\paperw19995 \margr0\margl0 \plain \fs20 \pard\tx8790\ATXts240\ATXbrdr0 \f1 Since ancient times nature has been perceived as a material, and therefore flawed and incomple
te expression of a higher and perfect ideal, a manifestation of the divine. In the Christian world the model of perfection was represented by the Garden of Eden, or Earthly Paradise, which was depicted by artists as a green and luxuriant place. Art was
often assigned the task of correcting the imperfections of nature, eliminating unsightly details in paintings of landscapes and selecting only the best parts. This evoked ideal landscapes, representations of a beautiful and pure nature in which the artis
ts of the Renaissance set their scenes from the lives of Christ and the Virgin Mary.\par
The landscape was gradually transformed from a mere backdrop to the focal point of the painting, with a consequent reduction in the size of the figures represented
in it.\par
For the most part these figures were shepherds, boatmen, nymphs or fishermen, a population of tiny individuals who inhabited a hospitable and innocuous landscape.\par
\pard\ATXts240\ATXbrdr0 With the emergence of the interest in anci
ent art and the birth of archeology in the eighteenth century, painters began to insert ruined temples, statues from the classical era and other vestiges of the past into their ideal views, turning natural landscapes into archeological gardens that resem
