“All art is an imitation of nature.”

3. Essay Prompt:

Consider carefully the following quotation. Then read the assignment below it and plan and write your essay as directed.

“All art is an imitation of nature.”

—Seneca, Roman philosopher, c. 4 B.C.–A.D. 65

Assignment: Do you agree with this statement? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your position on this issue. Support your point of view with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.

Nature consists of the most beautiful creatures and scenery. We see many artists try to capture what they see in the form of sculptures, paintings, drawings, and film, as well as other various forms of media. To say that all art is an imitation of nature, though, is a mistake. Artists create as a means to express themselves. Nature sometimes inspires artistic creation, but artists do not imitate nature. There are similarities between nature and art because artists also tend to copy what they see is perfection. Also, besides nature, there are other influences of inspiration to artists, such as the events in their lives.

When you go to a museum, you can see many renderings of landscape sceneries, plants, animals, and people.

Also, when you are just learning a new task, or just starting a new job, you will require training. Who trains you? It is someone with the expertise and the knowledge. In life, there are always those people you meet that are successful in your eyes. They know more, have more experience than you. They are the greatest people to learn from. In art that applies as well. Artists imitate better artists to get to where they want to me. Mother Nature is the greatest artist of all. The world is filled with her sculptures and creations. For an artist trying to improve his work, She is the best teacher, the greatest artist to imitate. Each flower, each animal, is so unique and detailed.

Being surrounded in Mother Nature, away from the people and the city, can also have an effect on people. It can change people. In the city, it has been proven that people are less prone to obesity because they walk more and have busier lives than people who live in the country. The studies that have been done to prove this reveal the different lifestyles of different parts of the country. An artist who lives in the city, taking a vacation in the countryside, will change. That change will affect the artist's work as well.

Artists create as a means of self expression. The mediums and materials they use are all ways of expressing thought and emotion. All art is not an imitation of nature. Nature is just one form of inspiration. Artists are also inspired by their environment and events that affect their lives. Look at Salvador Dali's work. There are things in his paintings that cannot be seen in nature. It is from his imagination that those paintings were created.