Material and Imaginative Worlds: Landscapes from the Collection of Davidson College

The natural environment, with its shades and hues, beauty and monstrosity, has been an inspiration for humans since the beginning of time. Although historical landscapes have become somewhat cliched for some, contemporary artists innovate and draw from a changing landscape, especially considering climate change, war conflicts, and human-nature encounters.

The Van Every/Smith Galleries hold a robust collection of landscapes, ranging from the Barbizon and Boston schools to contemporary abstractions. This exhibition includes both real and imagined landscapes, and explores how the genre of landscape can be used to address identity, personal hopes, and political warnings. Some artists have depicted real locations, such as the Forêt de Fontainebleau, the Afghan countryside, and Jamaican coastline. Other artists conjure worlds through bold color and composition, from Natvar Bhavsar’s abstract invocation of the Holi festivals of his youth to Katie St. Clair’s naturally derived colorscapes. Although the majority of these scenes are devoid of human figures, each artist’s choice to romanticize, disfigure, or complicate the landscape reveal deeper truths about who gets to exist in each setting.