One of the most prominent distinctions made between humans and animals has always been our inclination to create and appreciate art. Together with this is our fascination with visually recreating the human form. This traces back all the way to our earliest origins, with paintings on cave walls depicting the act of humans hunting for food; our earliest known visual portrayal in artistic fashion. It was also an early sign that the human form in art took centre stage in storytelling, as it continues to do today.
Religious imagery and superstition
Sculptures of the human form have been popular for thousands of years. Experts dated the earliest human representations in sculpture from between 25,000-12,000 years ago, originating in Europe. Carved from stone and ivory, these were known as ‘Venus' figures, and represented the female form. It is thought they had something to do with fertility, at a time when superstition was more commonplace among a primitive species with none of the modern benefits of healthcare.
Nature in Art
Why nature has always appeared in art
Nature has influenced art for thousands of years. Long before galleries, photography or modern design, people were drawing plants, landscapes, animals and natural forms onto walls, pottery and carved surfaces. Natural environments shaped how people lived, travelled and survived, so it is hardly surprising that they also became central to visual expression.
Across different periods of history, artists have used nature in very different ways. Some focused on beauty and harmony, while others explored danger, isolation, weather or decay. Landscapes have often reflected changing attitudes towards society itself.
In Britain, natural scenery became especially important during periods when industrialisation transformed towns and cities. Painters and photographers frequently turned towards rivers, forests, coastlines and open countryside as a contrast to rapid urban growth.
Today, nature still appears throughout modern visual culture, but often in more complicated ways. Contemporary artists and photographers may focus on environmental change, neglected urban spaces, overgrowth, flooding or the relationship between nature and architecture.
The visual appeal of overgrown spaces
One area that increasingly attracts photographers and visual artists is urban overgrowth. Abandoned buildings, railway lines, empty industrial sites and neglected gardens often develop striking combinations of man-made structure and uncontrolled vegetation.
There is something visually powerful about nature slowly reclaiming spaces built by people. Cracked concrete, rusting fences and weathered brickwork can create strong contrasts against dense green growth.
This type of imagery appears regularly in documentary photography, architectural studies and environmental art projects. Some artists see these spaces as symbols of change, decline or renewal, while others are simply drawn to their texture, atmosphere and unpredictability.
In many parts of Britain, certain plants have become strongly associated with these transitional landscapes. Dense invasive species such as Japanese knotweed are now commonly seen along railway embankments, riversides and redevelopment sites, where they often become part of the visual identity of the environment itself.
The tall bamboo-like stems and thick summer growth of knotweed can dramatically alter how a space looks and feels. For photographers in particular, these dense green walls often create unusual patterns, shadows and textures within urban landscapes.
Plants, texture and human form
Artists have long been interested in the similarities between natural forms and the human body. Leaves, roots, branches and flowers often mirror patterns found in muscles, veins and movement.
Many sculptors and figurative artists study organic structure closely because natural forms rarely appear rigid or artificial. Curved lines, asymmetry and irregular surfaces tend to feel more human and emotionally engaging than perfectly mechanical shapes.
This connection between people and nature appears throughout painting, sculpture, fashion photography and design. Even modern architecture increasingly incorporates natural textures, planting and organic visual elements to soften urban environments.
In photography, vegetation is often used to frame or partially conceal the human form. Overgrowth can create a sense of mystery, isolation or rediscovery. A figure standing within dense natural surroundings immediately changes the emotional atmosphere of an image.
For this reason, artists frequently use neglected landscapes and overgrown locations as settings for portrait work and conceptual photography.
Nature as a record of change
Nature in art is not always about beauty. Sometimes it reflects instability, neglect or environmental pressure.
Modern photographers increasingly document changing landscapes across Britain, including coastal erosion, industrial decline, flooding and vegetation spreading across unused land. These images often capture the tension between human control and natural processes.
Plants can reveal how places evolve over time. Areas left untouched for years begin to change character completely. Former industrial sites may become covered in grasses, shrubs and invasive species, gradually softening hard edges created by construction.
