In art history, the pastoral has long offered a vision of nature as sanctuary—Arcadian meadows, idyllic countrysides, and timeless landscapes painted as if untouched by human conflict or change. It is ...

Call it the age of the para-pastoral. At a time when popular culture is steeped in romanticized visions of a rural past—from the rise of cottagecore and “tradwife” influencers to obsessions with ...