Nature is art, art is in nature

Some may say that something that moves and is alive can’t be art. I beg to differ. The definition of art by Oxford languages is “producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.” I think that nature is the greatest producer of works that are appreciated for their beauty and emotional power. So if nature is an artist, what genre of art does it create? Does nature create realism, abstract, or impressionism? Is nature a landscape or a portrait? 

Is nature realism? Realism was a movement in the 19th century to portray everyday subjects in a realistic way. But what is more normal and every day as something that is there everyday? The way that artists painted or drew realism was to make it look as real as possible. But what is more real than actual real life? How can you paint or draw more realistically than real life itself? 

But what if nature is abstract? Abstract art is a loose arrangement of lines, colors, and shapes. But what is more random than things that are made, move, and appear randomly? A plain field covered in plain beige grass. But with no thought of humans, bright green bushes with a swirling sky in the background, provide a pop of color on an otherwise lonely canvas. Or wisps of white moving across a bright blue sky, only affected by how the wind blows.

Or is nature impressionist? Impressionism is light loose brush strokes that emphasize how light changes and affects how we look at things. Impressionism subjects are typically outside in nature. Why? Because nature was the first impressionist. And the sun is what provides the changing light for the style. The sun beams down on the forest floor. Light filters down through the leaves, leaving streaks of gold showering down. 

But is nature a landscape or a portrait? Some might say that nature has to be a landscape, because of all of the beautiful views that pane out all across the world. Like the tall mountain towering over the plateau, piercing through the clouds. But what about the owl poised to take flight, perched high up in a snowy tree? Or the lion pacing slowly toward the gazelle, the tall grasses masking his form. 

But that still begs the question, if nature is art what is it? I believe that art can be whatever you want it to be. Nature can be realistic, abstract, or impressionist. It could be a landscape or a portrait. Nature is ever-changing so it can be whatever you want. That is the great thing about nature, it can be interpreted however you want. That is why it is so important to protect and view nature because it is the world’s largest and most famous art museum.