The debate as to whether art was superior to nature or vice versa was a recurring one. In particular, the interpretation of nature as something raw or pure, sinful or sacred, imperfect or exemplary determined the way in which people encountered it through the means of art.
This ambiguity is particularly evident in the landscape and in the relationship of architecture and garden design to it. Like the landscape, nature is not only a physical reality, but also a cultural construct. It has been used as space and raw material, interpreted, revered, tamed, subjugated or sensitively supplemented. Selected examples from the fine arts, garden design and architecture from different eras are intended to convey an impression of the diversity of these relationships.