Freshman Seminar: Volcanoes and Civilization

Volcanoes in Art

Read the hand out provided in class by Haraldur Sigurdsson about volcanoes in art. In this discussion we will concentrate primarily on the representation of volcanoes in the visual arts, drawing and painting. Some volcanoes have been represented extensively in art and poetry, like Mt. Vesuvius, Italy, and Mt. Fuji in Japan. Others are much more obscure, yet still draw on our creative imagination. Consider in this section how volcanoes and

Discussion Topics:

1) Do artists view volcanoes differently than scientists? How so and why?

2) What kinds of natural disasters are represented often in visual arts? Make a list and see if you can discern a difference in the way different phenomena are represented and interpreted.

3) How do artists treat volcanoes as a natural object requiring representation? Are there any sculptors who depict volcanoes as objects of interest?

4) Are there specific volcanoes that have received special attention from visual artists in the past? Are there other, more obscure, volcanoes that have received attention in spite of their obscurity? Why?

5) Do specific artists become fixated on particular volcanoes? Why?

6) Are volcanoes treated differently than other natural phenomena in art? Why might one expect a difference? Artists often use mountainous terrains as backdrops for grand representations of nature. How do volcanoes differ in this regard.

7) Many artists have painted volcanoes that are very remote from their own homes, i.e. they are visitors at the volcano sites. Do you expect they relate to the volcanoes differently than local artists? How and why?