Nature has always inspired man, with its colors, its light and its geometries. From Etretat cliffs at the Fingal cave, from Mount Fuji to Vesuviusnature has inspired painters, writers and musicians from all times. Unique shapes, colors and suggestions have created works by Monet, Verne, Turner, Mendelssohn, Warhol And many others.
Four geological wonders
The cliffs of Etretat in France
We are in Normandyon the coast of alabasterthe stretch of western France overlooking sleeve channelin the Department of Senna Marittimawhere the river that also crosses Paris flows. The Etretat cliffs they are spectacular white limestone formations overlooking the sea: their beauty and grandeur have inspired Artists, painters and writerswho portrayed the cliffs in their works and set their stories here. Among them we find nothing less than Claude Monetwhich dedicates various works to Etretat including Etretat, the Manneporte, Reflets Sur L’Eaupainted in 1885 and today preserved in Orsay Museum in Paris. Preserved in the same museum, and dating back to a few years earlier, too La Falaise d’Etretat Après L’orage Of Gustave Coubertanother painter who has chosen cliffs as subjects also for other paintings.
Also Eugène Delacroix And Camille Corot they depicted Etretat in their canvases, which also ended up among the pages of Tales of Arsenio Lupinwritten by Maurice Leblanc. In Arsenio Lupin and the secret of the spire Among the cliffs, in fact, the treasures of the king of France would be hidden that the gentleman thief More famous than ever must find and, to do it without being disturbed, he sticks his death.
The Fingal cave in Scotland
In Hebrid islandsin Scotlandin the Natural reserve of bracketthere is the Marina di Fingal cavea splendor of nature formed by hexagonal basaltic columns. The cave formed about 60 million years ago, when one lava In contact with cold water, it cooled, and then be eroded from the waves for millions of years: the result is the very particular form of the columns through which Dance the windcreating a truly unique acoustic effect. This suggestive place inspired musical and literary works of some of the greatest artists of all time.
Jules Verne set here the final part of THEthe green radius, Montale appoints the cave in his poetry Magenta colored clouds, William Turner he painted it in 1832 in the work Bracket, Fingal’s Cavenow preserved in Yale. But not only: Die hebridenmusical work of Felix Mendelssohntakes its cue from the sounds of the cave, as well as Gest Aus Ossians Fingal Of Brahms. In more recent times, i Pink Floyd they composed an instrumental piece, entitled their own Fingal’s CavAndwhich was to be included in the soundtrack of Michelangelo Antonioni’s film Zabriskie Pointbut that in the end it was not chosen.
Mount Fuji in Japan
High 3,776 metersformed About 100,000 years agoThe Mount Fuji It is a volcano, as well as the highest mountain in Japan. THE’Last eruption dates back to 1707but it is still considered still active, and is in fact constantly monitored: beloved by the premises and tourists, revered as a place of spirituality and pilgrimagesas well as a favorite destination for Naturalistic trips and excursions.
Its grandeur, its snowy peak, the colors of the sky and panoramas made Mount Fuji subject of various artistic worksand, like the famous 36 views of Mount Fujimade by Katsushka Hokusai between 1826 and 1833, including the famous Great wave of Kanagawa. Many other artists have also painted Fuji: you can see a collection of works dedicated to this volcano at this link.
Vesuvius in Naples
Theater of one of the largest natural disasters of antiquitythe disappearance of Pompeii and Herculaneum, the Vesuvius It is richly present in painting and literature: it is the subject of many paintings from Neoclassicism forward, following the discovery of the buried cities, which began in 1738.
Among the artists who depicted Vesuvius, there is also Andy Warhol that with Vesuviusserigraphy made in 1985, wanted to pay homage to the city of Naples.
Of the fascinating volcano then write Goethe in Journey to Italy, Leopardi in the Broom – “Vasevo exterminors” – and also Emily Dickinson I mention it, writing the wonderful verse:
A lava step at a time
I am inclined to climb
A crater I can contemplate
Vesuvius at home.
