Nature In Art Visual Culture

From the earliest cave paintings, representations of the natural world in art have been inextricably linked to human self-understanding. In attempts to represent nature, humans construct places and identities for themselves through processes of difference or equivalence. Given this, is it possible to conceive of nature in such a way that it does not inevitably become ?all about us?? The objective of this combined art history, theory and practice seminar is to expose students to the complex issues that arise when working through conceptions and representations of nature in art. The course aims to deliver a reading of the real ecological challenges of our time from a series of art historical, cultural and philosophical examples and work through these understandings through a series of art practice exercises