When was the last time you were truly in contact with nature?
As students, parents, and teachers gathered together in the SHC Chorus Room, Cleo Kaphan ‘25 posed this thought-provoking question as a key component of her presentation, “Art & Nature.” This January Project delved into various forms of nature-based art and encouraged the audience to rekindle their relationships with the natural environment.
Growing up near McLaren Park in San Francisco and taking many camping trips throughout her life, Cleo always felt a strong personal connection to the natural world. This fascination prompted her to further explore humanity’s interconnectedness with nature, specifically through the lens of art history.
Cleo began her historical journey by discussing the “Hall of Bulls” in Lascaux, France. This 20,000 year old collection of cave paintings includes over 20,000 depictions of humans, animals, and symbols. Bulls, stags, cattle, and bison made of charcoal and ochre dotted the cave walls. The El Castillo cave in Spain exemplifies another early European art form involving the use of mineral-based paint. Even prior to these creations, Neanderthals produced artwork consisting of crimson dots and hand stencils, which are still visible today on cave walls.
Transitioning into a more modern perspective of art and nature, Cleo then referenced the book Braiding Sweetgrass by botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer. Cleo echoed Wall Kimmerer’s advocacy for increased connectivity between humans and their environment. Too often, humans exploit the Earth by taking its natural resources without giving back to the planet in any way. As the impacts of climate change become progressively more prominent, Cleo believes that connecting with nature through art can help mend this strained relationship.
Cleo then detailed the work and artistic philosophies of some modern day artists. Robert Smithson, for example, sought to embrace the unknown and unpredictable elements of nature through his piece Spiral Jetty. This large spiral shaped artwork branches out into Great Salt Lake of Utah. As the water levels rise and fall over time, the artwork shifts in appearance, representing a unique incorporation of the environment’s natural cycles.
Work by Andy Goldsworthy was similarly striking in its minimalistic, yet beautiful, portrayal of natural materials. Cleo discussed his poetic view towards nature and his emphasis on sheer simplicity. Like other nature-based artists, Goldsworthy promoted human unity with the natural world. “We are nature,” Cleo quoted, explaining that humans are one with nature, and when people feel disconnected from nature, they have “lost connection to [them]selves.”
When presenting work by Deborah Butterfield, Cleo revealed the ways in which natural mediums could make broader social statements. Butterfield’s horse sculptures made of driftwood explore themes of gender inequality. Her own self portrait as a mare represents vulnerability, and her incorporation of wood symbolizes a level of fragility.
Finally, Cleo outlined some similarities between natural art and the Dada art movement. Dadaism prizes irrationality and randomness, questioning the role and meaning of modern art. This discussion served as a segue into her own artistic creations. By presenting an image of mudpie remnants overgrown with moss, she demonstrated how “things that [one] wouldn’t see as beautiful” can still “have some meaning in them.”
Cleo’s pieces were composed of materials found in her own natural setting. For example, her “Grave” artworks utilized bricks, bones, and flower petals to resemble a gravestone and bouquets. Another work involved a coyote head crowned with a wreath of lilacs, while her “Atoll” piece included sprouts growing from mud pies, representing life flourishing on small islands. After discussing each of her creations, Cleo concluded that her “mud pie nests” were her favorite. Each of these nests was formed by a mud base with a rock in the center to symbolize an egg.
Cleo then engaged the audience with an interactive activity, passing out paper bags filled with leaves, pine cones, branches, pine needles, tree bark, and rocks. She encouraged everyone to experiment with their own natural art. Students, parents, and teachers arranged and stacked the various materials to produce interesting, abstract works of art. Ultimately, this activity illustrated the creative liberty one can experience when they embrace nature’s imperfect qualities.
Cleo’s presentation was a striking reminder of the unparalleled joys found within the natural world. In a reality where teenagers and adults spend long periods of time indoors and undergo a variety of stress-inducing experiences, interacting with nature offers a calming and rejuvenating option for those seeking fulfillment. As humans reconnect with the natural world, they can better combat global crises like climate change and address personal wellness simultaneously. Creating art from nature is the perfect way to rekindle one’s love for the Earth’s many gifts.
