Abstract
The predominant environmental consciousness in both the United States and China reflects an underlying sense of separation of people from nature. Likewise, traditional landscape paintings in the United States and China share a common underlying aesthetic—i.e., the “picturesque”. Together, these similarities appear to have led to the preservation of similar types of landscapes in both countries. Because decisions regarding landscape preservation and subsequent management of preserved areas in both countries reflect aesthetic preferences more than they reflect economic values placed on ecosystem services, contemporary artists have an opportunity to help shape future societal decisions regarding what natural areas to conserve and protect.
Highlights
China reflects an underlying sense of separation of people from nature
The importance that an aesthetic appreciation of “picturesque” landscapes has had in determining priorities for land protection in the United States cannot be underestimated [8,11]
I and others have asserted that contemporary aesthetic preferences for particular landscape types is not innate, but derives from a constructed vision of idealized landscapes developed by 19th century writers and artists that reflects a combination of the sublime and the the picturesque [19,20,21,22]
Summary
“No work of art can be great, but as it deceives; to be otherwise is the prerogative of nature only” [1] (p. 59). North America [13] or the settled and tamed British “countryside” [14] Both of these competing visions of the picturesque have been used to identify landscapes in need of protection and preservation. I and others have asserted that contemporary aesthetic preferences for particular landscape types is not innate, but derives from a constructed vision of idealized landscapes developed by 19th century writers and artists that reflects a combination of the sublime and the (later version of) the picturesque [19,20,21,22]. I conclude that decisions regarding landscape preservation and subsequent management of preserved areas in both countries reflect an underlying sense of separation of people from nature, and that contemporary artists have an opportunity to help shape future societal decisions regarding what natural areas to conserve and how to protect them
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