Nature and Art
“An artist must possess Nature. He must identify himself with her rhythm, by efforts that will prepare the mastery which will later enable him to express himself in his own language.” This statement made by French artist Henri Matisse, perfectly describes the relationship between nature and art. It is arguable that ever since there has been art, nature has been artists’ biggest inspiration.
It’s influence on painters has been extremely tangible through the years, with painters such as Arcimboldo making nature their signature trademark. Arcimboldo’s paintings often featured natural elements such as fruit and vegetables that put together make up human forms. To this day, nature continues to inspire modern day artists to a great extent. For example, Japanese artist Raku Inoue, manages to take natural and organic materials such as flowers and construct with them fascinating works of art, possibly characterizing him as a ‘modern day Arcimboldo’.
Raku’s example shows us that nature is to this day a key determinant of art will always be in the future.