“The ecology of the valley was complex beyond our understanding, and it began to die as we went on manipulating it in ever more frantic ways. As it went dead and empty of the old life it became a place where no one wanted to live. In our right minds we want to seek out places that reek of complexity. Our drive to industrialize soured and undercut the intimacies that drew most people to country life in the first place.” PeopleWayWantMindFirstsCountryWantedDiesUnderstandingLandEmptyComplexesIntimacyComplexityValleysEcologyFranticCountry LifeOld LifeUndercut Author:William Kittredge
“You can be sure that most of the high positions in the country would be empty if one were admitted only after an examination as severe as the one we painters must pass.” IfsCountryWould BePositionAcceptanceEmptyPainterSevereExamination Author:Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin