Landscapes are not just for escaping, they can also be seen
as a form of identity as well as inspiring and educating.
Landscapes are living, breathing areas which can reflect our
own personalities or emotions. For example, the clouds are the landscapes thoughts,
the body is the terrain itself and the rivers which often course through them
are their lifeblood.
If we take the first one, Clouds are like human thoughts; it
is easy to see why this is:
Study of Clouds (1821)
Study of Cumulus
Clouds (1822)
John Constable’s work echoes that of the poet William
Wordsworth’s poem, ‘Daffodils’. In particular the well known line; ‘I wandered as lonely as a cloud...’ The
idea being that clouds are like the human mind, as our thoughts as well pass
across, pause, reveal themselves and vanish. They can also show 'emotions', the first image of clouds are angry, hurried and frenzy. Whereas with the second image, the clouds are calmer and almost peaceful.
Landscapes are not just living, breathing areas; they are
also beautiful, powerful, spiritual and full of mystery. In Wordsworth's poem ‘Ascent of Snowdon’, he talks about how
the mountain is a holy place and by climbing it, you gaze down on the landscape
as God might see it:
The perfect image of a mighty mind,
Of one that feeds upon infinity,
That is exalted by an under-prescence,
The sense of God, or whatsoe’er is dim,
Or vast in it’s own being....
David Cox’s image, ‘Mountain
Heights, Cader Idris, c.1830’ is a perfect example of how poetry and paintings
can be put together to create a romantic view of the landscape. The parting
clouds over the mountains give the sense of mystery as they are not fully
revealed as well as power as the sharp rocks protrude through them.
Notes, Quote and Images from: William
Wordsworth and the Age of English Romanticism; Jonathan Wordsworth, Michael
C.Jaye, and Robert Woof
