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Book/Printed Material The mountain; renewed studies in impressions and appearances,

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About this Item

Title

  • The mountain; renewed studies in impressions and appearances,

Summary

  • Nowhere is the strong current of aesthetic appreciation for nature in turn-of-the-century America, which contributed so much to the preservationist dimension of the conservation movement, more clearly exemplified than in the work of John C. Van Dyke. A noted art historian and disciple of the philosophy of "art for art's sake," Van Dyke devoted a series of memorable books to the analysis of the formal properties of natural beauty untouched by man. In the process, he made a powerful case for the glories of wilderness, instilling in his readers an appreciation for purely wild nature as a realm of inherent integrity and an appropriate object of aesthetic reverence and contemplation, requiring no further human justification for its incalculable value. Like Van Dyke's other works, this erudite paean to the pleasures and power of mountain landscapes methodically catalogues the different features of its subject's beauties, describing them minutely, observantly, and characterizing the nature of the aesthetic satisfactions they proffer to human perception in sensuous detail. Much of the book concerns the Rockies and other American mountain landscapes, but Van Dyke also discusses mountains elsewhere in the world, thereby giving American natural beauty a global comparative context at a time when Americans themselves were struggling to reassess the significance of their wild lands. He also repeatedly compares the formal aspects of natural scenery to the formal properties of specific works of art, and scatters outspokenly conservationist comments throughout the book. American Memory.

Names

  • Van Dyke, John Charles, 1856-1932

Created / Published

  • New York, C. Scribner's sons, 1916.

Headings

  • -  Mountains

Medium

  • xvi p., 1 l., 234 p. front. 19 cm.

Call Number/Physical Location

  • GB511 .V3

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 16009162

Online Format

  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The books in this collection are in the public domain and are free to use and reuse.

Credit Line: Library of Congress

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Van Dyke, John Charles. The Mountain; Renewed Studies in Impressions and Appearances. New York, C. Scribner's sons, 1916. Image. https://aj.sunback.homes/item/16009162/.

APA citation style:

Van Dyke, J. C. (1916) The Mountain; Renewed Studies in Impressions and Appearances. New York, C. Scribner's sons. [Image] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://aj.sunback.homes/item/16009162/.

MLA citation style:

Van Dyke, John Charles. The Mountain; Renewed Studies in Impressions and Appearances. New York, C. Scribner's sons, 1916. Image. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <aj.sunback.homes/item/16009162/>.