.Her symbols are flowers and feathers.

xochiquetzal

zinnia

marigold

gaillardia (lanceleaf blanketflower)

euryops (california bush daisy)

bougainvillea

"Doctor, if you let me drink this tequila I promise to be good at my funeral.“

-Frida Kahlo

Agave Americana used for mezcal

agave americana

tequila is made from blue agave

thank you

duality: dionysian vs. apollonian

dionysian – "relating to the sensual, spontaneous, and emotional aspects of human nature."

chaosthe irrational

dionysian

apollonian – "relating to the rational, ordered, and self-disciplined aspects of human nature.”

reasonthe rational

apollonian

dionysian

The Living Wall - an example of chaos and randomness

LooseWild

apollonianThe trimmed bushes and planned landscape of the east garden - an example of order and clarity

The math garden

The labyrinth

Places of contemplation

The garden is made up of contrasts and dualities,

like the contrasting visions of Dalí and Kahlo.

more dualities in the garden

The New World and the Old World: There is a play between Mediterranean

and subtropical plants of Florida. Lilies, juniper, papyrus, and thyme

from the old world grow among wild petunia, sunshine mimosa, wild violets and sabal palm, native to

Florida.

dualities

dualities

Dalí spoke of the hard and the soft, and our garden varies from hardscape to turf, from hard Italian

cypress to soft fern.

dualities

Mediterranean vs. Tropical: The drooping ficus strands near the old-world

olive.

museum gardens map

1. grotto

2. east garden – north end

3. frida kahlo homage

4. east garden – south end

5. west garden

tour path:

4

12

3

5

grotto & fountain of youthwall of plants / dionysian

green initiative

east garden – north endmath garden

phi pavers (& pi pavers)dragon, mustache, bench, bird

rock of ampurdan

frida kahlo casa azul homagecasal azul garden

four elements of nature

east garden – south endlabyrinth / apollonian

wish treemediterranean garden

west gardenherb garden

frida plantings

tour stops:

section onegrotto & fountain of youth

grotto + the "living wall"grotto – "a small picturesque cave, especially an artificial one in a park or garden.”

A grotto is any type of cave that is associated with use by humans, often a small cave near water.

With our museum, the grotto is where you leave the familiar everyday world and enter the world of dalí.

Ours is filled with cavernous shade, fabulous plants and pooling water.

Living wall of bromeliads and epiphytes– cultivated by Nicole Matwijczyk

Each bromeliad is like a pixel in a crashing series of waves.

This is a place to retreat into the unconscious

plants on the living wall

An epiphyte is a plant that harmlessly grows upon another plant for support.

Bromeliad

[Aside: bromeliad are not responsible for breeding Zika virus mosquitos. Actually the mosquitos in bromeliads eat Zika spreading mosquitos]

Bromeliads are a flowering plant native to the tropics and subtropics of America.

This species is so diverse it ranges from desert succulents to pine apples.

They represent the New World aspect of the garden

Tillandsia in the rock openings

Tillandsia

fountain of youth

In the 16th century, Ponce de Leon sought the legendary Fountain of Youth throughout Florida, looking to the New World to for replenishment.

Inspired by the story, St. Pete’s great benefactor, Edwin H. Tomlinson, built a pier at Demen’s Landing in 1900. At the entrance to the pier he dug an artesian well and called it the Fountain of Youth. It became a major tourist attraction for many years.

Metaphorically, Dalí parallels Ponce de Leon. Considering himself an explorer and a savior of modern art, he sought to revitalize the World of Art by restoring art’s vigor through his dreamlike images and realistic representation.

transition talk: how is the garden “green”?

Florida native plants and Xeriscaped grounds require minimal water

Reclaimed water used for irrigationShell in lieu of grass in the labyrinth

Rescued ficus trees survived Hurricane Andrew

Herbs are used in Café Gala

sustainable landscaping

Natural limestone boulders in lieu of concrete walls

Cut stone benches rather than assembled

LED light fixturesLiving green walls to cool western

exposureDrip irrigation for low volume watering

with minimal evaporation

landscaping cont.

