Examining the weintraub model for the classification problem of ecological art

This thesis examines the classification challenges of ecological art through Linda Weintraub's integrative model. It emphasizes that key concerns of ecological art include the function of sustainability and the holistic relationship with the Earth. The study evaluates the model's potential to unify fragmented definitions and provide a comprehensive framework for understanding eco-art practices. Artists and movements are analyzed through this lens, highlighting the model's ability to reflect ecological multiplicity and aesthetic diversity without imposing rigid boundaries. In the first chapter, the foundational terms ecology and environment are defined, and the interchangeable use of these terms is addressed by exploring their similarities and differences. Their meanings as scientific disciplines and their influence on ideologies and social developments are also discussed. The second chapter focuses on the leading approaches to defining and classifying ecological art, comparing their similarities and differences. The third chapter explores interwoven art movements since the 1960s and the contributions of pioneering artists. In the fourth, fifth, and sixth chapters, the classification problem of artistic genres related to environment and ecology is analyzed through the model presented in Weintraub's 2012 book To Life!: Eco Art in Pursuit of a Sustainable Planet. This model is based on a deliberately limited selection of artists, respecting diversity in both artistic and ecological terms. It is considered to contribute to the literature by offering a unifying structure at points where ecological artworks share material, practice, and conceptual approaches. The study is based on a literature review method.