It seems to me inarguable that Art is and must be a representation of Nature. Since I sometimes encounter resistance to that idea, I need to explain myself a little more clearly.
I think a lot of people who resist this idea have a narrow view of "Nature" - they perhaps take it to indicate only idyllic farm scenes and bucolic pastures.
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| artist Grant Wood |
Although such subjects are good for certain types of art, it would be rather silly to restrict artistic expression to only this type of subject matter.
Nature, in my understanding however, means the whole world - idyllic farms, but also all plants, animals, forests, mountains, stars, galaxies, and last but not least, human nature both internal (psychology) and external (culture.) The alter of course includes human constructions such as great cities, sciences, and the other arts. Viewed in this way, culture is in fact simply a subset of Nature.
Becasue the word "nature" used in this way is so inclusive it may be argued that it has become useless.t
discuss Schillinger - introduction to The System, by Arnold Shaw, esp. section 1. Music and Science, section 6. Patterns of Music and Nature
discuss Schenker - Free Composition, preface by Schenker
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