Student: Sophie Henry
Graduation date: May 2020
Type: Area of Interest (double major)
Date approved: November 2017
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Summary
Food production is one of the most important aspects of sustaining human populations around the globe. For better or worse it shifts and transforms civilizations. Since its birth in the fertile crescent, agriculture has been an ongoing dialogue between humans and natural processes of growth and death. Over time it has fluctuated from small subsistence-style farms such as those in Mexico and Central America (Gene C. Wilken, 1987) to large industrial farms in the United States that are 434 acres on average (USDA Census of Agriculture 2012). For thousands of years, communities have gathered together around food. Its production is imperative, not only for continued survival, but for the well-being of populations. Therefore, it is no wonder that agricultural practices are romanticized, heavily discussed, and criticized in the US, especially in urban communities where food production is separate from every-day life. The depiction of agriculture in art reflects the many different attitudes, myths, and misconceptions surrounding food production.
My concentration will explore how Agriculture is represented within art in contrast with the reality of agriculture. I will explore whether there is any value in representing agriculture romantically in art, or if value is lost by doing so. Additionally, I will consider what responsibility the artist has when portraying their subject. I plan to focus mainly on attitudes towards agriculture in the United States, while using examples from other countries in order to draw comparisons. While a lot of countries have a very intimate and cultural relationship with agriculture, many communities in the US are very distant from food production yet find it to be a recurring topic of concern or interest.
Looking into classic American art, one of the greatest and most romantic American heroes is the cowboy. He is portrayed as strong, protective, loyal and wise in American literature, art, and film. He is “one with nature” and simultaneously a master over it. He lives the simple, nostalgic life sung about in “Home on the Range”(Kelley 1872) and defends his herd against the notorious villains of the wild west. The cowboy remains a widely referenced figure in the United States today and appears in songs by well-known artists such as Johnny Cash. The myth of the cowboy has been told and re-told for centuries, however most people would agree that the cowboy is not an accurate representation of an agriculturist. However, there are those who would consider themselves modern-day cowboys. I want to explore how the difficult-to-contain nature of the cowboy myth allows for shape shifting of the character from folklore to reality.(Savage 1979). Just as the cowboy is a romanticization of an existing figure, the idea of an “eco-village” is a romanticization of a sustainable way of living. An example of an existing movement in sustainable living surrounding agriculture can be found in the Kibbutz movement.
The Israeli Kibbutz movement is a classic “sustainable” utopian agricultural system. A Kibbutz is a self-managed socialist organization, usually surrounding food production, in which each member contributes to the labor force (Warhurst 1994). Artist Yohanan Simon paints images from his time living on a Kibbutz. This painting called “Evening on the Kibbutz”depicts parents and children lounging at sunset, supposedly after a long day of work. In the background of the painting you can see a distant city, separated from the kibbutz. The representation of life on the kibbutz seems blissful and simple, separated from stresses of city life. However the some actors in the Kibbutz movement mismanaged money, so the model was ultimately unsuccessful. Although a few kibbutzim still remain, the majority have disbanded. In 1991 it was estimated that the kibbutz movement was $4 billion in debt(Warhurst 1994). Like the cowboy, the idea of utopian societies centered around agriculture are hard to bring into reality, yet they command a certain attention-grabbing fascination. Artist Stan Herd uses a beautiful and fascinating method of creation to pull attention towards the physical growth of crops.
Agriculture itself as can be an artistic medium. Artist Stan Herd creates massive intricate pictures by planting and cropping a field to create designs. His work goes through a process of growth, use, and decay that begins with working a field and cultivating plants. Herd meticulously manages a field in order to get the results he wants. This must take immense care, highlighting the idea of “cultivation as a mode of democratic practice”(Walker 2001). Herd works in a style called earthworks that emerged in the 1960’s and 70’s and involves working with the land to create artwork. The movement as a whole sought to improve “natural sensibilities”, but each artist may or may not have the same ecological intention behind their work (Beardsley 1984). Herd’s art can only be properly viewed from above, so a man-made flying vehicle is necessary to see the final product. However people can interact with the art pieces from the ground. Herd’s unique, whimsical art draws attention to the process of growth and management of land. Art such as this can make agriculture more palatable to the US public.