The snail – very destructive

The grasshopper – its only natural predators are the loggerhead shrike and a

baseball bat

garden menaces

section twoeast garden – north end

east garden:math garden

When seen from above, the palms

surrounding the Dalí complex spiral

around the complex in a nautilus

pattern, alluding to Fibonacci

fibonacci palms

In mathematics, two quantities are in the

golden ratio if their ratio is the same as the ratio

of their sum to the larger of the two quantities.

Also known as the Divine Proportion.

golden ratio

The golden ration is referred to as the

irrational number phi, 1.618…

1.618…

Nature Morte Vivante (Still Life-Fast Moving)

1956

The Golden Ratio is the defining

proportion by which plants most

commonly grow.Fibonacci numbers

show up in the arrangement of

petals, leaves and seeds in plants.

golden ratio

As plants grow, they need to maximize the available leaf space to

get exposure to the sun.

This is accomplished using the Golden Ratio.

golden ratio in nature

During this stop you will see a multitude of plant life, Mediterranean and

Tropic, the exemplify the Fibonacci Sequence and the golden mean.

golden ratio in nature

AgaveDesert Rose

Shrimp PlantBougainvillea, Helen Johnson

Bougainvillea, Paper FlowerCanna Lily (not a true lily)

Silver ButtonwoodPencil Pine

Golden DewdropTasman Flax lilyChinese banyan

FirebushShore Juniper

Parson's Chinese JuniperTexas Sage or Texas Ranger

Date Palm

fractal and fibonacci plants:

Sunflower seeds originate from a central point and move readily outwards as new seeds

are formed.

sunflower

sunflower & phi

The optimal angular displacement for newly formed seeds is phi.

sunflower & fibonacci “Fibonacci sequence”:

0 1 1 2 3 5 8 13

Fibonacci numbers can be seen in the spirals of the stems of palm trees, in the spirals of the pine-

cones, in the spirals of the artichokes, and -

above all - in the spirals of the sunflowers.

succulent math

Not only are succulents and cactuses a common icon in Kahlo’s work, but they also express the Fibonacci Sequence.

agave & phi

phi + pi

Phi and Pi are ratios defined by a geometric construction. Pi  is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. Phi is the ratio of the line segments that result when a line is divided in one very special and unique way.

The golden spiral can be found in

the central pavers of the

courtyard

pavers of phi

Another irrational number, Pi, can be found in the south pavers.

The relation of the circumference to the diameter of every circle is the same, approximately 3.14 or

as 22/7. Pi is essential to descriptions of motion and

mechanics and has applications in everyday life.

pavers of pi

east garden:features

The rocks surrounding the garden are Florida limestone quarried at Lake Okeechobee. They are designed to evoke the rocky shore of Dalí's Spanish home.

okeechobee limestone

A solitary boulder of metamorphic pigmatite was gifted to the Museum by the Mayor and the people of Cadaques, Spain.

It is the centerpiece of the East Garden.

catalan stone

dalí’s cap de creus

This stone represents the stony landscape seen in so many of Dalí’s work. The intense identification that Dalí makes with the rocks of his homeland- using them as self portraits in many works - goes beyond a mere fascination with their form. As the mayor of Cadaqués told us, we now have the actual presence of Catalonia in our garden.

limestone vs. pigmatite

Limestone is a sedimentary rock, composed mainly of skeletal fragments of marine organisms. It is extremely soft and will degrade over time; pegmatite is a holocrystalline, intrusive igneous rock like granite composed of composed of quartz, feldspar and mica, and extremely hard to break.

dualities

Dalí spoke of the hard and the soft. Limestone is fragile and breaks easily; pigmatite is incredibly hard and

difficult to break

Catalonia and Florida are joined in the Avant-garden by the mined limestone perimeter quarried from Lake Okeechobee and the shorey stone of Dalí’s home.