Because of this, nature often becomes part of the historical story of a place rather than just a decorative backdrop.
Even invasive plants can carry visual significance within documentary work. Their presence may suggest abandonment, changing land use or failed redevelopment. In some urban photography projects, dense vegetation almost becomes a character within the image itself.
Why natural imagery still matters today
Despite technological change, people continue to respond strongly to natural imagery. Landscapes, plants and weather still shape mood and atmosphere in ways that purely artificial environments often cannot.
Part of this may come from familiarity. Natural forms are deeply connected to human experience, even for people living in heavily urbanised areas. Trees, rivers, changing seasons and vegetation remain part of daily life.
Nature also introduces unpredictability into visual art. Plants do not grow in perfectly controlled ways. Weather alters colours, textures and lighting constantly. This variation often gives natural imagery a sense of authenticity that highly controlled environments sometimes lack.
Many modern artists deliberately seek imperfect or transitional spaces because they feel more emotionally real. Overgrown landscapes, weathered surfaces and unmanaged vegetation can communicate atmosphere more effectively than polished settings.
The continuing relationship between art and environment
Nature continues to influence art because the relationship between people and environment is constantly changing. Cities expand, industries disappear, landscapes evolve and vegetation reshapes neglected spaces.
Artists and photographers often respond to these changes instinctively. Sometimes the attraction is visual, sometimes emotional, and sometimes historical. Natural environments carry traces of time, movement and human activity in ways that few other subjects can.
From classical landscape painting to modern urban photography, nature remains one of the most adaptable and meaningful subjects in visual culture. Whether appearing as beauty, disorder, decay or renewal, it continues to shape how people interpret the world around them.
Many sculptures produced 5000+ years ago were based around spirituality. They represented deities or important people thought to be divine, not too dissimilar to how we view those portrayed in art today as 'heroic' in nature. Sculptures of famous or divine figures have continued to be popular in modern times regardless.
The human form was also prominent in votive offerings given to gods as gifts, thought to gain divine favour. Art of this kind was considered especially valuable due to the care that went into creating it.
With the emergence of Ancient Egypt, the human form featured more prominently in non-spiritual contexts. Spiritual expressions in art nonetheless endured in popularity, though the Egyptian gods had less human features.
Reflecting society and stereotypes
The human form in art has been a clear focal point in our knowledge of the contextual workings of historical societies. Depictions of the human form tell us something about culture in their physical and stylistic representations, even if this is reinforced by biased attitudes.
This is clear from classical Europe when the human form in non-European art was considered primitive and barbaric, not by those who produced it, but by those who gave their own judgement involving certain stereotypes that were in part a side product of grouping those depictions together.
In modern times we've come to gain an appreciation of artistic expression that doesn't necessarily represent personal values. We acknowledge the many forms that humanity takes in other cultures without letting opinions be dictated by stereotypes, even if the human form in art helped create those stereotypes.
Cultural influences on modern forms of expression
Some cultures have represented human figures in object form. These could range in several styles and methods depending on the originating culture. Such figurative art could be carved from natural materials (such as stone, wood, bones, among many others) or produced on rock faces by painting with materials such as charcoal. We see the cultural influence of this today through action figures based on heroic depictions in visual art form and, among the most famous depictions of the human form in art, the carved depictions of four US Presidents on the south-eastern face of Mount Rushmore.
It's crucial to bear in mind that people of every culture are always striving for something unique. This has given rise to the many styles we've seen throughout history. Certain styles may appear unrealistic and therefore lacking quality, but these were common to their culture, whereas classical European and Western art tends to place more value on photo-realism.
Humans are an especially creative species. As such, though the human form has featured prominently in art throughout our history, it is constantly taking on new twists in style. It can have many purposes ranging from religious depictions, sacred offerings, storytelling, or purely decorative.
Modern Western style has evolved to encompass tattoos, piercings, jewellery and other forms of body modification that reflect unique ways of portraying the human form. This practice has been commonplace in other cultures historically but were then more ritualistic and less concerned with beauty. Though these are often permanent adjustments, it shows the extent to which we are willing to go for artistic expression.