History of Landscape Art

Landscape art usually illustrates scenery and panoramas such as valleys, mountains, forests and rivers. Most landscape compositions include the sky and the weather but occasionally distant views of wildlife may also appear alongside landmasses and waterways. Landscape art is popular and respected today, but it wasn't always so. Traditionally, this form of artistry occupied a low status, especially compared to portraiture which was popular among the wealthy.

Origins

The origin of landscape art dates back to the Greeks and Romans who painted scenery or gardenscapes on their walls. This tradition of scenic landscapes fell into decline after the fall of the Roman Empire and remained so until the 16th century. During that time, artists came to consider the landscape as its own subject. Historians believe this shift was facilitated by the Renaissance, which rekindled interest in natural surroundings.

16th Century

The term "landscape" derives from the Dutch word "landschap" which meant "region, tract of land." The artistic meaning of the word came about in the early 1500s and is usually defined as,"the art of depicting inland scenery." The Netherlands was among the first locations where landscape art was popularized.

17th Century

Despite the growth of landscape art that occurred in the 1500s, classical landscape painting didn't hit its stride until the 17th century. It was during this period that Dutch, Flemish and French artists like Rembrandt, Rubens, Jacob Van Ruisdael and Nicolas Poussin emerged onto the scene. Poussin in particular worked to raise the status of landscape painting based on his beliefs that scenic views could convey strong emotion as well as other forms of art.

18th Century

Landscape art of the 18th century continued to evolve. Italian vistas inspired many scenic works as the centers for landscape painting migrated to England and France. Pierre-Henri de Valenciennes emerged in the late 1700s and changed the way the world viewed scenic art. He published a book in 1800 titled, "Eléments de Perspective Practique" that emphasized the study of real nature in order to create "historic landscape" scenes.

19th Century

The industrial revolution changed the face of rural scenery and artists incorporated this into their works. A move away from classical landscapes began to occur in Europe based on the teachings of the "Barbizon School" of France where it was believed that nature itself, not dramatic scenes, were the real subjects of landscape art.

Modern Landscapes

Among the major developments of the 19th century are "plein-air" (in the open air) painting, the realism movement that was introduced by Gustav Courbet and the impressionist works of such artists as Claude Monet and Camille Pissaro. These developments cleared the way for new directions in the landscape art of the 20th and 21st centuries, such as photography and urban landscape depictions.