Land art is effectively a type of art made using the natural landscape and totally organic materials. It was founded in the USA in the 1960s and is considered as a reaction against art becomming overly commercial and artificial. One of the major principles of this movement is for art to be accessible for everyone from any background and not just a select few.
It normally takes two forms. The first kind of land art is where artists work into the landscape and actually sculpt it in some way. The second common form of land art is where artists use natural materials such as sticks and flowers to build up a piece of work. The work is then usually allowed to change under natural conditions. In my view it seems one of the most appealing aspects of land art to modern artists in its use of natural materials and unharmful processes.
One of the widest recognised pieces of land art is called the Spiral Jetty, created by Robert Smithson in 1970. It was built totally out of mud, salt, rocks and water found around the shore of the Great Salt Lake. The 1,500 feet of spiral is only visible when the water drops below a certain depth. It can be seen below.
Spiral Jetty, 1970, Robert Smithson.
Richard Shilling is another contemporary artist who creates land art out of natural materials. He often bases his work on the themes of wildlife and the constantly changing seasons. Due to his work not holding up under certain natural conditions he uses photography to capture his practice. Examples of his work shown under natural light can be seen below.
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