What is 'landscape'?

[AreBee]

Matt,

Is beauty in our minds and part of perception or is beauty inherent to the objects we admire?... I tend to believe more that beauty is in the beholder's eye, but yet I still have this emotional feeling that it is connected to the objects as well.

Apparently mseawell and Jeremy consider place to be a function of beauty.

[RSL]

I agree with you Rob. The thing that always strikes me about what we see as beauty is what I've read about pioneers on the North American Continent. If I can believe what I read, in those days people didn't see landscapes as beautiful. They saw them as threatening. Going through the woods was scary, and the mountains were terrifying. It wasn't until much later, when things had settled down, that people began to visualize landscape as beautiful. I think that to a large degree to appreciate natural beauty is a learned thing -- except with girls. That's a survival of the race thing.

[AreBee]

Russ,

I think that to a large degree to appreciate natural beauty is a learned thing -- except with girls. That's a survival of the race thing.

Please can you clarify what was meant:

1. Natural beauty exists of its own accord but it takes time for people to learn this, or;

2. For as-yet unstated reason(s), with time, people attribute beauty to the natural world, or;

3. Other?

[MattBurt]

Matt,

Apparently mseawell and Jeremy consider place to be a function of beauty.

Well it certainly feels that way sometimes. But our feelings can mislead us.

[AreBee]

Matt,

I tend to believe more that beauty is in the beholder's eye...

Why?

[MattBurt]

Matt,

Why?

It is so subjective. When two people disagree about whether or not something is beautiful, can one be more right than the other?
Is beauty in the thing or is it us projecting our perception onto it?

[AreBee]

Matt,

When two people disagree about whether or not something is beautiful, can one be more right than the other?

Perhaps one person is perspicacious.

Is beauty in the thing or is it us projecting our perception onto it?

By what mechanism is beauty perceived?

[GrahamBy]

So, landscape, architural photography, or political comment?

http://www.amazon.com/Robert-Adams-West-Joshua-Chang/dp/3869309008/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1461940051&sr=8-1&keywords=the+new+west&linkCode=sl1&tag=theonlinephot-20&linkId=3dcacd6e01c9ae9e0d004de7d7a6c28e

[Rob C]

So, landscape, architural photography, or political comment?

http://www.amazon.com/Robert-Adams-West-Joshua-Chang/dp/3869309008/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1461940051&sr=8-1&keywords=the+new+west&linkCode=sl1&tag=theonlinephot-20&linkId=3dcacd6e01c9ae9e0d004de7d7a6c28e

From the very few pictures on show in the link to the book, I'd say not a lot of very much in any of the fields.

Based on such a tiny sample, I wouldn't buy. You can find stuff just as good - and better processed - within Russ's website; if anything, I think the blurb defeats itself by making comparisons with the other two photographers. For example: I'm  happy to show my own work, but would not do so in any situation that forced comparisons with my own idols. Reality has to moderate ego.

Rob C

[petermfiore]

Everything I do is directly from nature, but I re-orchestrate. An absolute must for the landscape to become Art.

Peter

[GrahamBy]

if anything, I think the blurb defeats itself by making comparisons with the other two photographers.

Yep, agree... the link actually came from Mike Johnston's blog, where he waxes lyrical but doesn't offer any more images:
http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2016/04/a-great-classic.html

Maybe it was the start of the trend towards "relics of civilization's attempts to conquer the desert", which is seen eg here
http://www.edfreeman.com/
but also in eg BobDavid's work posted recently on Lula.

[RSL]

From the very few pictures on show in the link to the book, I'd say not a lot of very much in any of the fields.

Based on such a tiny sample, I wouldn't buy. You can find stuff just as good - and better processed - within Russ's website; if anything, I think the blurb defeats itself by making comparisons with the other two photographers. For example: I'm  happy to show my own work, but would not do so in any situation that forced comparisons with my own idols. Reality has to moderate ego.

Rob C

Wow. Thanks Rob. That's a boost to the ego coming from someone who does wonderful work.

[AreBee]

Peter,

Everything I do is directly from nature, but I re-orchestrate.

Was there something wrong with the original score?

[elliot_n]

From the very few pictures on show in the link to the book, I'd say not a lot of very much in any of the fields.

Michael Ashkin - http://www.michaelashkin.com/longbranch.php - is a younger photographer working in a similar vein to Adams. His thoughts on the uncanny might be pertinent to this discussion - http://www.americansuburbx.com/2016/04/capitalism-as-a-bearer-of-the-uncanny-an-interview-with-michael-ashkin.html

[petermfiore]

Peter,

Was there something wrong with the original score?

Always, the clouds are never in the right place...the earth was created and man created art.
Peter

[AreBee]

Peter,

Always, the clouds are never in the right place...

Patience.

[petermfiore]

Peter,

Patience.

And then the light is poor. Painters place light and shapes as needed. That's the making of art.

Peter

[AreBee]

Peter,

The clouds are never in the right place, and then the light is poor. Painters place light and shapes as needed.

Have you considered simply painting landscape from the comfort of your home?

[TomFrerichs]

Always, the clouds are never in the right place...the earth was created and man created art.
Peter

I think it was Bertolt Brecht, speaking of another art form, that said, "God writes lousy theater."

Tom

[Rob C]

Yeah, but he makes the best light.

Rob C