The Ideal Landscape

Description

The concept of an ideal landscape, as seen in 18th and early 19th century art, evolved from the popular attitude of mind known as Romanticism. This is rather a broad artistic and aesthetic concept that appreciated a return to nature in its purest elemental sense. Wordsmith’s definition of Romanticism in reference to poetry – emotion recollected in tranquillity – could also apply to the visual arts, as exemplified in this pastoral scene, with the brooding clouds and weighty verse looming over the abundant and lush scene. From Boston’s Fishing Lady scenes to silkworked renditions of romantic copperplate engravings of shepherds and shepherdesses, the ideal landscape figured prominently in the needlework of this period of history. It represented a place to escape from the rigors of this mortal coil: an idealized world where roses grew as tall as trees, and cows munched lazily beside ever-fruiting orchards. Our original design was inspired by elements of many antique samplers that pass through our gallery every year. We borrowed motifs from many of them, mixed in some of our own flights of fancy, and came up with this bold and bright scene. The verse we used is part of the last paragraph of Henry David Thoreau’s essay,