Art Exhibit on Nature Essay Example for Free

Art Exhibit on Nature Essay The planet earth is the only known habitat for humankind. For millions of years, it served as the home to numerous living things such as animals, plants and people. More so, it has been a witness to many events that have shaped the course of world history. Because of this, it is suffice to say that our beloved Mother Earth has played a vital role in nourishing and sustaining the existence of humans. In return for all the benefits and nourishment that Mother Earth has provided to humans, human beings have showed their gratitude by expressing their appreciation and admiration for the beauty and splendor of nature. For centuries, human beings have captured the magnificence of the diversity and uniqueness of the environment which was shown using various art forms such as painting, sculptures, photography, architecture and many others. In line with this, throughout history, several art movements have emerged. There were the Classical, Renaissance, Baroque, Modernism and many others. The dominant and styles and themes differed in these art periods. However, there was one theme that has remained constant until the present day. This is known as landscape or nature art. This form of art is defined as the illustration of mountains, flora and fauna, bodies of water and the sky. More so, it is a celebration of the majestic beauty of nature. This trend in the art world has continued to persist throughout the ages. Aside from this, it has also evolved in terms of styles and techniques. Every part of the globe has developed their own approach on how to translate the beauty of nature into a canvas. Because of the variety in culture and tradition, nature and landscape artworks have surfaced as distinctive copies of the wonders of the environment. With this, nature had become a worldwide art phenomenon and these artworks have made nature a timeless masterpiece that will be forever treasured and recognized. On the other hand, due to changing times, the seemingly everlasting beauty of nature is apparently gradually diminishing. If before humans respected the significant role of Mother Earth in the cycle of life, nowadays, humans have abandoned their vital task of being the steward. Instead of taking care of the natural wonders of the world, humans have opted to obliterate it. This sudden change was caused by the desire to improve the ways of living of people. Initially, the intention may seem innocent and harmless but if one would look closely, traces of selfishness and greed can be uncovered. People wanted to advance the human race but at the expense of damaging the environment. Because of this, a drastic natural occurrence has been plaguing the contemporary society. This has claimed lives of many people and destroyed millions worth of properties. This phenomenon has been labeled as climate change or global warming. In the recent years, Mother Earth has been experiencing unusual changes such as the increase in temperature of the atmosphere, extinction of some animal and plant species, loss of land mass and many others. These alterations have posted an alarming threat to the existence of many living things. If humans would permit this condition to carry on, in time people would be left homeless and without any nourishment. To help intensify awareness on the present state of the environment, an art exhibit will be put up. This exhibit will showcase the nature artworks of American artist, Ansel Adams, French painter, Paul Cezanne, and a Japanese artisan named Hokusai. The objective of the exhibit is to help the viewers realize the importance and connection of nature with the existence of humans. More so, this nature-themed art exhibit will explore the various perceptions of artists on nature from different periods. It will demonstrate how people saw and appreciated the beauty of the environment during their respective eras. By incorporating artists from different continents such as North America, Europe and Asia, viewers will also be given a 360 degrees view of the world’s most beautiful places. Hopefully, after they have seen the exhibit, the viewers will have a new-found respect on the beauty and vigor of Mother Earth. Ansel Adams is an American photographer who has mastered the artistry of capturing wonderful shots of landscapes in scenic places strewn all over the United States. Aside from being an artist, he was also a dedicated environmentalist â€Å"who encouraged understanding of, and respect for, the natural environment. † Even though he initially