Definitions & concepts of environmental art

What is environmental art?

Environmental art can be defined as a range of artistic disciplines covering historical approaches to nature in art as well as more contemporary political and ecologically influenced types of works.

In a nutshell, environmental art can be summarized as a collection of artistic works designed to become or enhance part of the environment or create awareness of environmental issues. But the term environmental art is all-encompassing, embracing a wide range of practices and movements including but not limited to Sustainable art, Land art as well as Conceptual Art.

While many people might associate environmentalism as a more contemporary phenomenon, it is actually a pretty old concept. Early traces of interest in the environment can be found in the Romantic movement of the early 19th century.

Techniques used in environmental art

Incorporating natural materials and the processes of nature are crucial aspects of environmental art. Artists tend to use objects that can grow, such as flowers, seeds, or algae; the elements that are prone to change, such as fire and water; and materials that are subject to decay, like leaves and wood.

There are varieties of techniques used in environmentalism, including installation, digital art, photography, drawing, painting, land art, sculpture, and graffiti.

Environmental installation

Environmental installation is among the most popular genres of environmental art and one of the most remarkable forms of expression since it utilizes the environment and less aesthetically pleasing locations as a medium to transmit ideas about existence, nature, and human connection.

Landscape painting

In addition to installation, landscape painting is also a technique used in environmental art. Nature has always offered artists great inspiration, as both central focus and background matter. Its aesthetics provide an omnipresent sense of awe weaving through the centuries. Artists belonging to the High Renaissance often celebrated the harmony of the natural world in their compositions and sought to imitate its balance.

Land art

Also known as Earth art, land art became a popular art movement in the 1960s and 1970s, having been fully embraced by American artists like Robert Smithson. The avant-garde art movement developed through the concept of Minimalism, which promoted a novel simplicity and increased frustration with the conventional art market.

What is the difference between land art and environmental art?

Land art or earth art is a type of eco-sustainable art made directly in the landscape, sculpting the land itself into earthworks or creating structures in the landscape with natural materials like leaves and rocks.

Environmental art, on the other hand, is a variety of artistic practices that includes both historical approaches to nature in art and contemporary ecological and politically influenced types of artworks.

Environmental art tends to celebrate the artist’s connection with the earth using natural materials. Land art is, in most cases, created in a natural setting without any urban development. However, when environmental art is created on the same scale as land art, it can be called urban land art.

Why is environmental art important?

Ecoart or environmental art usually uses sustainable materials such as earth, leaves, stones, and branches to raise awareness of the challenges and dangers facing the planet and encourage its conservation and promote communication and public participation to conserve the environment.

Environmental art history

For centuries, nature has remained the preferential inspiration of many creative works of art. The environmental art movement can be traced back to the Paleolithic cave paintings created by early man depicting human and animal figures and other elements of nature that were essential for them.

“They are prehistoric observations of nature. In one way or another, nature of centuries remained the preferential theme of creative art “. Contemporary examples of environmental art originate from landscape painting and representation. In the aftermath of the Enlightenment era, Western civilization began to shift from the agricultural way of life, trading farms and estates for cities and towns.

It was this departure from the natural, along with the growth of science and discovery, which led to a revolution called the Romantic Movement, which later metamorphosed into a New-Romantic movement after the Industrial Revolution. Artists developed a great admiration for the greatness and beauty of nature, trusting that humans should stay connected to it.

These artists focused on sculpture, music, and images that recognized natural beauty in its glory as a way of inspiring humanity to return to nature. One of the pioneers of environmental art, English painter John Constable, created natural landscapes and images that romanticized those who lived in connection with nature.