Landscape Theory (1450–1800)

Catalog description

The ways in which our society figures in relation to the natural environment has never been so urgent. This seminar studies the history of that entanglement through an examination of the significance and meaning of “landscape” in art, literature, architecture, and landscape design. This course studies how conceptions of landscape, evident in physical forms as well as poetic and artistic representations shaped the ideological and natural terrain of Europe from antiquity to the 18th century, with particular emphasis on the period of 1450–1800. The course stresses a critical approach to landscape through the analysis of social and cultural context, expressive content and function, style, and theory.