Art, Ecology, and Climate: Wilderness and Wildness

One of several e-museums devoted to ecological and climatological topics, these artworks all portray “wilderness” areas and “wild” life. Some of the works capture sublime landscapes and designated “wilderness” areas, including national parks in North America, alpine landscapes in Europe, and various regions in Africa. Others depict “wild” plants and animals, including animals held in captivity and flowers that regional gardeners regard as “weeds.” We invite you and your students to reflect critically on what it means to characterize something as “wild,” what the cultural effects of such characterizations can be, and how different artworks shape and interrogate ideas of wilderness and wildness.

More works that engage with culturally constructed ideas of wilderness and wildness can be found throughout the Art, Ecology, and Climate E-Museums, including in “Animals and Animality” and “Plants and Plantings.”