1. A Brief History of Landscape Painting
Albert Bierstadt, “Mountain Scene,” 1879

2. Landscape Painting in Ancient Times
-Landscape painting has been around since ancient times
-Greeks/Romans did wall paintings: depicted landscapes/gardenscapes
-This is a Minoan wall painting- what do we see in this landscape painting?
*Minoan = Ancient Greek civilization (Aegean Bronze Age)- Island of Crete

3. Landscape Fades into the Background (Literally)
Masaccio, “The Tribute Money,” fresco painting
-After the fall of the Roman Empire, pure landscape painting gets put on the back burner- for a while, landscapes were only used as background for religious/figural scenes
-However, Landscape played an important role in the discovery of linear perspective: creating the illusion of objects and aspects of the environment receding into the distance.

4. Artistic Shift: The Landscape Begins to Reemerge
-Renaissance: artists begin to focus more on the landscape because of increased interest in the natural world.
-Landscape aids in the perfection of Atmospheric Perspective: creating illusion of depth through fading things that are further away form the viewer.
-Still, pure landscape painting in not the main focus at this time.

5. The Rise of the Landscape
-Early 1500s in the Netherlands: landscape painting becomes very popular.
-”Landscape” derives from the Dutch word landschap- “a picture depicting scenery on land.”
-The emerging Protestant middle class wanted art for their homes: landscape painting met their aesthetic and financial needs.
-Landscapes made at this time mark a shift in who art can be made for- not just wealthy patrons anymore!
(Accessibility)
Jacob van Ruisdeal,
“Landscape With Castle Ruins and Church”

6. Classical Landscape
-1600s: classical landscape painting emerges-looking back to landscapes made during classical antiquity
-Very contrived: everything present in a classical landscape has its place- goal is to create a very balanced and harmonious composition.
-Artists like Poussin worked hard at elevating the status of landscape painting.
Nicolas Poussin,
“Landscape with a Calm,”

7. The Hudson River School
-1850s: a group of New York-based landscape artists under the direction of Thomas Cole.
-These painters were heavily influenced by Romanticism.
(Can you see it? Similarities between Romantic portraits and landscapes)
Thomas Cole
-Work made by these artists embodied the then major themes of expansion in America: emphasis on discovery, exploration, settlement.
-Notion of peaceful coexistence between human beings and nature also being pushed.
Albert Bierstadt

8. Impressionism: Landscape as a Fleeting Moment
-Impressionism: landscapes depicted as they are during fleeting moments
-Plein-air: French for “in the open air”- actively painting outdoors
-Focus on painting very quickly

9. Nature & Emotion: Van Gogh and the Landscape-
-conveys the character & emotion of a space through palette and paint application.
-Wheat Field Landscape Series: exploring life & death cycles in nature.
-For Van Gogh, landscapes are about celebrating nature and the people who positively interact with it.
-Not just about painting a space- these are spaces that have significance to him.
-Critique of industrialism.

10. Think about the reasons one would render a landscape…
What might play a role in deciding what space you will explore in your landscape painting?
On a new page in your sketchbook, write down and answer the following questions for Thursday (4/23):
-What is an outdoor space that you find aesthetically pleasing?
-What is an outdoor space that you find interesting?
-What is an outdoor space that you have a personal connection with?