Returning to Nature is not a Dream, but a Pressing Need

Stonehenge, 3000 - 1500 BC, Salisbury Plain, UK. Photo: Mila Buenavida/ Unsplash

My interest in nature was sparked by art. Almost thirty years ago, when I started researching the paintings of Nicolas Poussin for my doctoral thesis, I devoted myself to understanding his way of representing nature. In his landscapes, Poussin established conventions for this genre of painting that aimed at presenting idealized visions of a perfect nature.

 Studying Poussin sparked my interest in artists who have elected nature as raw material for their work. Some of them are not individuals, but whole civilizations that left architectural legacies in their natural space, subject of speculation to this day. There are solitary artists as well, who make poetic interventions in nature in order to evoke human fragility in the face of the power of natural phenomena. 

 Among ancient civilizations and the romantics of the 21st Century, there is a vast field in which art penetrates nature, either to subject it to one’s visions—as in landscaping—or to suggest solutions for land occupation—as in urbanism—or even to address pressing issues in today's world—such as food production and biosphere preservation. Several contemporary artistic propositions directly affect the action of humans on nature, inspired by concepts of permaculture or political ecology.

 My reflections upon these subjects led me to develop the Art & Nature program, the first on-demand workshop I’m offering. As with all workshops I teach, participation doesn’t require any prior knowledge. 

 Those who have environmentalism in their list of interests will find in this workshop different approaches: Anchored in concepts of nature as proposed by ancient philosophers like Aristotle; modern concepts like Spinoza’s; and contemporary takes such as André Gorz’s, who has worked at the intersection of philosophy and economics, stressing the importance of reducing consumption and the adoption of a new form of social organization. 

 This is the discussion that guides my analysis of ecomuseums and even the role of art in future societies—if there is a future for any society. André Gorz clearly states that capital must operate in the interests of people, not in its own self-interest. Economy is thought from the home, the planet. Reconciled thinking is essential to contain the collapse that has been announcing itself for decades and that seems to be desired, rather than avoided. It is time for art to undo old confusions and take an active role in the necessary change of mentality.