Thoreau’s Nature
Thoreau took great issue with the ‘taming’ of nature, seeing “man’s improvements, so called, as the building of houses and the cutting down of the forest and of all large trees, simply deform(ing) the landscape, and mak(ing) it more and more tame and cheap.”
This taming of nature is the focus of Art Nouveau, putting nature in a form which man has created. “Art Nouveau invents a new modern architectural style, the elements of which suggest a metamorphosis on inert, architectural form into living, growing plant form.” By taking nature and including it in this ‘form’ we lose an element of freedom that nature offers. We’re making nature a slave to man by trying to re-create it through architecture. This is similar to the way in which we make animals our slaves, Thoreau stating, “I rejoice that horses and steers have to be broken before they can be slaves of men.”
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| Some 'broken' horses in the park |
Thoreau emphasizes being “absolutely free from all worldly engagements” in nature; being able to be one with nature. Discussing his experiences Thoreau states, “I have walked a mile into the woods bodily, without getting there in spirit.”
This emphasis of being one with nature is something that requires full immersion, both mentally and physically. And to be able to be fully immersed in nature, one can’t be influenced or reminded, rather, of societal factors.
Paris’ Nature
Walking in Park Monceau, observing the statues, I felt this disconnect from nature. I wasn’t able to tap into a ‘primitive’ side because I was looking at Chopin, thinking about music and laughing at the statue’s ridiculousness. In addition to this, Chopin seemed to have some sort of rubber contrapment on his face, placed there presumably by some smart-witted angst-filled teen out for ‘fast kicks’ or by some park worker, conveying the statue’s need for renovation.
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| Chopin Statue |
This reminder of how society-man, music, creation-it sparks too much thought for one to have the luxury of immersion. Surrounded by society all day everyday, I’m programmed to think about how it functions and the elements that make it up. It would take a long time for me to forget all these things entirely; to be able to just be. These statues further enforce this mentality, emphasizing man’s knowledge by portraying musicians, etc. Thoreau states, “A man’s ignorance sometimes is not only useful, but beautiful-while his knowledge, so called, is oftentimes worse than useless, besides being ugly.”
Thoreau would find further issue with this park. He emphasizes full immersion, finding pleasure in the fact that “we find it difficult to choose our direction, because it does not yet exist distinctly in our idea.” This park, with clear paths marked out and statues strategically placed for one to look upon at a specific time, makes it incredibly easy for us to choose a direction. It has existed in many different people’s ‘idea.’ The element of getting lost, wandering, discovering is lost. Instead this nature is organized: clear paths marked out with statues speaking to the more intellectual.
One can tell that those organizing these statues attempted to make it blend into the nature. The first statue I come across is of a man, looking down almost bored, impatiently at a young girl. In front of this statue sits a drooping tree. Both the tree and the men possess a certain tiresomeness, almost blending into one until one is reminded that the tree is built that way-it didn’t have a choice in its lethargic demeanor. The man, however, is in full control of his demeanor, making a conscious decision to accept a lack of interest.
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Placed near a group of taller trees, is a bust of Pailleron, with a woman looking up at him. His bust being higher than the woman gives the man an authoritative feel in the same way that the tall trees possess.
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| Pailleron Statue
Even though these statues replicate what the nature itself is doing, a clear and concrete separation between statue and nature exists, taking one out of the nature to appreciate the statue, preventing this element of full immersion that Thoreau repeatedly emphasizes.
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Art Nouveau AKA Man's Attempt at Making Sense of Nature
Nature, as Viollet-le-Duc believed, has the possibility to “provide a model for manmade structures.” This doesn’t mean, however that these manmade structures should be apart of nature or attempt to provide a model for nature. Nature is its own entity. We’ve already tainted it with buildings, etc, destroying a solid portion of it. The integration of nature and manmade structures exists, but it doesn’t allow for one to ‘lose himself’ and be fully immersed. One can’t wander in the sense that Thoreau speaks. Instead one follows a path that has been designed for walking, usually with a preconceived destination in mind.
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| Bridge leading the walker
I traveled to Barcelona a few weekends ago and saw the church that Gaudi designed, and although it replicated nature to some degree, I was still in a city-consumed and reminded of all and any societal expectations present there. The issue with Art Nouveau is that it can’t relay this spiritual experience that many have found in nature because it’s focused around an urban setting; a setting that was designed by man to function with societal influences.
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| Church designed by Gaudi (Notice the renovations taking place...) |
Oscar Wilde believed that, “Nor in its primary aspect has painting any more spiritual message for us than a blue tile.” This is the primary difference between Thoreau’s view of nature and art: nature offers us something in a way that art, or anything manmade really, fails to do.
The main theoretical issue with Art Nouveau, from Thoreau’s assumed perspective, is that it tries to fit nature into a city setting. The city setting is structured, however, around man’s influence, including sidewalks guiding the walker where to go and buildings strategically designed and placed. The city doesn’t allow man to forget himself-go out of himself. If Art Nouveau was intertwined in nature itself, blending into it and working to enhance the general aesthetic as opposed to trying to make a building that has a natural aesthetic, it might be able to convey this spiritual experience Thoreau was able to find in nature.
Wilde continues, believing that painting, “Affects us by no suggestion stolen from philosophy, no pathos pilfered from literature, no feeling filched from a poet, but by its own incommunicable artistic essence.” Wilde makes the argument here that paintings, in their own way, evoke the same spiritual experience as Thoreau finds in nature. Although this may be true of some art for some people, in a larger scale, art is often picked apart for references to other philosophies, literature, etc. In many cases artists even reach out to these elements for inspiration. And in the case of the sculptures at Park Monceau, many of actual artists themselves, a clear ‘suggestion’ stolen from these more intellectual influences is found.
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| Statue containing the 'box' quality often found in Art Nouveau |
It’s the fact that there are traces of these elements of man’s knowledge in this art that disrupts the park, taking one, once again, out of the nature and into himself; his own thoughts.
The focus Art Nouveau places on nature demonstrates man’s want to get out of himself, and nature’s allure, warranting it a certain level of respect. “Victor Horta, a pioneer of Art Nouveau architecture, demonstrated that structural iron could be fashioned into plant forms with no sense of forcing the argument, and in the process created a fluidity and harmony between vegetative forms and buildings.” This focus on trying to mesh nature and buildings (manmade elements) into one demonstrates a want to be closer to nature; to try and understand it. There’s an unspoken respect for the ‘genius in nature’ and so man has tried to include it in his art. But man picks apart his art; dissects it for its meaning; the knowledge behind it. Art nouveau, for example was soon seen as holding “amorality and decadence.” In its own way it was created with a purpose; not for one to wander around in, but rather look through and come to a conclusion about. Art is created with a destination that wandering through nature doesn’t possess, Thoreau believing, “It [nature] will never become quite familiar to you.”
Thoreau discusses architecture in his essay stating, “I appreciate the beauty and the glory of architecture, which itself never turns in, but forever stands out and erect, keeping watch over the slumberers.” Discussing architecture, Thoreau emphasizes its clear differentiation from its surroundings-something that ‘stands out.’ It is calling to be noticed, and although conducive in a city setting, it belittles nature, overpowering it with its design;purpose.
It’s only natural that we would try to merge nature-something we don’t truly understand-into our art. For, a main purpose of art itself is to attempt to express what we don’t know or can’t understand. The spirituality man finds in nature is just this-something we don’t understand. And maybe that’s why we’re so drawn to it. But as of now, nature remains something we can merely only attempt to replicate through form.
Some more of 'Paris' Nature':
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