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Land art

Land art is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Land art rather than just read about it. In short: Land art, variously known as Earth art, environmental art, and Earthworks, is an art movement that emerged in the 1960s and 1970s, largely associated with Great Britain and the United States but that also includes examples from many other countries. As a trend, "land art" expanded the boundaries of traditional art making in the materials used and the siting of the works.

Land art — main illustration
Land art — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Land art belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Land art to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Land art from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Land art, variously known as Earth art, environmental art, and Earthworks, is an art movement that emerged in the 1960s and 1970s, largely associated with Great Britain and the United States but that also includes examples from many other countries. As a trend, "land art" expanded the boundaries of traditional art making in the materials used and the siting of the works. The materials used are often the materials of the Earth, including the soil, rocks, vegetation, and water found on-site, and the sites are often distant from population centers. Though sometimes fairly inaccessible, photo documentation is commonly brought back to the urban art gallery. Concerns of the art movement center around rejection of the commercialization of art-making and enthusiasm with an emergent ecological movement. The beginning of the movement coincided with the popularity of the rejection of urban living and its counterpart, and an enthusiasm for that which is rural. Included in these inclinations were spiritual yearnings concerning the planet Earth as home to humanity.

Form

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Land art: Spiral Jetty by Robert Smithson from atop Rozel Point, Utah, in mid-April 2005.
Spiral Jetty by Robert Smithson from atop Rozel Point, Utah, in mid-April 2005.
Land art: Time Landscape by Alan Sonfist, at LaGuardia and Houston Streets in Manhattan, 1965-present.
Time Landscape by Alan Sonfist, at LaGuardia and Houston Streets in Manhattan, 1965-present.
Land art: Sun Tunnels by Nancy Holt in Utah.
Sun Tunnels by Nancy Holt in Utah.
Land art: Museum paper board left on the bank of the river for 4 days. By Jacek Tylicki, S.W. of Lund, Sweden, 473 X 354 mm. 1981.
Museum paper board left on the bank of the river for 4 days. By Jacek Tylicki, S.W. of Lund, Sweden, 473 X 354 mm. 1981.
Land art: The Litlington White Horse, an earthwork that utilizes the natural geology of the South Downs as an artistic medium.
The Litlington White Horse, an earthwork that utilizes the natural geology of the South Downs as an artistic medium.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Land art

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Land art claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Land art before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Land art ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Land art

In research
Land art appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Land art in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Land art is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 20th-century art movements, Artificial landforms, Contemporary art movements, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Land art outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Land art in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Land art means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Land art out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Land art in simple terms?

Land art, variously known as Earth art, environmental art, and Earthworks, is an art movement that emerged in the 1960s and 1970s, largely associated with Great Britain and the United States but that also includes examples from many other countries. As a trend, "land art" expanded the boundaries of…

Why does Land art matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Land art?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Land art.

Tags

  • 20th-century art movements
  • Artificial landforms
  • Contemporary art movements
  • Environmental design
  • Installation art
  • Land art

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