As Eve Said to the Serpent: On Landscape Gender and Art

To Rebecca Solnit the word landscape implies not only literal places but also the ground on which we invent our lives and confront our innermost troubles and desires. The organic world to Solnit gives rise to the social political and philosophical landscapes we inhabit. As Eve Said to the Serpent skillfully weaves the natural world with the realm of art―its history techniques and criticism―to offer a remarkable compendium of Solnits research and ruminations.The nineteen pieces in this book range from the intellectual formality of traditional art criticism to highly personal lyrical meditations. All are distinguished by Solnits vivid original style that blends imaginative associations with penetrating insights. These thoughts produce quirky intelligent and wryly humorous content as Solnit ranges across disciplines to explore nuclear test sites the meaning of national borders deserts clouds and caves―as well as ideas of the feminine and the sublime as they relate to our physical and psychological terrains.Sixty images throughout the book display the work of the contemporary artists under discussion including landscape photographers performance artists sculptors and installation artists. Alongside her text Solnits gallery of images provides a vivid excursion into new ways of perceiving landscape bodies and art. Animals and the human body appear together with space and terra firma as Solnit reconfigures the blurred lines that define nature.