catalonia and florida

Topiary shrub design invoking surprise by our groundskeeper, Gus Vargas

garden dragon

Local artist Donald Gialanella created the 17-foot long landmark sculpture

mustache sculpture

Gialanella used CorTEN steel, a special alloy that forms a thin oxidized patina that protects the material from

corrosion. He designed around the principle of parallax, featuring a series of parallel profile plates, so that the appearance of the sculpture changes, based on the vantage point of the

viewer. Tampa Steel & Supply sponsored this surreal installation, as

part of its service to the Tampa Bay region, which began in 1983.

mustache sculpture

Created by sculptor Kevin Brady for the St. Pete Green Bench competition.

Purchased and donated to the Dalí Museum by docent Doug Strutz.

melting bench

Inspired by Northside Christian School senior Molly Doyle (daughter of Museum Trustee Bob Doyle), there are eight whimsical yellow-throated warblers hidden in downtown St. Pete (“Birds on Beach.”)

Buddy the Bird and his seven family members were created by area sculptor Donna Gordon.

dalí bird, buddy

section foureast garden – south end

The Wish Tree, with roots in Hindu and Scottish traditions, is a tangible expression of all our fond hopes

sansevieria trifasciata

The Dalí labyrinth, inspired by the Chartres Cathedral labyrinth

the labyrinth

unicursal

A labyrinth is a type of maze, distinct from other mazes because it is “unicursal,” consisting of a curve that is

closed and can be drawn in a single movement (no wrong turns).

In days of old, intellectuals would walk the labyrinth lost in thought assured that they would not get lost in its logical layout. Because the labyrinth has no false turns, disillusions, or trickery, it is a perfectly formed trail articulated to allow reflection and clear thinking.

apollo and the labyrinth

chartres labyrinth

Our maze is modelled on the Chartres Labyrinth, Paris – no wrong turns

Crushed limestone leads through the podocarpus hedges. The path leads to the center marked by the tallest cypress tree on the ground.The cypress tree is a symbol of welcoming in Mediterranean cultures as its regular planning demonstrates human intent.

center of the labyrinth

section fivewest garden (ramp to entrance)

Bamboo lines the path to section five

west garden:herb +

edible garden

oregano (3 kinds)chivesbasil (5 kinds)rosemarymint (5 kinds)papayaonions (kill bugs!)lettucebeans

Romanesco cauliflower from the museum garden

fractal growth

Romanesco Cauliflower is the ultimate math vegetable. Its pattern is a natural representation of the Fibonacci / Golden Spiral. It has logarithmic spirals where every quarter turn is farther from the original by a factor of Phi - the golden ratio.

fibonacci cauliflower

cabbage from the museum garden

Pineapple

Part of the bromeliad family

Indigenous to the New World

Papaya

Dianella Tasmanica

Avant-garden Tour Docent Training(featuring the Homage to Frida Kahlo’s Casa Azul)

PoinsettiaLong before it became poinsettia, or Euphorbia pulcherrima, the plant with flaming red foliage was called cuetlaxochitl by the Aztecs. This is Mexico’s plant. We’re just very fortunate that we get to enjoy it so much.

The flowers in Frida’s hair are safely assumed as Poinsettias.

Dionysus Introduces to the Avant Garden

The entrance to the museum is made up of elements that embrace chaos and enable the spell-binding mindset embraced in Dalí’s World. A world of refined chaos and splendor.

This part of the Garden is a reflection of Dionysus, the Greek God of chaos and the irrational. Dionysus guides us into a world of wonder, helping us dance with our emotions and instincts into the dream world of Dalí.

Elements of Mythology, legend, and actual living walls welcome us into Dionysus’ irrational divine.

