The Landscape, what actually is it?

The landscape, what actually is it?

Welcome all to my second attempt at some sort of blog. And I must say firstly a huge thanks to everyone who read my first one, and for all the very kind feedback I received about it. Im genuinely so pleased that it was an interesting read, and more importantly that it made some sense!

Now we must move on and take ourselves out and into the wilds!

Well maybe wilds is a little dramatic, but certainly we must all try and place ourselves outside, amongst the kaleidoscope of colours and variety of textures and sounds that when combined become very neatly summed up as "The Landscape”. Although this poses a question, what is meant by the term “Landscape” in the first place? I mean I always call my work “Landscapes” but what is that? Is it the collection of foliage and mud that sits outside our windows, or that thing we occasionally find ourselves traveling through on route from one place to another? That changing scene we see sometimes, that maybe we pause to appreciate when the sun set makes it look so very romantic. Certainly the term Landscape can be a generalization for a multitude of different things that we may or may not encounter when surrounded by the great outdoors, all of which vary greatly depending on the place, time and climate of wherever we find ourselves upon this planet.

This landscape ideal has always been something that we as humans have found to be romantic, certainly here in the UK it has often been elevated far beyond its humble merits. In the past it has become something that we have clung to in our deepest and darkest moments, the charms of a thatched cottage set amongst some beautiful farmland and rolling hills has become a beacon of hope, something to fight for. This despite the fact that it appears as it does largely because it has been molded and engineered by us into a means merely to provide. The fields though beautiful have been created and tended by us to provide food, the thick hedges that border them, serve to do exactly that, provide a border (as well as supporting wildlife of course). And my beloved trees are loved merely to provide timber. And yet, despite the fact that the beautiful and wild landscape we are fortunate enough to be surrounded by isn't really that natural anymore, it still never fails to give us that feeling of wonder and joy. And yes, certainly there are great swathes of it that are still relatively unkept and left in a more natural state. But even these places often have footpath's carved through them for our convenience, although admittedly some of these walkways are ancient!

And it makes me think sometimes, being somewhat of an old fashioned painter, is the Landscape still a suitable subject to paint? Does the scene of rolling hills and woodland still hit the mark in a fast paced digital age? Yes, yes it does! I think so anyway! I truly believe this because we are thankfully becoming more aware of this world we inhabit, its frailty, its importance, so anything that helps people to stop and look at it all a bit harder is only a good thing.

Now do not think for a moment that this is me having a bit of a moan! I certainly do not think that the tailored and farmed land around me is somehow uninspiring and dull. On the contrary I adore the way the fields are plowed and the hedges are kept so tidy. It has such a beautiful structure to it, and can still appear on occasions completely untouched by human influence. But I do think sometimes how much more amplified the world would be if we could see it before we had had such a role in its function, and an impact on its condition. I was traveling by train only this morning into Rye, and had just passed Winchelsea station. And it struck me then as I sat gazing out of the rather grimy carriage window, how tame the land appeared, all plowed and ready for the new crop. Its ordered and controlled appearance is a fascinating subject really, and it never fails to impress me how the rotation of the land and seasons work so beautifully together. Farmland is an absolute wonder! But that doesn't mean as a painter that we have to paint it this way. And I think this is the point that Im trying to get to, so please bear with me! The landscape painter I feel has a duty to create this amplified world. The world that we see sometimes in our mind, the scene from a really good chapter in a novel for example that we then play out in our minds eye. The real world can serve as a perfect base for the imagination. The great JMW Turner would create incredible images inspired by sometimes quite humble vistas. A moment he may of seen on a sketching trip to Yorkshire for example, would be amplified by his incredible mind into an epic painting of Hannibal crossing the Alps. This is an idea that I personally adore, and have tried in the past to emulate in my own work, taking a watercolor of a fishing boat caught in a storm in Cornwall and attempting to turn it into a painting of the Kraken rising from the depths of some deep dark ocean! This idea of grandeur within nature, this is the part of painting the landscape I love, its powerful and scary sometimes, but beautiful and awe inspiring always. I would take a stormy sky over a sunny one anytime. The landscape has, and I have no doubt will, always inspire me to paint. It is a never ending source of change and visual stimulus that never fails to excite me. From the neat plowed fields of Autumn, to the barren skies of Winter, to the dress rehearsal of Spring, to the full show of bright sunlit power that is Summer!

So back to the original question, what is meant by the term “The Landscape?” Well within art anyway, it is a question that maybe cannot be easily answered as its something that has different significance for every person. We can all agree it has a place, a purpose, it exists just as we do, and will always exist in one form or another after we have gone and been returned to it. So I guess The Landscape is whatever the individual wants it to be. And its certainly a very valid and wonderful subject for an artists brush to record. In my opinion at least then, the landscape is not a singular thing it cannot be condensed down, nor does it generate a singular emotion. And here a very nice parallel can be drawn, as a good landscape painting can also generate a multitude of emotions for the viewer. The landscape painter, (of which I call myself very proudly!) can sometimes manage to stir similar feelings of wonder and joy from the flat surface of a canvas, all possibly derived from quite a humble scene or sketch. They can through whatever medium they favor transport this viewer into an entirely different space and time, and fuel this journey along with awe and inspiration! And that is quite a special thing to do, and speaking for myself, its something I will never tire of trying to achieve.

Many thanks for your time,

Till next time.

AViner