Wow, wow, wow. I love this video because I study landscape, rural space and the environment in Spanish culture and I found it to be “to the point” in both the historical way landscape has been analyzed and also the contemporary context in which researchers are beginning to examine the effects these cultural objects have on people’s use of the land, something you of course note at the end of your video. All of the sample videos were awesome as well! Thank you!
"One of the biggest revolutions in Western culture, occurred when the world of the arts in the 18th Century began to deliberately create landscapes and environments as a way of controlling mental life. Whether in paint or in poetry, or in landscaping and city building, the 18th Century artist created landscapes, what he called the picturesque; making things look as though they already were framed in pictures. And he found that these landscapes, or picturesque situations, could be used as a means of controlling the mental life of the observer. The function of romantic art, of picturesque art, was to control moods; it was all orientated towards effect. Earlier the arts had simply been concerned with permitting the audience to enjoy the sense of community and festive involvement; Medieval arts as we are popularly aware, were festive, communal, and participative, they were not intended to give any sense of privileged or elite life. It's a little bit like the Balinese, who say 'We have no art, we do everything as well as possible', they think of art as that which applies to the environment, they program the environment, art for them means dealing with the environment itself as if it were a work of art. This I think is one of the meanings of pop art, a recognition that the outer environment itself is capable of being processed like art. Only in an age of electronic immediacy and totality, could we ever dream of tackling the whole human environment as a work of art. But this is happening to us, and pop art is merely a report to the nation as it were, that this event is taking place and that we can prepare ourselves accordingly. You know how the elite artists are shocked by pop art, because they try to classify the content of pop art; instead of viewing pop art as a means of perception, they think of it as a means of classification, as merely a means of ratings. The idea that art may have function, of just training human perception, doesn't seem to get through too easily to these people. But let's go back to the 18th Century landscape artist.. having devised this landscape as a way of controlling the mental life of populations, there came shortly after, in the middle of the 19th Century, a sudden break, in which the artist said.. it is the inner life, not the outer landscape that counts, and the symbolists began to examine the inner mental landscape as something which could be programmed as a means of enriching consciousness, of creating an inclusive consciousness, instead of just creating as the Romantic artists had done; creating a mood, they began to work on the idea of the total consciousness." - Marshall McLuhan
@@Tarik360 Van Gogh is a Post-Impressionist, which comes pretty close to being a Symbolist. He sought refuge in painting to relax his mind, something religion didn't seem to do. His good friend Gauguin is in the same alley and is pretty often recited as a Symbolist painter rather than a Post-Impressionist. The difference is that they sought to satisfy their own desires, rather than create a piece of propaganda that defied interpretation. Romantic landscape painting was indeed often used to create epic moods (USA), but it was also used to express emotions that would be censored if they were depicted with human beings (Germany, Scandinavia, Belgium). It was sometimes used to show off property (England) and most of all, it was used to inspire nationalism (all of the above + France). Only in Spain, Romanticism was used as a means to openly criticize society and its atrocities. Even then, it was quickly washed away by Neoclassicism, which strove a restriction of emotions, until Modernists changed it and as we know, the Impressionists returned to Romanticism for inspiration. Only, because these were Modern painters, they sought to investigate painting as an autonomous art - painting for painting's sake. The Post-Impressionists, like Van Gogh, wanted to express something with their landscapes. They did not study them, but used them as a means of expression, like the Romantics once did, but with Modern techniques. This in itself is very interesting, considering how landscapes are being treated as a subject in contemporary art. It is no longer exclusive to portraying nature, a landscape can also be just dull and grey. It has pretty much become a symbol once again of our decadence.
