Mother nature

"Mother Nature" is a virtual art exhibit that explores the intersections between femininity, the natural world, and the evolving artistic expression of these themes across time. By examining three distinct movements, Feminist Art, Earth Art, and the Pre-Raphaelite, this exhibit highlights how artists have used visual language to represent women, nature, and their spiritual, political, and symbolic connections. Each era offers a unique lens: the Pre-Raphaelites with their mythic and romantic reverence for beauty and nature; Earth Artists with their monumental collaborations with the land; and Feminist artists with their bold reimaginings of gender, identity, and power. Together, these works challenge us to reconsider what "Mother Nature" truly means in art and society.

Feminist Art- The Personal is Political

Feminist art, which gained momentum in the late 1960s and 1970s, seeks to confront and dismantle the male-dominated structures of the art world while centering women's perspectives and experiences. It challenges traditional gender roles, advocates for equality, and reclaims the female body and voice as central to artistic expression. Through diverse media and approaches, feminist artists explore themes such as identity, sexuality, motherhood, domestic life, and empowerment, blending the personal with the political to provoke thought and inspire change.

Tree of life

Ana Mendieta

1976

Elemental, photograph

Feminism

In this photograph, the artist uses the earths elements to completely cover herself and merges with a tree, symbolizing women's unity with nature.

Interior Scroll

Carolee Schneemann

1975

performance art

feminism

In this performance piece, the artist pulls a scroll from her body that contains themes of sexuality, feminism and the female experience.

In mourning and in rage

Suzanne Lacy & Leslie Labowitz

1997

performance art/activism

feminism

this activism performance was done as a response to the rapes and murders in the hillside strangler case, after media sensationalized the case. the women dressed in black and red, black symbolizing the grief of losing sisters, and red symbolizing the rage of how the public treated their deaths.

dinner part

judy chicago

1974-1979

installation art

feminism

This is an arranged dinner for 39 historical women, with each "guest" having their own unique dinner plate and gold embroidered napkins to symbolize each of their own unique touches on history and their importance.

your body is a battleground

Barbra Kruger

1988

silkscreen portrait

feminism

this photomontage confronts the viewer with politics of the female body, fighting for reproductive rights. The inversions conveys the contrast of principles in one's own body.

Rosie the riveter

Norman Rockwell

1944

oil painting

feminism

Rosie the Riveter is a historic icon, created during WW2 when there weren't any men at home to take care of the traditionally male jobs. Rosie the Riveters "we can do it" is telling the women that its time for them to take the spotlight and do our part in WW2, which was to keep the country running.

Earth art- The land is our canvas

Earth art, also known as land art or earthworks, is a form of artistic expression that began in the late 1960s and 1970s, characterized by large-scale works created directly within the natural landscape. Using materials such as rocks, soil, water, and vegetation, artists shape the environment into creative forms that often exist outside traditional gallery settings. These installations emphasize a deep connection between humans and nature, exploring themes like time, change, and the environment. Earth art can be permanent or temporary, often responding to natural forces and encouraging viewers to reflect on their relationship with the land.

Spiral jetty

Robert Smithson

1970

basalt stones

earth art

This work of earth art represents the process of breaking down, with the design of the art changing overtime due to natural forces

sun tunnels

, Nancy Holt

1973-1976

installation art

Earth art

This large-scale installation piece consists of four large cylinders that are aligned with the sun's solicits, and the holes on the cylinders map out star constellations.

the lightning field

Walter De Maria

1977

land art(?)

earth art

the lightning field consists of 400 polished steel poles; all arranged in a grid pattern. It is designed to attract lighting (although it happens rarely) to shine light onto the wonders of mother nature and the complicity of earth.

Solstice Cairns

Michelle Stuart

1979

stone

earth art

this is another work that is alligned with the sunrise and sunset. This mechanism is surrounded by beautiful lights and shadow from the way the sun shines down.

time landscape

Alan Sonfist

1978

landscape art

earth art

This landscape art is made up of plants that were native to New York pre-colonial era. This garden serves as a living historic time capsule of New Yorks roots.

tree mountain

Agnese Denes

1992-1996

Earth art

This reforestation project involves planting 11,000 trees to attempt to make a "virgin forest" that will last for centuries

Pre-Raphaelite Art - Nature Idealized

emerged in 19th-century Britain as a dreamlike revival of early Renaissance beauty. Rejecting the formality of academic art, the movement embraced a luminous, almost otherworldly vision of nature. Every leaf, flower, and stream is rendered with exquisite detail, yet softened by a sense of enchantment and poetic longing. The natural world becomes more than a backdrop, it is a sacred, mystical presence woven with symbolism and emotion. In this ethereal vision, nature is not merely observed but revered, elevated into a realm of timeless beauty and spiritual depth.

Ophelia

John Everett Millais

1851

oil on canvas

pre-Raphaelite

This work depicts Shakespeare's Ophelia singing in a river before she drowns. The natural and beautiful landscape that surrounds the beautiful Ophelia distracts her from her impending death below.

The lady of Shalott

john William Waterhouse

1888

oil on canvas

pre-Raphaelite

This work paints a picture of a described scene in the poem "The Lady of Shalott", of a girl who dies from unrequited love. The artist captures strong emotion in the girl's face, who feels longing in her isolation.

The Awakening Conscience

William Holman Hunt

1853

oil on canvas

pre-Raphaelite

The lady in this scenery is seen rising form her lovers lap, and you can see in her expression she has feelings of realization, and the nature outside can further solidify the theme of spiritual awakening and redemption

Proserpine

Dante Gabriel Rossetti

1874

oil on canvas

pre-Raphaelite

A portrait of the Roman goddess of the underworld, Persephone, holding the forbidden pomegranate she chose to eat from that now binds her to the underworld, as she longs for earth.

Flaming June

Frederic Leighton

1895

Oil painting

pre-Raphaelite

This painting depicts a beautiful sleeping woman, dressed in a warm, bright orange gown. This radiant work of art depicts beauty, warmth, and tranquility, and the value of rest.

Beata Beatrix

Dante Gabriel Rossetti

1864-1870

oil on canvas

pre-Raphaelite

Bathed in golden light, Beatrice appears in a trance-like state at the moment of her spiritual transformation, as a dove delivers a poppy, symbolizing both death and peace, to her hands. The painting blend's themes of love, loss, and transcendence, capturing the boundary between earthly life and the divine.

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