Frank Gohlke has been a leading figure in American landscape photography for thirty years. Photographing grain silos in Minnesota, the aftermaths of a tornado in Texas and the Mount St. Helens eruption in Washington, and a river¿s quiet course in Massachusetts, his is a career of deep, unbroken contemplation of the land, and of our livelihood and survival within it. And for nearly as long as Gohlke has been photographing the landscape, he has also been writing about it.In the spirit of Henri Cartier-Bresson's seminal book, The Mind¿s Eye, and Robert Adams's Beauty in Photography, Gohlke¿s writings span from the philosophical to the personal. Throughout is his abiding sense of curiosity, an affection for and loyalty to his subject, and an uncanny ability to convey the richness of his experience to readers. In this collected volume, Gohlke¿s talent for photographing the landscape proves rivaled only by his talent for writing about it.

What is landscape architecture? Is it gardening, or science, or art? In this book, Bruce Sharky provides a complete overview of the discipline to provide those that are new to the subject with the foundations for future study and practice. The many varieties of landscape practice are discussed with an emphasis on the significant contributions that landscape architects have made across the world in daily practice. Written by a leading scholar and practitioner, this book outlines the subject and explores how, from a basis in garden design, it 'leapt over the garden wall' to encapsulate areas such as urban and park design, community and regional planning, habitat restoration, green infrastructure and sustainable design, and site engineering and implementation. Coverage includes: The effects that natural and human factors have upon design, and how the discipline is uniquely placed to address these challenges Examples of contemporary landscape architecture work - from storm water management and walkable cities to well-known projects like the New York High Line and the London Olympic Park Exploration of how art and design, science, horticulture, and construction come together in one subject Thinking about Landscape Architecture is perfect for those wanting to better understand this fascinating subject, and those starting out as landscape architecture students.

In Landscape of the Mind, John F. Hoffecker explores the origin and growth of the human mind, drawing on archaeology, history, and the fossil record. He suggests that, as an indirect result of bipedal locomotion, early humans developed a feedback relationship among their hands, brains, and tools that evolved into the capacity to externalize thoughts in the form of shaped stone objects. When anatomically modern humans evolved a parallel capacity to externalize thoughts as symbolic language, individual brains within social groups became integrated into a "neocortical Internet," or super-brain, giving birth to the mind. Noting that archaeological traces of symbolism coincide with evidence of the ability to generate novel technology, Hoffecker contends that human creativity, as well as higher order consciousness, is a product of the superbrain. He equates the subsequent growth of the mind with human history, which began in Africa more than 50,000 years ago. As anatomically modern humans spread across the globe, adapting to a variety of climates and habitats, they redesigned themselves technologically and created alternative realities through tools, language, and art. Hoffecker connects the rise of civilization to a hierarchical reorganization of the super-brain, triggered by explosive population growth. Subsequent human history reflects to varying degrees the suppression of the mind's creative powers by the rigid hierarchies of nationstates and empires, constraining the further accumulation of knowledge. The modern world emerged after 1200 from the fragments of the Roman Empire, whose collapse had eliminated a central authority that could thwart innovation. Hoffecker concludes with speculation about the possibility of artificial intelligence and the consequences of a mind liberated from its organic antecedents to exist in an independent, nonbiological form.

An Anthropology of Landscape tells the fascinating story of a heathland landscape in south-west England and the way different individuals and groups engage with it. Based on a long-term anthropological study, the book emphasises four individual themes: embodied identities, the landscape as a sensuous material form that is acted upon and in turn acts on people, the landscape as contested, and its relation to emotion. The landscape is discussed in relation to these themes as both ‘taskscape’ and ‘leisurescape’, and from the perspective of different user groups. First, those who manage the landscape and use it for work: conservationists, environmentalists, archaeologists, the Royal Marines, and quarrying interests. Second, those who use it in their leisure time: cyclists and horse riders, model aircraft flyers, walkers, people who fish there, and artists who are inspired by it. The book makes an innovative contribution to landscape studies and will appeal to all those interested in nature conservation, historic preservation, the politics of nature, the politics of identity, and an anthropology of Britain.

