Landscape art is often thought of as being a representation of the natural or built environment. However, just as the land we inhabit affects our sense of who we are, landscape art reflects the meaning expressed by the artist and the viewer’s interpretation. Alfredo Arreguín places hidden pictures in his tropical landscapes. Similarly, there is often more to landscape art than first meets the eye.
The geographical differences between the three countries of the North-American continent influenced exploration and development. Geography continues to exert an influence. Landscape art is often thought of as being a representation of the natural environment; however, the transforming influence of human beings on their environment is also captured by artists at different moments in the history of each country.
Examine the images paired together representing issues of environment, transportation, waterways as a reflection of everyday life, the horse as a symbol, and worldview of the artist. Do these images represent a particular perspective on an issue? Is this perspective determined more by artistic intent or the viewer's frame of reference?
When lines that would be parallel in nature are portrayed as converging on a point on the horizon the artist is using linear perspective. The softening of contrasts and lessening of detail from foreground to background provides a sense of distance. We instinctively assume a relationship between similar things. This permits artists to establish order by using repetition of patterns. Our visual system simplifies what we observe into a figure that we look at and a background. Artists have lear