As I was reading my colleague's recent entry about the new photography exhibition Human/Nature: Recent European Landscapes, I was moved to write a response. I would like to say up front, that I don't discount her sentiments; I just had a different reaction to the works of art, which after all is what art should do.
The specific line I would comment on is her description of Verdun 1916, Le Mort Homme by Bart Michiels. She says: "It makes me want to jump inside and experience for a day...the vivid green grass and fog-soaked sky that are the photograph’s only subjects." Literally, the landscape is the subject however, the title indicates that there is much more to it.
On the surface, this photograph and the other two by Michiels (Passchendael 1917, Goudberg and Passchendaele 1917, Ravebeek), are verdant landscapes that range from the mysterious to the ordinary (a field of pumpkins). However, I had a very different reaction once I read the label and realized that more than 1.5 million people had lost thier lives in these locations during World War I.
The overall theme of the exhibition is exploring the complex relationship between human beings and the natural world. In this case, the artist has documented the natural reclamation of places that were once a source of much misery and pain. The comparison between the idyllic appearance in the present and the knowledge of the past brutality reminded me of the the old saying that the past will come back to haunt you. In this case, I think that is a good thing.