Austere Gardens suggests another way to look at the landscape, the garden, and perhaps the entire world around us. It suggests that being open to other ways of observing and sensing can yield new insights and rewards, and that interest is found in places unassuming and overlooked as well as those complex and assertive. Perceiving is only one half the story, however. Realizing places using simple acts and reduced means is the other half. The history of garden-making reveals continued attempts to create an Eden, to surpass our given environment in abundance and delight, and by selected instruments transcend the constraints of site, topography, and climate. The alternative to this garden of inclusion lies in the landscapes of reduction and compression, for example the dry gardens of Japan. These might be termed austere gardens. The word "austere," as used in this essay, does not imply asceticism, but merely modesty and restraint. Austere landscapes may first appear devoid of interest if noticed at all. To those who do not look beyond their surfaces, these sites, and the world outside them, usually appear plain and uninteresting, or even lacking of the very properties by which we define a garden. But there are sensual, aesthetic, and even philosophical, pleasures to be gained from these seemingly dull fields should we attempt to appreciate them. These qualities, normally associated with abundance and complexity, may be found in a different way, and at a different level, in austere terrain. Although the subject of the small book is gardens, or more broadly taken, landscapes that may be read as gardens, many of the examples are nonetheless drawn from art and architecture, from history as well as contemporary times. The images that accompany the text tell their own stories, illustrating what can be accomplished using frugal means or through basic acts like digging, piling, planting, cutting, and clearing. In an era where resources appear to be dwindling and populations growing, attitudes that value simplicity and reduction also gain a moral dimension.

What are the secrets of great landscape painting? Discover them in a straightforward, highly visual and enjoyable way with this unique handbook that will quickly become an indispensable companion for painting landscapes in oils, acrylics, pastels etc. Designed as much for beginners as for experienced artists, it is a complete and engaging practical guide to landscape painting. Highly visual, straightforward and easy to use, this manual is an indispensable tool in discovering the secrets hidden beneath great paintings and how to apply them to your own work. Designed both for those new to landscape painting and artists experienced within the genre, this is a comprehensive practical guide that is engaging and inspiring. Illustrated in collaboration with some of the best contemporary landscape painters, the book has hundreds of images and diagrams, as well as QR links to complementing videos , which help readers understand and put to use the techniques and information set out in each chapter. You will discover composition as your greatest ally in depicting landscapes at their most engaging as well as how to maximise your creative experience and process. You will: Get to know and learn to use essential compositional resources for successful paintings. Improve the spatial depth and three-dimensionality of your landscapes Establish visual pathways through your paintings to attract and hold the viewer ́s attention. Identify which types of landscapes are interesting to paint. Discover better formats, framing and view-points. You will also learn how to: In summary - an essential guide for learning to paint and to appreciate landscapes. Create and reinforce a focal point to increase a painting ́s intensity. Highlight or adjust elements of a landscape, depending on what you wish to express. Master the different perspective types applicable to landscapes. Decide the most appropriate pictorial treatment for each area of a painting, depending on its role within the painting. José Payá is the director of "Gaia, Centro de Estudios de Arte y Restauración" (Gaia Centre for the Study of Art and Restauration), the most prestigious art school in Valencia (Spain) and has taught landscape painting since 1992. As a result of his desire to improve amateur learning and to address shortcomings he has detected in the range of books available teaching landscape painting, his series ̈The Secrets of Landscape Painting: Landscape Painting and Composition) was born. This is the first volume, to be followed by six additional titles. His work is available to view and purchase at www.josepaya.es.

This work is a compilation of thoughts on landscape painting from artists and philosophers or both. It extends over a period of twenty-five hundred years including quotations primarily from European and American artists. The references come from more than eighty books, articles, and workshops. This required the review of more than twenty-five-thousand pages of text. Some citations extend back to classical Greece.I have only extracted a few statements from the treasures held in each of these resources. The primary focus of the selected quotations is the oil painting of landscapes. Some references to other mediums and subjects are included as needed to complete the intent of the statements. Both plein air and studio work is considered.