Landscape and the Gaze: A Philosophical Inquiry

This collective publication from Université de Savoie challenges the naturalization of landscape, arguing it is a cultural construct shaped by the gaze. Drawing on Kant's notion of the sublime as a mental experience, the authors critique 'verdolatry' and the nostalgic preservation of pure, unaltered landscapes. They advocate for recognizing urban and industrial landscapes as common goods, moving beyond impressionistic decorum. The book follows 20th-century artists in redefining landscape as a space of experimentation and social engagement, exemplified by Yves Brunier's 'landscape-movements.' Rather than a harmonious or hostile bucolic space, landscape is presented as fractured, mirroring the body's fissures, as seen in S. Santi's analysis of Bataille's torn landscapes. This destabilization of Renaissance to Romantic frameworks pushes the subject 'outside itself,' exploring new sensations and thoughts through the experience of void and strangeness. Contributors include P. Bouvier, E. Burnet, and Evence Verdier.