256. Art and Nature.

An overview of nature as a subject of artistic representation, in ancient
Mediterranean and Mesopotamian cultures, and in the West from the
Renaissance to the present. This course explores the ways in which
depictions of nature have both reflected and shaped constructs of
the natural world, by reference to religions, philosophies and moral
values. Works to be examined include obvious examples of nature
in art, such as landscape painting, and less obvious ones, such as villas
and portraits, as well as earthworks and other environmental art
created by contemporary artists. This course requires no previous
experience of art history. Also offered through Outdoor Studies.