In a context of great public concern for the problem of climate change, the story behind this exhibit—made up primarily of relatively unknown drawings from the MNAC’s collection—emphasizes the need to reflect on how the artists of the past have interacted with nature. In the 19^th century, a significant cultural shift transformed natural settings into a focus of interest for creative minds, and artists felt a great need to transform what Rousseau called the “barometer of the soul” into images.

Nevertheless, this exhibit hopes to overcome the nostalgic perceptions of city dwellers who see nature as a curative remedy, as a place for the sentimental projection of a “picturesque” reality that is converted into a pictorial genre. Instead, we propose an immersive journey that gives voice to a series of protagonists: to natural forms that are manifested in a full, autonomous, self-sufficient fashion, the result of a reproductive instinct that causes them to live in a perpetual metamorphosis in which nature and art reach a perfect symbiosis. 

A stroll through nature is gratifying because it allows the flâneur to enjoy careless contemplation and gives them the freedom to stop wherever they want. Just like the urban flâneur, they are open to stumbling upon an unexpected discovery at any moment, open to an unexpected epiphany taking hold of them and nourishing their artistic sensibility. If we can distance ourselves from the noise of the city and immerse ourselves in nature, however, we can formulate aesthetic ideas that lead to compositions that seek to capture the heartbeat of nature.

The spread of Enlightenment ideas promoted the view of nature as a series of natural phenomena within a relationship of universal causality with a rational explanation. In spite of this positivist vision based on the laws of nature, however, many artists explored the mysterious, artistic possibilities of a natural setting that resisted the renunciation of its evolutionary condition. In the creations of many of these artists, nature was interpreted not as a series of phenomena, but as a spark for more experiential ideas dominated by imagination and fantasy with the goal of rediscovering the unity between man and nature that had been ignored by reason.

The direct confrontation with nature through plein air art subjects the artist to an infinite number of variables generated by different atmospheric and natural phenomena. The phenomenology of different horizons has a direct impact on trees, rocks, animals... Through light, a perfect symbiosis between the sky and the earth is born. Nevertheless, these phenomena can also make us feel small when they manifest themselves in full. The power of storms can impact even the bravest souls, and endless fog suggests an uncertain path, as blurry and mysterious as the implacable, blinding light of the south.

The creative process requires the scrupulous observation of each and every one of the elements that make up whatever is being represented. This approximate analysis is closely tied to scientific study, as art is used to represent the imperfect, unpredictable curves of organic forms. In addition to the singularity of these irregularities, however, the artist is capable of identifying the shared patterns that define a species. The representation of these archetypes is often tied to a certain artistic resource, be it a dot, a stain or a line. The use of these resources determines the final form of creations ranging from the most conventional to the most personal and suggestive.

With their evocative power, the image of architectural ruins became one of the most common motifs in 19^th-century art as a representation of human fragility. The view of these symbols also contributed to the birth of an aesthetic movement where the contemplation of a splendorous architectural past that had been overcome by the destructive power of nature provoked a feeling of nostalgia, of a melancholy that came to be a characteristic of the Romantic artist. The artistic transformation of ruins could bring art and nature together, freezing the effects of the passage of time.

Sketching outdoors has always been an artistic practice, one of the tools most commonly used in the learning and creative process. In this context, the album has been one of the most iconic tools, commonly associated with the traveling artist who displays their curiosity and their ability to observe the spectacle of nature. This exhibit includes a selection of sketchbooks that are representative of this sort of exercises, taken from the collection of the MNAC’s Cabinet of Drawings and Prints. Their pages are full of the motifs that drew the interest of their authors.