Nice video, I'd recommend Dark Side of the Landscape by John Barrell if you can get your hands on it too. The presence of the figure is another interesting ideological component of landscape painting in how they are depicted as a realization of labour and industry, but only in set terms to not betray the interests of markets or the ownership class. Whats also interesting is where this work eventually ended up, such as above the mantle pieces of ministers responsible for the shaping of the land in economic terms. This was the was the basis of my dissertation and a series of oil paintings currently on display in London, and offers so much insight as this video rightly describes: land is a fundamental component to human experience
Faciality of the landscape, the ground for generating subjectivity defines the nature of that subjectivity. Without a landscape there is no society, and yet society defines the look and feel of the landscape, both within art and through it's political decisions. I felt this profoundly driving across Minnesota and Wisconsin with their manicured farms and red brick barns. The tableau defines those living within it as much as they and their ancestors created it. Faciality in the sense that it is responsive and yet fundamental creates our reality.
Chinese landscape painting was popular since the Tang dynasty, about a thousand years before europe. To not at least make reference to that feels like an oversight to me
Not if his focus is on the last five centuries of the Western world, which is implied. Rhetorical question; shall he comment on cave paintings all over the world that depicted landscape and animals as well?
@@DubG9 2:44 "...landscape painting is a modern phenomenon, emerging in 17th century Europe". He cited Europe as the origin of landscape painting, but this is just factually not true. If he is to talk about the origin of landscape painting then yes, he would have to mention the true origin. Otherwise they would have to mention that they are talking about modern European painting specifically, and not cite it as the origin.
Land is political in the same way that anything is political - it is viewed in a political lense, when under analysis, and acts alongside political action and other actions which are able to be described as having political groundings (everything). I've never found the phrase "X is political" very interesting because it really says nothing that "X has a political aspect in its viewing, creation, usage, etc" would say better. Typically it is used to push for political critique or observation, but in ways above other things we could observe in politics or different lenses that we could view something in (like a more sociological or psychological viewpoint, rather than a political movement way that I often see some art reinterpreted). It's unnecessary to ignore the political aspects of something, because they are part of the context of everything, but it is also unnecessary to use an individual's political context and retrospectively (or perhaps, project their viewpoint into places which they are unfamiliar with) for every piece of artwork.
I notice that too, but without knowing when and who did the painting it is hard to discount that statement. Nonetheless, a majority of what I have read has on landscape art demonstrates that it is indeed a modern phenomenon and has affected us deeply in the ways we (mis)manage land.
@@Andrew-qb1rc yes, that is the eurocentric art-history narrative. But Chinese art has been depicting wild landscapes for thousands of years, and it echoes a completely different way of considering both nature and art.
Donald Tournier agreed. It is highly Eurocentric and it is a dominate perspective of nature in the world today. We should all learn more about the traditional ways of thinking in Asia, and also Ingenious cultures before Western influence.
Another excellent video! I recently picked up John Wylie's "Landscape" (2007) at the library, in part because I was attracted to the beautiful Cezanne landscape painting on the cover but also because I found the word 'landscape' on its own strangely evocative. It's such an interesting topic and there are so, SO many angles from which to explore it! Really enjoyed this particular perspective!
As a contemporary artist who deals with concepts of landscape a lot of this is new to me, and has sent me on a research kick, starting with Locke...landscape is not neutral at all! I love Landscape and Power by W. J. T. Mitchell, so interesting.
Augusto Griffi I still wonder if the symbols we now see in these painting were put there for that purpose, were put there unaware ( for the same reason ) or we manufacture them using our own current ideology ? And how we could tell them appart ?
Are you a visual culture scholar? Is your field American Art? Not sure why it agorhythmed its way to my You Tube selection. It was cool and I will look at your menu. Thanks!
I remember a video made by a leftist that argues that since floral & landscape art are interactive and not contemplative, they aren't art...🌴🌲🌳 As a frenchman who has visited the Versailles , Sceaux Parks & the arboretum de la Vallée aux loups : i beg to disagree
Did you really mean that the artists didnt realise their context and influnece in the use of landscape. Look at the french painters of the 18th century. Courbet for example. When art became clearly propaganda artist genius new how to use landscape to literally speak and they were v conscious of it
