FAH 292 Critical Journal: Landscape And Nationhood

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Landscape and Nationhood
There is a close relationship between place and artists have over time documented changes in the New World. One of the most common themes was depicting the Native Americans in with feathers adornments, but there were differences in how they were depicted by the British artists and French Canadians. When depicting landscapes, Europeans contrasted encampments occupied by Natives with the arrival of Europeans and their civilization. Landscape paintings represent specific images that people can relate to, and may even depict the national character or what nation seeks to achieve.
Visual culture and landscape also reflect nationhood as there is emphasis on specific artistic features and the most prominent landscapes. The landscape is used to articulate the ideas of nationhood and constructing identities, and landscapes are not stable as meanings depend on what was depicted, when, important events and even particular geographies. In addressing nationhood, landscape represents figures and depictions that are important to the artists. In Canada, the visual cultures that focus on the lives of Canadian Native Peoples have over time highlighted their place in the country. Even though, the aboriginals have been excluded from the mainstream society, landscapes express what defines them including the daily activities they engaged in.
Contact between the Native Canadians and the Europeans influenced culture as collaborated, and this is especially among the French. Even as Europeans have been the dominant culture since they started settling in the new world, they had identified specific attributes that identified the Native people. At the same time, in the early twentieth century there was focus on atmospheric landscape styles of representing artworks. The approach was most popular with showing atmospheres and moodiness in the rural landscapes. The growth of distinct art was possible as more artists experimented where elements of Impressionism were integrated when depicting Canadian landscape.
The politics of representing landscapes depends on the place, the collection of things found in the place and the way people conceive the place. As artists highlight and maintain identity, they manipulate landscapes depending on time and space that they can identify the collective existence that defines a people’s identity. The public spaces, physical symbols and even architecture are all aspects of the landscape that are tied to identity. Territorial concerns have been explored in arts and literature as the history of the people is also shaped by geography. As such, when there is geographical unity artists can represent nationhood focusing on the dominant culture and idealized lifestyle to draw attention to specific cultural aspects that bring the people together.
Landscapes and the environment shape culture, and can be used to symbolize the national identity of people. The landscape is complex as people can see different things and attach significance to certain elements more than others, but it is also a cultural element as people objectify landscapes. In constructing national identity, landscapes, ...