got noticed as a noted photographer in commercial photography, he excelled in the field of landscape photography (Notablebiographies. com). The black and white landscape photographs have become Adams’ trademarks. Two of Adams most recognized photographs are the â€Å"The Tetons and Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming† and â€Å"‘Old Faithful’ geyser, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming† (TheHistoryPlace. com). Adams was commissioned to take these pictures for the National Park Service in 1941. The photographs were intended to be used to make the â€Å"photo mural for the Department of the Interior Building in Washington, DC. † The main theme was focused on showcasing nature â€Å"exemplified and protected in the U. S. National Parks† (U. S. National Archives and Records Administration). These two photographs have illustrated the grandiose and picturesque beauty of the mountain ranges and national parks in the US. Furthermore, he used his creativity to â€Å"preserve the wilderness and one of the first to promote photography as an art form† (TheHistoryPlace. com). Paul Cezanne is considered as one of the masters of post-Impressionism. He is also well-known for pioneering an avant-garde movement then called cubism in the late 1800s. Because of his quirkiness and modern styles, Cezanne was misunderstood by the people. But this did not discourage him to advance his creativity. He â€Å"grew out of Impressionism and eventually challenged all the conventional values of painting in the 19th century through its insistence on personal expression and on the integrity of the painting itself. † Through these innovations, he was recognized as the â€Å"father of modern painting† (Pioch). But before Cezanne ventured into cubism, he created several simple yet exquisite landscape paintings that â€Å"immortalized the Provencal countryside† in France. In his two paintings, â€Å"Etude: Paysage a Auvers† (Study: Landscape at Auvers) and â€Å"Jas de Buffan† (The Pool), Cezanne was able to depict nature as real as he can. These two oil paintings were generated in 1873 and 1876 respectively. For Cezanne, nature cannot be accurately duplicated in a canvas. He tried to link the natural and artistic worlds by showing his own perceptions about nature. In relation to this, most of his artworks are advised to be seen as a whole and not per part in order to fully appreciate their artistic essence (Pioch). Hokusai is a famous Japanese painter. Compared to the previous artists, his choice of material for painting is unconventional. Hokusai used wood as his canvas to celebrate the beauty of nature. A native of Edo, which is now called Tokyo, Hokusai is regarded as â€Å"one of the outstanding figures of the Ukiyo-e or pictures of the floating world (everyday life), school of printmaking† (Pioch). In the â€Å"The Breaking Wave Off Kanagawa or The Great Wave,† Hokusai illustrated the splendor of the sea. Since Japan is surrounded by water, this painting has become the quintessential representation of Japanese aesthetics. This seascape painting with a Japanese natural landmark, Mt. Fuji, had represented the Asian geography. More so, it showed the combination of western and eastern influences with regards to art production. Moreover, this particular Japanese art have preserved its authenticity and oriental aesthetic by â€Å"flattening the texture and using color surfaces as an element. † On the other hand, this painting also showed how nature can be so powerful which was expressed on the giant which was on the verge of devouring the people aboard the two boasts (Andreas. com). Works Cited â€Å"ANSEL ADAMS Biography. † 2007. Notablebiographies. com. 12 December 2008 http://www. notablebiographies. com/A-An/Adams-Ansel. html. â€Å"Ansel Adams Photograph. † n. d. U. S. National Archives and Records Administration. 12 December 2008 http://www. archives. gov/research/ansel-adams/. â€Å"Best of Ansel Adams. † 1999. TheHistoryPlace. com. 12 December 2008 http://www. historyplace. com/unitedstates/adams/. â€Å"Hokusai. † 2008. Andreas. com. 12 December 2008 http://www. andreas. com/hokusai. html. Pioch, Nicolas. â€Å"Cezanne, Paul. † 19 September 2002. Webmuseum, Paris. 12 December 2008 http://www. ibiblio. org/wm/paint/auth/cezanne/. Pioch, Nicolas. â€Å"Cezanne, Paul: Landscapes. † 19 September 2002. Webmuseum, Paris. 12 December 2008 http://www. ibiblio. org/wm/paint/auth/cezanne/land/. Pioch, Nicolas. â€Å"Hokusai, Katsushika. † 19 September 2002. Webmuseum, Paris. 12 December 2008 http://www. ibiblio. org/wm/paint/auth/hokusai/.