Earth Friendly Inside the Building and Out!· We reclaim all of the condensation from our air handlers. It is stored in a holding tank on the first floor and then re-pumped up to the cooling towers. This is part of our cooling process for the building. It saves us thousands of gallons of water every year in our cooling needs.

Earth Friendly Inside the Building and Out!· Rather than using a standard large scale commercial ice maker we use a water cooled one. This greatly reduces the amount of heat transmitted from the machine which in turn reduces our needs of cooling that area. When the ice machine is through using the cold water supplied to it that water becomes waste. We have reclaimed that water as well to be stored in the same holding tank as the condensate water. It is also reused in the cooling tower.

Earth Friendly Inside the Building and Out!· The hot water for all of the public restrooms is heated with a domestic solar water heater. Reduction in the use of electricity or natural gas to heat water.

Earth Friendly Inside the Building and Out!· · We utilize building automation to control the use of HVAC needs and lighting by way of scheduling the reduction of lighting and heating/cooling spaces not needing it in the unused times of the museum.

Earth Friendly Inside the Building and Out!· The concrete walls are 18" thick plus a mixture of fiberglass and sprayed foam to insulate the building from the harsh Florida heat.

Earth Friendly Inside the Building and Out!· The enigma glass is 1-1/2" thick and has UV coatings to reduce heat transmission while still allowing a significant amount of light to pass through.

Earth Friendly Inside the Building and Out!· We use low flow flush valves and faucets in the restrooms. Reduction of wasted water.

museum gardens map

dalí bird, Buddy

Canna Lilly

the architecturethe herb garden

the material used to build the museummany of the plants are upcycled

(reuse discarded material to create a product of a higher quality or value than the original)

elements of museum sustainability

Sunflower

Sunflower

Succulents

Succulent: anything that can hold water and can come back on its own

Bougainvillea

Self Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird, 1940The thorny necklace can safely be assumed as bougainvillia. In its mature state, bougainvillia has thorny hard stems that could indeed cut and adorn.

Frida Kahlo

Retrato de Alicia Galant(Portrait of Alicia Galant)

1927

oil on canvas

Canna Lilly

Frida Kahlo

El difuntito Dimas Rosas, a los 3 años de edad

(The Deceased Dimas Rosas, 3 years old)

1937

oil on composite board

Seen in his hands are Canna Lilies. Around him are flowers you will see both at the Casa Azul

Monument and at the end of the tour- Zinnias, Dahlias, Coreopsis, and

Chrysanthemum

Frida Kahlo

Retrato de Luther Burbank 1931

(Portrait of Luther Burbank 1931)

1931

pencil on paper

Frida Kahlo: The Dream or Self-Portait in a Dream, 1932

_____________

• Bromileads

canna lilly

Many of the plants around campus were used

medicinally by the Aztecs.

Fun fact!

There are self-sustained pineapples and native blueberry plants scattered throughout the entrance of the museum grounds that go unnoticed. Can you

find them?

Fun fact!

While Apollo and Dionysus are often understood as opposing forces, they are always seen as

complementary when referencing Nature.

The Greeks did not consider the two gods to be opposites or rivals, for the two deities were entwined

by nature.

fun fact!

Frida and the Golden Ratio• Gardens are a consistent theme throughout Frida Kahlo’s work. She valued

the beauty in the possibilities of the natural world, including mathematics. In her portrait of Alicia Galant (Retrato de Alicia Galant), 1927, Frida intentionally uses anatomical impossibilities in favor of phi and the golden mean.

• Notice your eyes follow the sloping of the elongated arm that brings one from the edges of the painting, inward to the center in a spiral path.

agave

Nicole MatwijczykDalí horticulturalist

Laurie ClementGarden volunteer; former garden curator of the

Gertrude Jekyll Garden at the Glebe House Museum in Woodbury, Connecticut

Sharon HartleyDali Docent; former garden docent Vizcaya, Miami

Lauren Collins2016 Dalí intern

team of experts