Land Art: Art Made from Stones, Leaves and Light in Nature

Land art is a movement in which artists leave the gallery for fields, forests and shorelines and make works from whatever they find there: stones, twigs, leaves, earth and even ice. Many of these works vanish within hours and survive only in photographs. Here are the key names and how to try land art yourself.

Natural beauty in a bouquet: flower baskets and chrysanthemums.

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How land art began

The movement emerged in the late 1960s in the United States and Britain. Artists wanted to move away from art as a commodity for museums and work with the landscape itself. One emblem of the era is Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty (1970), a huge coil of basalt rocks about 460 metres long on Utah’s Great Salt Lake. Depending on the water level, it disappears and reappears.

Landmark works

• Richard Long. In 1967 he walked back and forth across a field, and the flattened path became the work A Line Made by Walking. Walking as art is his central theme.
• Andy Goldsworthy. The British artist arranges autumn leaves, icicles, stones and petals into patterns. Many works last only a few hours, until the ice melts or the wind rises.
• Christo and Jeanne-Claude. The couple became famous for vast temporary projects: in 1983 they surrounded islands in Miami’s Biscayne Bay with pink fabric.

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Why land art is seen as eco-friendly

Most contemporary land artists use only natural materials and leave nothing behind: the work breaks down and returns to nature. An important rule is not to pick living plants or disturb protected areas.

Try it yourself

• A leaf mandala. In autumn, gather fallen leaves of different colours and lay out circles from dark to light.
• A stone spiral. On a riverbank, arrange pebbles in a spiral, grading them by size.
• A flower circle. In summer, use fallen petals and seeds — there is no need to pick flowers.
• A photograph. Shoot from above in soft light, because the work will soon be gone.

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For related ideas, see flower installations and geometry in nature, and for sculptures grown from trees, grown furniture.

FAQ

How is land art different from garden design?

Garden design creates a space to live and relax in; land art is an artist’s statement, often temporary.

Can you see Spiral Jetty today?

Yes, it lies on the north-east shore of the Great Salt Lake, though how much is visible depends on the water level.

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Author: Maria Svitlovir

Graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Institute of Biology and Medicine (2001). BSc in Biology, MSc in Horticulture. Writes about plants, works at a garden centre selecting and repotting plants, and contributes to plant reference guides.