Investigation on hierarchies of landscape images Physical substance, visual layout and poetic imagery

The paper first analyzes the problems existing in the landscape architecture design, then presents several definitions of “landscape” and “image”, and last proposes an idea that landscape images can be divided into three hierarchies, including physical substance, visual layout, and poetic imagery. Through case study, much attention has been paid to analyzing how to create artistic conception, the access and methods to meet higher aesthetic level, and a conclusion is reached that landscape images go with different levels and we should have a thorough understanding into different levels so that design practice can step from lower level to higher level.