>than a mountain has a claim on an painter who paints it.

Nevertheless, without the mountain there could be no painting of that mountain.

If an ostrich buries it's head in the side of a mountain, that doesn't mean the mountain has transformed enough that we should bother to do away with the concept of mountains. It's still there standing strong, towering over the village people after all these years. The mountain is a significant aspect of the landscape which is meaningful to define, regardless of the ostrich's head being stuck in the side of it.