Espana

Petrarch is usually credited with the origin of the modern aesthetic conscience of the landscape; in his climb up Mount Ventoux, he felt for the first time the emotion which emanates from contemplation of nature. Landscape as a genre, however, was not considered until the 17th century, and it is only at the end of the 18th century that pieces of nature represented in paintings became independent of the human figure.The discovery of far-flung places offering a dramatic contrast to things familiar led to the desire to make permanent record of these exotic places. Resulting from this, the testimony and artistic activities of the 18th- and 19th-century travellers made a notable contribution to the aesthetic appreciation of the landscape.Spain formed an important part of these first tourist circuits. Many writers, painters and photographers were fascinated by its impressive geography and its cultural richness. The special atmosphere emanating from the contrast of the austere landscape and the picturesque towns and villages created an almost mythical image in the minds of the English, French and German visitors which is still influencing our view of this country.In this work: Hans Meyer-Veden offers a wide range of images that establish a dialogue with the essence of the country. Drawn in by the sheer force of its ambience, Meyer-Veden introduces us to a Spain which is simultaneously identified by its history and its geographical nature. His photography pays no heed to change or the ephemeral but chooses rather to focus on the permanent, on the pathos of the surface and the drama of light and shadow. Hans Meyer-Veden, a traveller in Spain at the end of this millennium, delves deeply into the identity of the country with the conviction that the selective phenomenology of space is an indispensable tool in tracing the metaphysics of place.