Faculty of Arts
READING LANDSCAPE ART: INTRODUCTION EUROPEAN LANDSCAPE ART
The depiction of landscape first appeared in European art as a background in figurative paintings, but by the 17th century had emerged as an independent form. The course begins by examining the conventions established at this time. Ideal landscape paintings in Italy, invariably included literary subject matter, and often related to genres defined in a study of Virgil’s poetry – the Aeneid; the Eclogues; the Georgics – epic or historical, poetic or pastoral. In northern Europe, however, landscapes developed a closer relationship to the appearance of the land and its everyday use, related perhaps to medieval representations of the Labours of the Months.
We will also examine landscape paintings in the context of socio-political change, and will be concerned to challenge simplistic readings that develop stereotypes in art historical writing. Landscape art has customarily been thought of as fairly ‘neutral’ in its subject matter, related to the rise of naturalism in art, and concerned with notions of the beautiful, the sublime and the picturesque. Revisionist art historians have proposed new readings of landscape, suggesting that depictions of the land are intimately associated with social values, private ownership and/or nationalism. In these readings, landscape art is as much a vehicle of political agendas as artworks representing civic or historical themes, albeit more covert.
By the 18th-century landscape painting was a well-established genre. Lectures on this period will consider the effects of travel and the Grand Tour on depictions of landscape, often employed as souvenirs of foreign scenes. They will also examine the development of the English landscape garden, both as an indicator of a changing attitude to nature and as a reflection of the taste and status of the English upper classes. Landscape was also becoming a vehicle of personal sensibility, paralleling its role in romantic poetry. Portrait commissions or ‘conversation pieces’ sometimes combined depictions of their patrons and their patrons’ estates and gardens, reflecting this sensibility but also reinforcing the importance of the ownership of land in British society. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, there was a greater focus on local landscape amongst English painters, partly because the French revolution and Napoleonic wars made travel on the continent unsafe, partly because of strong feelings of patriotism. But the English countryside was changing, the increasing amount of enclosure undermining the livelihood of rural people dependent on common land, a livelihood which was further threatened by industrialisation, urbanisation and a changing economy. Landscape artists did not necessarily consciously intend to reflect such social changes, but they and their art inevitably shared in the values of their time.
NEW ZEALAND LANDSCAPE ART
This section of the course deals with landscape art as it developed in New Zealand, introduced by colonial artists who brought with them the conventions of European art. It will be addressed through a series of guest lectures, which will offer the particular advantage of affording you views of the topic through the lens of different scholars from different disciplines who have worked in this area. In this section of the paper, you will also have the pleasure of being able to see in the flesh some of the works they study, rather than knowing them only in slides and reproductions.
USE OF THE COURSE BOOK
The course book is intended to provide you with a brief synopsis of lectures and tutorials, week by week, so that you have an overview of the paper from the outset. This means that you can plan ahead – read in advance for your lectures, prepare for your tutorials and study for your assignments – which will assist you to understand the material in lectures far more readily and think critically about it. Your questions and comments are encouraged – during lectures, consultation times and of course tutorials. For tutorials to be effective, everyone needs to participate, and your contribution will assist both your classmates and yourself. Students who participate actively in courses get far more out of them than ‘passive learners’ and are likely to achieve better grades.
Slides
Images related to this course are available on the Art History Image Database. You are encouraged to consult it regularly while reviewing your notes, studying and writing your essays. It is essential for the Slide Test, when specific slides will be selected for study. Slide lists are included in the course book to assist you with details of artists and titles. Power-point lectures will be posted on the course website where possible.
Bibliography
A consolidated bibliography for the paper is given, listing key texts for the course. The course book also lists texts of particular relevance for individual lectures, with comments to guide you. Some books have been placed on short loan to facilitate access. But please note that there are numerous books on landscape painting and landscape artists in the Fine Arts Library, and only a selection have been listed. You are encouraged to browse amongst all of these, particularly to increase your visual knowledge of the works. There is also valuable material in journal articles. And you might want to explore the web for further images and ideas – although you need to be aware that there is no ‘review’ process for web material so anything can be posted. Be cautious in trusting material that does not come from a reputable source.
You should also remember that the concept of landscape is not the preserve of art alone. Particularly because of the ecological interests of the late 20th century, it has become a topic of interest to anthropologists, geographers, historians and sociologists. It is also addressed in literary studies. You will find books in the General Library on landscape in non-art categories which offer different approaches. If you are taking papers in other disciplines, you might especially enjoy reading in areas of overlap.
Coursework Assignments
Coursework contributes 50% to your final grade in Art History, making a considerable difference to your final mark. So it is particularly important to do you best, and to keep up with deadlines. Information about assignments and due dates is supplied in the course book so that you know requirements from the outset. Extensions will therefore be granted only to students who are facing particular hardship, such as illness. If you hand in late without an extension, there will be a penalty of 5% per week. But please note that no further essays will be accepted once essays have been marked and returned. At that stage, essays that have not been submitted will be recorded at 0%.
