For some time and in a society like ours, the landscape, or rather the landscapes, have been debated. Whether it is the political landscape, the audiovisual landscape or the banking landscape, it is indeed the overall aspect of a domain that is being discussed.
This definition, inspired by the dictionary, is rather a derivative of the word. For we speak mainly of landscape to designate a portion of territory. This space perceived by an observer from a point of view, can be of a more or less large scale and more or less distant.
Originally, the word "landscape" comes from numerous works of authors, from the middle of the 16th century. These artists referred to the landscape as an observed scene and its representation by painting. At that time, painting was reserved for portraits or religious scenes. The depiction of a territory or any expanse of land was uncommon. Thus were born the first landscape artists in history.
Mountainous, agricultural, maritime, forest or even urban, the diversity of landscapes is extreme. Specialists define a landscape by very precise recognition criteria and have thus identified more than six hundred "landscape units" in France. At the European level, there are documents called Atlas des Paysages. Each region or department has been working for several years to identify all their landscape units in order to identify their specificities, their evolution and their fragility.
In order to initiate your glance to the reading of a landscape, here is how to do it. Have fun during your next walk in the countryside, in the mountains or even in a city park to observe what the landscape is like. At first glance, observe what are the forces, the objects or the master lines of what you perceive. These components may trace a regular pattern, like an agricultural or vineyard plot. Trees may be close to you and frame more distant views.
Simply take advantage of this kind of exercise to take the time and step back from what surrounds you in your daily life. A multitude of things can enter in the observation of a landscape, but do not forget to retain above all, the feeling that you will have in front of yours! Because the fact of 'analyzing' them allows you to respect their richness and their diversity.
