My Study Of Landscapes And Landscape Theory

In the essay, “A Literature of Place”, Barry Lopez expresses the importance of nature as it applies to human life. Through this he states that humans’ imagination are inspired by the scenery around them. Lopez revolves around a central perspective; Ancient american literature has always been rooted in nature. By acknowledging that modern human identity has been interpreted by nature, Lopez describes how the landscape of an area can shape the structure of the communities and how it can help with spiritual collapse. Nature writing has often been summarised by being one of the oldest threads in american literature. With our nation's aging one needs to reflect on their literary past; therefore, Lopez insists that we find our path to nature that

When Stephen visits Sachi’s garden for the first time, he finds that “There were no trees, flowers, or water, only a landscape made of sand, stones, rocks, and some pale green moss . . . Sachi had created mountains from arranged rocks, surrounded by gravel and elongated stones flowing down like a rocky stream leading to a lake or the sea” (40). Unlike Matsu’s very green and tree-filled garden, Sachi’s garden is very dry, and simplistic, yet has a peculiarly admirable feeling when one is able to see the subtle details. Although it is very different from a typical garden, its components harmonize to create a new and beautiful pattern. At first, Stephen is overwhelmed by the unfamiliar concept of a dry landscape, but after taking it in, he says it is beautiful. This garden is has a fresh taste to it, leaving Stephen to decide the effect it has on him, whether it be positive or negative. When creating the garden, Sachi insisted that it should not have flowers. However, eventually, “between two large rocks grew a neat cluster of blooming flowers, startlingly beautiful, a splash of blue-purple . . . thriving among the muted, gray stones.” The way that the bright colors contrast against the dull gray shows that something unfamiliar and novel can appear beautiful in its own way. Since Sachi’s garden is filled with pebbles and stones, the dainty flowers stand out comely, and to

A sense of balance is achieved between the stormy sky and the rugged mountain tops. The texture of the sky also contrasts with the texture of the landscape. The eye is directed by the caped figure’s wide

Accordingly, the nature was one of the Romantic themes adored by numerous readers during this era. The author’s description of untamed environment and striking sight inspires and impresses the readers. Soothing and relaxing people through these illustrations, author takes them away from the impersonal society. For example, The Most Sublime Spectacle on Earth by John Wesley Powell vividly displays the spectacular views of Grand Canyon to make readers forget the depraved reality. “The carving of the Grand Canyon is the work of rains and rivers,” Powell stresses that Grand Canyon is the splendid work of nature, not the artificial work of

I am analyzing the form and content of a stylized painting entitled The Palisades by John William Hill. This was found in the collection section of themetmusuem.org which was painted during the pre Raphaelite movement; when artist emphasized meticulous detail in what was observed rather than imagined nature. This artwork shows the aesthetics of nature, depicting a peaceful scenery with spacious green acres during the year of the 1870s. During the late 18th centuries, natural resources weren’t highly industrialized and that in itself shows how nature was essential for all human species. I argue that this painting shows how everything in nature connects and communicates with one another.

“The landscape, the whole great circle of it, grassheads, scrub, water, sky, quite took his breath away.” (Pg 17)

In chapter 5 of Mavericks, From Space to Territory Aritha van Herk writes about the West and its romantic appeal along with different men who were given the task of surveying and exploring the West where upon in turn they became captivated by its romantic appeal. In her writings about these men, and the West that they were tasked with “discovering”, there is a connection to regionalism, landscape and subsequently Plains identity. Regionalism refers to the unique characteristics of a geographic area, or to people’s perception and identification of that area. Landscape refers to that geographic area’s features that help form the characteristic qualities of a people in the region. Landscape also dictates how a region will develop over time. Plains identity follows as it is formed by regionalism and landscape. These three concepts can be found in van Herk’s writings in this chapter as she analyzes how people perceived the West.

