Spirit of Place: Artists, Writers and the British Landscape

The British landscape has been altered in innumerable ways over the last thousand years, and never more so than in the last hundred. Spirit of Place offers a panoramic view of the landscape as seen through the eyes of writers and artists from Bede and the Gawain-poet to Gainsborough, Austen, W. G. Sebald, and Barbara Hepworth, shaped by each generation's distinctive voices and evocative imagery. Each account or work of art holds up a mirror to its maker and their world.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 352 pages
Publication date: 22 July 2021
Publisher: Thames & Hudson Ltd

When we gaze upon the landscape, what do our eyes perceive? Do we perceive the view over a valley or the dappled sunlight on a path in the same manner as those who stood before us? Over the past thousand years, we have altered the countryside in countless ways, and never more so than in the past hundred. How do these changes manifest in and interact with art and literature?

Spirit of Place presents a sweeping century-long panorama of the British landscape, as captured through the eyes of writers and artists ranging from Bede and the Gawain-poet to Gainsborough, Austen, W. G. Sebald, and Barbara Hepworth. Susan Owens explores how the British landscape has been framed, reimagined, and reshaped by each generation, shaped by these distinctive voices and evocative imagery.

Each account or work of art, whether illuminated in a manuscript, jotted down in a journal, or constructed from sticks and stones, holds up a mirror to its creator and their world. With 80 illustrations, this captivating book offers a unique perspective on the evolution of the British landscape and its profound impact on art and literature.

Weight: 464g
Dimension: 129 x 198 x 39 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780500296356