The term 'locus amoenus' used in the Medieval (Guillaume de Lorris, Roman de la Rose), in the Renaissance (Giovanni Boccaccio, Decameron) and in Romantic literature as opposed to ‘locus horrendus'. It would be a place of safety and comfort that almost always lies outside the limits of the city. It highlights tranquil and sometimes bucolic landscapes. It also represents a return to 'Paradise Lost' with or without erotic passions.

Unknown-'locus amoenus'-miniature-ca 1225 Oxford-Bodleian Library (Ms Douce 364) (Guillaume de Lorris; Roman de la Rose)
Henri-Jean Guillaume Martin (1860-1943)-'cultivation vines'-oil on panel
Mikhail Nesterov (1862-1942)-'silence'-oil on canvas-1903 Moscow-Tretyakov Gallery
Vasily Polenov (1844-1927)-'old mill'-oil on canvas-1880 Serpukhov-Art Museum of History
Ivan Shishkin (1832-1898)-'gathering mushrooms'-oil on canvas-1870 St Petersburg-Hermitage
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