Art and Nature, 6th International Conference for PhD Students and Recent PhD Graduates, Universities of Ljubljana and Rijeka via Zoom, October 8, 2021

The conference will look at how the natural world has been presented, reflected or interacted by visual artists through centuries. The papers will debate on various topics from the pragmatic view of the natural world, existed simply to serve society, through the idea of natural phenomena, animals, plants etc. as allegories and symbols utilized to draw morality tales or aesthetic principles, which were viewed with as much importance as scientific information, to nature as a source of inspiration for new ideas and movements reflected in the fields of arts. Specific focus is put on the modern technologies and media, as well as the artists’ addressing social and political issues relating to the natural environment.

Topics of the conference include, but are not limited to:

• Art as mirror of nature: interpretation of nature in various historical periods, artistic contexts and individual artistic opuses;
• Art and nature: allegoric and symbolic representations, illustrations in the books of nature (botanical and zoological studies), flora and fauna in emblems, design and applied arts;
• Art and natural context: landscape painting, Animalists, Wanderers Art Movement, Land Art, Earth Art, Environmental Art
• Art and new technologies: biotechnological arts (BioArt), Genetic art, Evolutionary art, ethical problems considering using modern technologies and bio materials in art etc.;
• Art and contemporary aspects and dilemmas: climate changes, environmental problems, ecological awareness represented through visual arts (EcoArt, Crop art, Sustainable art).