This week I was looking through past study notes and came across notes, from a lecture about working in isolation, by Stephanie Owens, Art University Plymouth. This was a lecture, in response to being at art school at the start of a pandemic. It was suggested that we might look at artists who were drawn to empty landscapes, Edward Hopper being one such artist. As soon as i saw the painting Cape Ann Granite (1928), I could see the similarities with Lundy, The painting is described by Hatfull,(2020)

‘as showing Granite protrusions and windswept turf interlock in arrested poise, with claw like shadows that reach towards fingers of stratus clouds, as if they might join hands..’

Hatfull, N., (2020). The landscapes of Edward Hopper.

I head out for a walk to sit on the craggy granite cliffs, free from distractions, I see what Hopper saw as an ‘Empty Landscape’. However I consider the term more carefully, ‘Empty landscape’, what does that mean? There are no cars here, no human traffic, no sirens, no building noise, no loud music. However from my seated position, it’s far from empty of nature. Off the side of the cliffs, I can hear a cacophony of calling birds; Gulls, Fullmars, Puffins, Guillemots, Razorbills which according to the Landmark Trust is ‘the largest single island seabird colony in southern England’. I also can hear the heathland birds on the plateau; ‘wheatears and Skylarks. The westerly wind is gusting, noisy as it hits the side of my face, driven straight across from the Atlantic. I decide that empty of noise this landscape is not, it might be nearer to what Robert Macfarlane describes as ‘ emptied rather than empty’. Emptied of human presence.

After reading Hermit (2023) I reflect on the words the author uses (pg 186) to refer to the Island as being a ‘liminal space’. Lundy is somewhere people can experience a sense of escape, transformation, and even creativity. Maybe it’s so called emptiness is what attracts visitors, maybe seeking that stillness and empty landscape, experienced during the pandemic.

Reference:

Birdwatching (no date). [Online]. Available at https://www.landmarktrust.org.uk/lundyisland/discovering-lundy/activities/birdwatching/. [Accessed on 10/07/2023]

Hatfull, N., (2020). The landscapes of Edward Hopper. [Online]. Available at https://www.apollo-magazine.com/edward-hopper-fondation-beyeler-review/. [Accessed on 10/07/2023]

Fitton, J. A., (2023). Hermit: A Memoir of Finding Freedom in a Wild Place. Penguin Random House.

Macfarlane, R., (no date). Walking in unquiet landscapes – Tate Etc. [Online]. Available at https://www.tate.org.uk/tate-etc/issue-36-spring-2016/walking-unquiet-landscapes. [Accessed on 08/07/2023]