ИСТИНА

Landscape as a notion appeared in Russian geography at the very beginning of the 20th century. At its core, landscape theory presents the earth’s surface as composed of landscapes, natural units or cells of highly interrelated natural and human components. The earliest interpretation of notion landscape was scenery, a visually fixed harmony whole of different natural and cultural elements [pejzazh]. Most modern geographers would experience difficulties to understand how scenery could be the subject of natural science. Despite of presenting of landscape and scenery as synonyms there was some nuanced difference between them. The both terms came from art and related to scenery and landscape paintings. The scenery art related to depiction surroundings in its individuality, uniqueness and never collocated with negative adjectives or used in an unfavourable context, while the landscape art depicts most characteristic visual features of a country (“Italian”, “German”, “Alpine” landscapes etc.).