A number of factors are calling for a shift in agricultural practices, including climate change and growing populations. According to The Impact of Global Warming on U.S. Agriculture: An Econometric Analysis of Optimal Growing Conditions by Wolfram Schlenker “more than 75% of the countries in our sample show a statistically significant effect, ranging from moderate gains to large losses, with losses in the aggregate that can become quite large under scenarios involving sustained heavy use of fossil fuels”(Schlenker 2006). One of the proposed solutions to this problem is “sustainable” agriculture. Many people believe in a utopian-like sustainable future of agriculture. However, the sustainability movement is narrow and disregards many injustices within food systems such as workers rights and harmful working conditions (Greenberg 2013). The reality of the sustainability movement is flawed.
In response to this I ask how can artistic representations of agriculture respond to anxieties and concerns related to food production? Can art aid shifts in agriculture due to changing climate? Art is becoming more accessible and widespread. It is a language that has the possibility to reach large numbers of people. Through the use of well known symbols, or the expression of a universal feeling in a setting that may be unfamiliar to the viewer, the representation of agriculture within art can be a tool for connection. Artists are collaborating more frequently with activists and scientists in order to reach larger and increasingly diverse groups of people(Reid 2015). I want to explore how art and agriculture can collaborate to reinforce the value of agriculture and food production in the eyes of the US public. Community, health, and well-being are all situated around agriculture. Forming a connection with that, even a romantic one, is beneficial.
Sources:
Walker, Brian. 2001 “Thoreau on Democratic Cultivation.” Political Theory 29, no. 2: 155-89.
Greenberg, Miriam. 2013 “What on Earth is Sustainable?” 4. 3: 54 10.1525/boom.2013.3.4.54
USDA – NASS, Census of Agriculture – Publications – 2012. (n.d.). Retrieved November 13, 2017, from
WARHURST, CHRISTOPHER. 1994 “The End of Another Utopia? The Israeli Kibbutz and Its Industry in a Period of Transition.” Utopian Studies 5, no. 2: 103-21.
Reid, John. 2015 “Visual Fine Art: Documenting Change, Influencing Change, and Subjected to Change.” In Change!: Combining Analytic Approaches with Street Wisdom, edited by Bammer Gabriele, 273-86. ANU Press
Daniel E. Kelley. 1972 “Home on the range”
Simon, Yohanan, “Evening on the Kibbutz,” oil on canvas
Wilken, Gene C. 1987 “Good farmers : traditional agricultural resource management in Mexico and Central America.” University of California Press, Berkeley
Beardsley, J. 1984. “Earthworks and beyond: contemporary art in the landscape.” New York: Abbeville Press.
Schlenker, W., Hanemann, W. M., & Fisher, A. C. 2006 “The impact of global warming on U.S. agriculture: An econometric analysis of optimal growing conditions.” Review of Economics and Statistics,
Questions
- DescriptiveWhat are the main agricultural practices currently being used around the world? How have they changed over time?What does art on the topic of agriculture look like? Where are the products being produced and being consumed?
- Explanatory:What causes a shift in agricultural practices? Soil fertility, economic systems?What causes people to pay attention to art? What can we read into these representations? What story is being told, why does it look a certain way?What attitudes towards agriculture are engendered by different arrangements of production and consumption?
- Evaluative:Who are the winners and losers in agricultural systems? The farmer, the consumer?What longings and anxieties do different arrangements of production and consumption evoke?Are there stories that need to be told? Is there a sense of responsibility for telling and receiving certain stories?
- Instrumental: How can artistic depictions of agriculture ease anxieties surrounding agricultural practices? How can art bring awareness to the consumer about how their food is produced? Can one effictively use an enticing artistic subject to direct attention towards something?
Arts and humanities courses
- PHIL 215 (Philosophy and the Environment, 4 credits). Pre-approved A&H course; no justification required.
- Art 317 Painting 3 (4 credits), Spring 2018. I want to improve my painting skills and think about art theory.