What are Rural Landscapes?

“ Any landscape is a condition of the spirit” – Henri Frederic Amiel

Rural Landscapes are the vast geographical features of anything that consist of large expanses of nature. This includes Croplands (Farms), Forests, deserts, swamps, grasslands, pastures, rivers and lakes. In photography, Rural Landscapes genre focuses on the countryside, its people and the unaltered beauty of the world.

Unlike Urban landscape photography which focuses on the activity, volume and tumultuous visuals, Rural landscape photography captures mainly the secluded and soothing peace of nature.

With an F-stop around F11 to F16, And and a shutter speed around 1/100 to 1/200 these setting are best suitable combined with an a correct ISO depending on lighting,

Rural Landscapes can establish a sense of nostalgia, with familiar landscapes becoming a lasting place of home. Either for good or bad reasons rural landscape photography captures a indissoluble image of a place in time.

(St Peters Village 1912 – Now)

Rural Landscape photographers with their work try to target spaces within the world, where both tranquillity and chaos co-insight, grandeur or pocketed locations lie and prepossessing sights unfold .

Mood Board:

What is The New Topographics?

Being a term coined by William Jenkins in 1975 to describe a group of American photographers, such as Robert Adams, Lewis Baltz and Frank Gohlke. The New Topographics consisted of mainly black and white prints of urban altered landscapes, taken together, their photographs, formed a shared aesthetic of banal appearance.

(Robert Adams – “The place we live”)

(Lewis Baltz – “New Topographics: Photographs of a man altered landscape”)

(Frank Gohlke – “Grain Elevator and Lightning Flash, Lamesa Texas, 1975”)

What was the ‘New Topographics’ a reaction to?

Being a reaction to the rapid cases of urban sprawl across America, it showed the oddly fascinating topography of areas usually perceived as mundane locations. This consisted of large urbanised towns, industrial sites and more. Not only capturing the reflection of an increasingly urbanising country, it also served as a reaction to the more common and idealised landscape photography of natural and elemental landscapes, like such as artists as Ansel Adams.

(Ansel Adams, Cathedral Peak and Lake, Yosemite National Park, California)

birthed in the 1970s, the ‘New Topographics’ sprouted from a struggling post-war America. After the second world war, Soldiers had returned home to their wives and got busy creating the Baby-boom generation. In this time period of America the countries birth rate increased massively from 1955 to 1964 nearly 42 million had been born.

After this in the 1970s, many of these baby boomer now had grown into young adults. More homes were needed to accommodate these adults and their new families and as a result, America saw a rapid increase in homes and suburbia. Another problem post-war was the challenges with the economy, inflation and labour unrest. If there was a sudden collapse in price and wage control, many feared it would lead to inflation of prices.

Cindy Sherman-

Cindy Sherman is most known for her amazing work about femininity and taking photos inspired by stereotypical aspects of women. For these photos she does it all by herself usually, she is the model makeup artist director photographer, etc..

These images are from her work called “untitled film stills” which she created and worked on from 1977-80.

For these she plays stereotypically female characters like a housewife, sex object, gardener, etc… however, she also does have some working characters within her work. The idea behind this was to show how society views women to also show who/what women are. Having both working characters and also housewife-type characters shows that women should have the option to choose whichever they want.

I’m a big fan of her work I think she expresses her thinking and her opinions about women and how much women can achieve and how they can do whatever they want if they want it bad enough, very well.

This image feels very calming because this character is doing something quite mundane nothing very out of the ordinary and because the photo is in black and white it has more of this nostalgic feel to the image but there’s almost this sad aspect about it as it can bring back memories or ideas of how (in less recent years) women were often forced to do this kind of job and couldn’t pick what they wanted to do.

The lack of colour in the image I think helps create this emotional aspect to the picture. The way the model is looking away from the camera gives off the impression that she is more scared and timid as when you make eye contact with the camera it has a very confident and almost scary feel to it which this one doesn’t which I think works if you think about how women were at the time.

If you use the rule of thirds she would be in the on column on the right and it kind of gives off the impression as if she is hiding in the image otherwise she would be more central which also helps create this idea of her being more sacred and timid. I think this photo is quite natural by the looks of it the lighting isn’t too harsh and it is kind of even all over so I doubt there was anything like a ring light used for this photo.

