2.5 Conclusions!
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The methodology has shown that through the analysis of the structure of this thesis as the union of the arts and the sciences, the individual chapters of this thesis will document the collective crossing of the blurred liminal boundary into a completely new territory in the appreciation of Landscape Painting.
The research methodology used has been extensively researched prior to and in parallel to the process of investigation, analysis, contemplation and writing up. Pinnegar and Daynes (2007) describe the importance of paradigm shifts consisting of turns that naturally occur as part of the research process.
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Three philosophical turns that can be interpreted from the evolution of the research approach:
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1) The first turn is a change of the relationship between the person conducting the research and the participant, from observer to equal. From the interviewers respect for the artist, to their respect for the interviewers research and insight, which is specifically evident in the case of Ray. From interpreting the works from the perspective of others to making the observations included in the thesis. The research process evolves from passive to active interpretation.
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2) From the general and universal to the local and specific. Starting with an overview of the evolution of landscape painting within the works of Leonardo and Wright, positioning them as responding to the age in which they were living. Focusing initially on the power of the particular, but using the insight gained in the first turn to be able to approach the work of artists whose career had not yet been documented by the established academic circles.
By using the guidance of the investigation into the internationally recognised artists and well documented artists such as Kiefer, Richter and Mehretu, the exploration of the works of the less internationally known and explored artists Ray and Mason was made possible.
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3) A growing acceptance of alternative ways of knowing or epistemologies. The emergence of a growing reflexivity within the appraisal of the paintings, positioning the assumptions and encouraging an interdisciplinary approach in response to the individual artists and the interpretation of their work, and the research to interconnect their work within the thesis.
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The selection of the artists has be shown to have been justified as demonstrating an absence of domain specificity whilst accompanied by fluidity towards the representation of Landscape.
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It can be surmised that the chosen methodology has be shown to ground the thesis firmly in the domain of the contemporary through focusing on living, internationally recognised Contemporary artists who have created paintings not exclusively, but significantly in the domain of Landscape fundamentally reflecting the liminality of the contemporary world.!
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Chapter 3
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Into Landscape
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3.1 The roots of the Landscape Genre!
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The creation of Landscape as a genre within Art History did not emerge until the end of the 16th Century, and before then it was generally considered a pleasing backdrop to a religious scene rather than the subject of an artwork. The Landscape genre is one of the best known and most appreciated forms of creative expression, as it allows the viewer to escape the confines of a gallery or a contained space, essentially inviting them to contemplate, visually explore and potentially loose themselves in an inspirational view. There are many words to describe Landscape: Landschap in Dutch, Landschaft in German and Paysage in French, Paisatge en Catalan and Paisaje in Spanish. The French,
Catalan and Spanish word has its roots in the latin verb pango, which can be translated to define a terrain. The act of transforming nature into a territory is an artificial construct, as it is a culturally constructed artificial piece of nature.
Lemaire (1992) described how:
´the landscape, that we would account to be nature par excellence, falls into the category of culture, that which is conceived and made by mankind. Landscape therefore is entirely at home in the domain of art. Even more: without art, landscape would not exist´.33
Therefore, as Landscape is considered a human construct, without humans it would not continue. Whether it is a small back garden, large gardens attached to a country estate or huge swathes of protected land, it is, in essence, a culturally contained area with limits and controls. It is imagined that Landscape is wild nature, but very few places, if any, depicted in works of Landscape in the past or present actually represent wild nature. Even by the constraint of the picture plane itself it is a contradiction to the representation of Nature itself.
Before Landscape was appreciated as nature, it was art in the form of Landscape painting. There is even a question if Landscape and Nature, are in-fact mutually exclusive, that one can not refer to one whilst talking about the other. Nature is understood as being the natural form of the natural world and its processes independent of humans, and will continue until infinity and eventually return to its natural state once humans have departed. Whereas in contrast, Landscape is also interpreted as a cultural construct, created by, determined by and depicted by humans, which will cease to exist without humans. Landscape only exists in eye of beholder, and is limited as a record of the artists experience and expression with the time period and location of which it was created. Whilst
Lemaire, T. (1992), p3.
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it can be said that Landscape first made its appearance in works of art, the authenticity of the depiction of Landscape within those works is questioned.
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It can be proposed that there are three interpretations of Landscape. The first could be described as the Classical interpretation typical of the perspective of Lemaire´s vision, which is inclined towards the realisation that our relationship and respect for nature is fundamentally disrupted, and that by facing the potential destruction of the natural world by reconnecting with Landscape, he defends the importance of Landscape. The second interpretation can be described as the Postmodernist Realist Perspective, which is diametrically opposed to the Classical view and acknowledges that:
´we must no longer cling to the ideal of a virgin nature (or indeed to nature at all), but must actively develop the qualities of a completely artificial human environment in order to survive.´ 34
Therefore, we must accept the reality of a destroyed world, and instead of seeking a return to a world prior to the act of destruction, develop a world centred around humans. Within the realm of Landscape, this would involve not just acknowledging, but also accepting the continued destruction of the planet.
As a responsible academic, it would be preferable to position the research in-between the two extremes of returning to the past and accepting the reality of the present. Therefore, by electing to situate this thesis firmly in the domain of the moment, and by acknowledging the phases of the past that have brought us to the present, the reality of the future can be embraced. By recognising the journey the Landscape genre has taken until now, the layers of knowledge,
Lemaire, T. (1992), p4.
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experience and expression that have brought us to the reality of the moment, can be acknowledge to truly represent the present reality of Landscape.
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The third, and completely alternative interpretation of Landscape can be described as Human-centric. This perspective has been omitted from the thesis as it relies on a construction of the human imagination disconnected with nature, which fundamentally concerns image and its representation within society from an entirely human perspective and context. As an overly subjective expression of the physical world, it doesn't have validity in the context of an objective analysis of the world typical of the domain of the scientist. It cannot exist without a place within society and therefore is dependent on social context, as independent from a multidisciplinary view of the world. For my own personal area of interest, this interpretation of Landscape will not be explored further within this thesis, as it is regarded it to be too narrow and Human-centric, and if as academics we are to comment on the world situation, Landscape interpretation should be more inclusive and multidisciplinary in perspective without its inclusion in this thesis.