Through exploring everyday life, geography is an essential discipline that is a central part of our understandings of the world around us. An important part of geography deals with the relationship between human activity and the physical aspects of where this activity takes place (Bryan, 1958). It is important to then consider that these physical aspects can often be viewed as landscapes within our society. The concept of landscape plays an important part within geography and this is a term that has been associated with a way of seeing the natural world (Cosgrove, 1984). From a geographical perspective, it is a concept embedded with visual aspects and appearance but also composed of structure and functions.

Rankin is using the map to act as a landscape a place where thoughts, memory, experience and place collate to become this practice that is a representational of the past and the present, the past through death and the geological sky which past and present diagrammatically is the same. An artist who has created something similar, creating a textual map from the landscape of the mind is Grayson Perry his piece Map of an Englishman (2004) reflects on a deeper level than Rankin the Individual Psychology of ones mind, stating anxieties, desires, fears and using them to act as place names. Perry’s comments on stereotypes in society and judgemental attitudes, creating a satirical map that reflects his state of mind. Rankin’s words are less specific

In the poem “To Paint a Water Lily” by Ted Hughes, the speaker conveys his attitude toward nature as perplexing, complex, and deceiving. He also expresses his opinion of the artist and the difficulties brought on by him trying to paint and recreate not only the picture of a water lily and its natural scene, but also capture the intense environment that is both peaceful and full of constant activity. The author achieves this through literary techniques such as: imagery and juxtaposition.

For example, people won’t be able to take a close look at a beautiful flower, interact with interesting animals, or catch those colorful insects that people may have never seen before. This type of relationship is slowly disappearing and it is causing the landscape to transform into something different such as a geographical space. Images blur when people travel in high velocities and this is the same for the landscape. The meaning of landscape has changed as people no longer appreciates the beauty of the landscape. The landscape has become “systematized” which means that the experiences of traveling have become the same no matter where people are traveling to. For example, using present-day transportation such as an airplane, the feeling, experiences, or the “landscape” is the same when people travel from Los Angeles to Los Vegas or Los Angeles to San Francisco. This change in the meaning of landscape is even more obvious today as unlike trains where people can still somewhat have an overall conception of what the landscape is like, people don’t look out of the airplane’s tiny windows but instead, focus on their books, music, and electronic devices such as

In Thomas Cole’s Essay on American Scenery, the reader is able to appreciate Cole’s predilection and love for the American scenery. It is his belief this scenery is superior to the European scenery, since the latter’s “primitive features of scenery have long since been destroyed or modified … to accommodate the tastes and necessities of a dense population.” However, Cole presents his audience with a gloomy prophecy about America’s future, which he believes will be the same as Europe’s. Still, while acknowledging that industrialization could eventually take over many natural regions, Cole is hopeful that nature will remain victorious, since it will still be predominant. Because of this, he advises the American people to take advantage of

Humanity is but a facet of the sublime macrocosm that is the world’s landscapes. In the relationship between man and landscape, nature is perpetually authoritarian. In her free-verse poems, The Hawthorn Hedge, (1945) and Flame-Tree in a Quarry (1949), Judith Wright illustrates the how refusal to engage with this environment is detrimental to one’s sense of self, and the relentless endurance of the Australian landscape. This overwhelming force of nature is mirrored in JMW Turner’s Romantic artwork, Fishermen at Sea (1796). Both Wright and Turner utilise their respective texts to allegorise the unequal relationship between people and the unforgiving landscape.

William Blake is one of the major Romantic poets, whose verse and artwork became part of the wider movements of Romanticism in the late Eighteenth and early Nineteenth centuries. Blake’s writing style combines a variety of styles as he is an artist, lyric poet, mystic and visionary at once. Blake’s work has fascinated, intrigued and even bewildered readers at times. Blake’s work ranges from deceptively simple and lyrical to highly elaborate and apocalyptic. In “The Land of Dreams”, we see elements of religion, family, and nature through symbolism, caesura and the rhyme structure of the poem.

Most people think about landscapes they think of calm, serene and passive environments – however landscapes are rarely completely still and to convey this movement in an image will add drama, mood and create a point of interest. Wind in trees, waves on a beach, water flowing over a waterfall, birds flying over head, moving clouds make image nice.