From its name, landscape painting is focused on portraying natural surroundings including but not limited to valleys, fields, mountains, and all types of bodies of water. The composition of most landscapes has a tendency to appear simple which is why these types of paintings are dismissed as being overly simple. However, it is also this simplicity that is the main attraction of this genre of painting. People who enjoy collecting or painting these works mentioned how these pieces of art can put them into a more relaxed state or positive mood, reminding them of the calming sceneries that are being shown in the paintings.
History
Traditionally, landscapes were only shown in paintings only as a setting or background for works of religious or scenic settings. It was only in the 17th century that landscape painting began to take off in Ancient Greece and scenes showcasing utopic or mythic landscapes were gaining popularity and demand. Other than Ancient Greece, there were also records of the Netherlands having a rich history of painting landscapes. The Dutch artists that popularized this type of painting would commonly have the skies take up about half of the whole canvas to emphasize the gloomy mood. And from this point on, landscape painting only continued to develop and evolve until where it finally is today.
Types
Perhaps the most recognizable kind of landscape painting is representational landscape art. This style focuses on showing a scenery as accurately as possible or in simple words, it emphasizes the use of realism. Abstract landscape art, on the other hand, takes the exact opposite approach and instead looks for a way to try and tell a story and focus on the smaller details of nature. The last type of impressionistic landscape art takes notes from both representational and abstract art by giving a look into how an artist would view a landscape and depending on the artist the result may lean more towards either representational or abstract.
Characteristics
Among all the features of landscape painting, perhaps the most important is the composition of a painting. Without an interesting composition, these paintings will lose their appeal and fall flat. It is important to map out where exactly to put the elements of a landscape. And if the goal is to stay true to the source, then perhaps looking for a better angle would help. With composition, balance is another aspect that needs to be kept in check. Without proper balance, there may be one element of a painting that would overpower everything and lead the rest to look understated.
While not appreciated by all those interested in art, landscape art will always pull inspiration from those who enjoy the subject. Originally, this focus in art was only utilized in backgrounds and never as the focal point, however, there were people who saw the potential and found that they want to bring landscapes or sceneries into the forefront of the canvas. The surroundings that are shown in these paintings bring a relaxing energy to both those who paint these sceneries and enjoy viewing them, reminding them of moments of peace and tranquility.
Photo Attribution:
1st and featured image by https://www.pexels.com/photo/people-walking-on-orange-flower-field-2104759/
2nd image by https://www.pexels.com/photo/unrecognizable-painter-with-easel-against-river-and-autumn-trees-5740258/