I think conceptually her whole idea was to show what life was like for women what jobs they could do and what was the most common for women especially this one as many women were forced into being housewives and didn’t get an option in what they did.

During the 1970s-80s there were many women’s movements and protests following the big push during the 60’s for more equal rights for men and women as there was a clear lack of equality that women faced. Which I think heavily affected and influenced her work/project of untitled film stills.

Duane Michal’s-

Duane Michal’s is a self-taught photographer who gained popularity for his project “Dr. Heisenberg’s Magic Mirror of Uncertainty” which was discovered when he was asked to be in French Vogue in 1999 for a science-based issue. He says he has always been both interested in physics and photography but especially abstract and what he describes as “un-photographable” work.

For these images he achieved these through having this distorted mirror so whenever the model would move the mirror slightly it would have this really interesting and unique water-like effect so the whole of the model’s face would change.

 

Visually this image has this almost abstract aspect to it from the mirror and yet the rest of the image appears to be this calm and normal setting it’s a good contrast from the abstract and chaotic feel of the mirror.

These photos can kind of appear sad and give off these negative feelings due to them being in black and white and you could interrupt the mirror as if to show him reflecting on his true emotions and how life is feeling for her and the outside is just how she presents herself and she wont show anyone how she is truly feeling.

When looking at this photo in a more technical sense one and as well in most of her other images he always has his model in the very centre of his photos if using the rule of thirds which can show how they are the most important thing as it’s in the very centre so your eye is automatically drawn to it.

I think the concept of this artwork is to show how nothing is certainty when converting life and in general so having the reflection be distorted and not show it is supposed to be kind of shows the uncertainty.

He named this project “Dr. Heisenberg’s Magic Mirror of Uncertainty” because at that time Dr.Heisenberg had recently said how “you cannot predict with any certainty the position or velocity of a particle” which clearly inspired her work as she shows that inconsistency.

Lauren Withrow–

Lauren Withrow is more of a recent photographer who has only recently been majorly discovered and she is growing big and more well-known quickly.

She describes her work as her expression of femalehood, feminity, queerness and vulnerability. She has made this amazing feel of femininity through these feminine shapes through clothing and poses everything feels more soft and rounded off which would be considered more feminine and it is clearly portrayed.

Robert Mapplethorpe-

This is Robert Mapplethorpe’s project called “Body Parts” which he would get up close shows of different sections of the human body usually a man’s body as he can photograph visual masculinity. He described his work as  “the perfect way to make a sculpture.”

His work was heavily inspired by classic sculptures and paintings where it shows the classic ideal. How men are supposed to look and act. Which I think he executed really well i believe you can see very obvious similarities between his work and some classic sculptures.

What does Landscape mean?

A landscape is defined as all the visible features of an area of land, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal. The term Landscape originates from the Dutch word landschap which originally meant ‘region, tract of land’ but then took on an artistic meaning of ‘a picture depicting scenery on land’ in the early 1500s.

In Giovanni Bellini’s painting, St Jerome in the wilderness, 1460, St Jerome is the focus of the image. This picture wouldn’t make sense without a landscape background, but the artist has explored this area in very little detail, keeping all the attention on the religious story.

When did Landscape emerge as a genre?

Before the renaissance in the 16th century, Landscape wasn’t really recognised as a genre in its own right, it was more a background to other genres. In the 17th century, classical landscapes started coming into light. However, it was still low down on the genre hierarchy. These landscapes were sought to illustrate an ideal landscape, recalling Arcadia which is a legendary place in ancient Greece known for its quiet pastoral beauty.

In the 18th century it became more accepted by the academy and in the 18th, early 19th century we start to see more landscape art coming about as a result of the industrial revolution.

