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In crisis, groups and individuals face economical, environmental, physical or political necessities creating a critical status that ultimately hints towards a loss of something valuable: health, freedom, security, wealth, … . One might say, in a crisis, the outlook is grim. This seminar will focus on the one who is looking – the subject that produces the outlook and that we consider a critical thinker. The critical thinker is a rather new phenomenon, it is strongly tied to a freedom of thought that allegedly allows us to paint and frame our own worldview. We will work with the emergence and variations of landscape from 14th century painting to late 20th century film, with an emphasis on historical turning points such as the French Revolution, the two world wars and the fall of the 'iron curtain' that led to today's world order. Writers, directors and painters will include, among others: Peter Brueghel the Older, Jean Jacques Rousseau, Edgar Allan Poe, John Dos Passos, Peter Weiss, Michel Foucault, Werner Herzog, Wim Wenders.All media and discussions in English.