| Traces the relationship between natural and urban settings
as reflected in philosophy, literature, and art from classical times to
the present day, arguing that this relationship is symbolic of fundamental
shifts in the human experience. Since the landscape as a medium of
emotional involvement and sensuous enjoyment has practically ceased to
exist, radical transformations have taken place in the relationship
between art and nature. Today, modern industrial and technical objects and
modes of living solicit a stronger human allegiance than nature, and the
consequences are apparent in current views, values, and modes of
perception. |