Romanticism and sublime

Romanticism was a particular movement in art that emphasises on emotion and individualism, along with a glorification of the past. Painters, poets and writers drew particular inspiration from nature, which played a prominent role in their depictions. Photography in the 1800’s were slowly developing, but quickly becoming popular as a form of art. With its emphasis on the imagination and emotion, Romanticism emerged as a response to the disillusionment with the Enlightenment values of reason and order in the aftermath of the French Revolution of 1789.  Nowadays when the term Enlightenment is used, it refers to a period in history in Europe in the 1600s and 1700s. During that time, people all over Europe believed that the darkness of the past was giving way to light. The darkness was ignorance, superstition, and unproven beliefs; the light was knowledge and the improvement it brought. The Renaissance paved the way for the Enlightenment. The Renaissance was a fervent period of European cultural, artistic, political and economic “rebirth” following the Middle Ages. Generally described as taking place from the 14th century to the 17th century, the Renaissance promoted the rediscovery of classical philosophy, literature and art. The Industrial Revolution also influenced Romanticism, which was in part about escaping from modern realities. Artists would intentionally paint or photograph landscapes and not include

When did Romanticism come about?

The Romantic Period began roughly around 1798 and lasted until 1837. Romanticism gained momentum as an artistic movement in France and Britain in the early decades of the nineteenth century and flourished until mid-century. With its emphasis on the imagination and emotion, Romanticism emerged as a response to the disillusionment with the Enlightenment values of reason and order in the aftermath of the French Revolution of 1789.

What are some characteristics of Romanticism?

 Some characteristics of Romanticism include a deepened appreciation of the beauties of nature and a general exaltation of emotion over reason. Romanticism placed particular emphasis on emotion, horror, awe, terror and apprehension. Emotion and feeling were central not only to the creation of the work, but also in how it should be read.

What is meant by the term ‘Sublime’?

The philosopher Edmund Burke who defined the idea of the sublime in the mid eighteenth century understood the importance of people being made to feel small and insignificant as a way of putting daily life in perspective. The idea of the sublime is central to a Romantic’s perception of, and heightened awareness in, the world, it is often a slightly elevated version of delightful or delicious. Burke defined sublime art as art that refers to a greatness beyond all possibility of calculation, measurement or imitation.

Artist reference:

John Constable:

John Constable (born June 11, 1776- died March 31, 1837) grew up in East Bergholt, a village found in the Stour River valley of Suffolk County in the southeast of England, an area that came to be known as “Constable country.” Although its gentle landscape did not include grand mountain scenery, Constable believed the Stour valley had set him on the path to his life’s work, and he chose it as his primary subject for much of his career.

Constable is most famous for his landscape paintings, which are mostly the Suffolk country where he was born and lived. He was one of the first artists of the Romantic movement to create landscape paintings drawn directly from nature (open-air sketches) rather than the idealised and dramatic depictions favoured by other artists of the period and in taking this stance he pioneered Naturalism in Britain.

Examples of his work:

This particular painting is called The Hay Wain, which is of the millpond at Flatford on the River Stour in Suffolk, where Constable grew up and lived. Flatford Mill was a watermill for the grinding of corn, leased and operated by the Constable family for nearly a hundred years. His determination to capture the rural Suffolk landscape of his boyhood in these monumental paintings would’ve been due to the changing of landscape around him from rapid industrialisation. Constable focuses on rural landscapes and during the industrial revolution, the factories, steam power and such are absent in his artwork.

Landscapes are considered as visible features of an area of land and scenery, often considered to be aesthetic.

The history of Landscape as a Genre

Art:

16th Century

Landscape as an independent genre did not emerge in the Western tradition until the 16th Century. It is thought that this corresponded with the Renaissance, a period in history and a cultural movement marking she transition from the Middle Ages to modernity. Albrecht Altdorfer was a famous German painter, who focused on pure landscapes. He believed that the human figure should not disrupt nature, but rather participate in it, so his paintings always focused on landscapes as the main subject.

17th Century

Classical landscapes as a genre emerged in the 17th century. These landscapes were influenced by classical antiquity and sought to illustrate an ideal landscape with elements of beauty.

Nicolas Poussin- 17th century classical French Baroque style

18th Century

Landscape painting eventually gained prominence in the late 18th century with the rise of Romanticism, and often continued to carry a religious significance. Additionally, it became a method of self-expression, with the emotions of the painter and their appreciation of nature demonstrated in the painting.

Pierre-Henri de Valenciennes- 18th century landscape painting

Photography:

The earliest known evidence of a landscape photograph was taken between the years of 1826 and 1827– 19th, 20th century.

The term “rural landscape photography” often conjures images relating to the country, agriculture or a variety of geological and geographic features such as cropland, forests, deserts, swamps, grasslands, rivers and lakes.

Influential Landscape Photography: