An interesting painting can brighten up any drab-looking room and get your guests talking. If you want to be able to look at a painting and be spirited away to another place and time as well, you can't go wrong with paintings of landscapes, whether these are of familiar or exotic places. Through the ages, famous landscape painters have managed to inspire dreams of faraway places with their work.
A landscape painting usually shows a scene from afar, so that you have a wide view rather than the close-up view of a portrait. Most of these paintings have nature as their subject matter, whether it's wild and rugged mountains or agricultural fields. Houses, animals and human activities may be included too. One element that is present in most cases is the sky.
Landscapes have been inspiring artists since the earliest times. Early murals often depict scenes of people hunting in the wild, with mountains and rivers in the background. The ancient Romans often painted imaginary places that represented their idea of paradise. The Chinese did the same and often still do.
In Europe, the Middle Ages saw a decline in paintings of landscapes as artists focused on scenes with a religious theme instead. The genre became more popular from the 14th century and during the Renaissance. By the 17th century, when the art world was dominated by Dutch and Flemish painters, landscapes were so popular that some artists, including Esaias van de Velde, Jacob van Ruisdael, Jan van Goyen, Aelbert Cuyp and Pieter de Molyn specialized in the subject. At around the same time Dutch artists like Anthony van Dyck went to work in England and inspired the art scene there too. Soon English artists like Samuel Palmer, John Constable and JMW Turner were among their country's foremost painters of landscapes.
The exploration and colonization of the New World brought with it a treasure trove of new landscapes to paint. For example, in 1825, Thomas Cole traveled up the Hudson River, painted the Catskills and became the founder of the Hudson River School. Other artists in this group were Asher Durand, Frederic Edwin Church, Albert Bierstadt and John Frederick Kensett.
Not all famous landscapes were painted by artists specializing in the genre. 'View of Arco', for instance, is a watercolor done by Albrecht Durer, best known for his religious paintings and engravings. Vincent van Gogh's dreamy 'The Starry Night' and broody 'Wheatfield with Crows' were very different from the portraits and still lives he usually tended to paint. Georgia O'Keeffe's New Mexico scenes are among her best work.
The best place to try and find landscapes by big-name artists is to attend art auctions. Some galleries may also have a few of these paintings for sale. Unfortunately you need about a million dollars or more if you want to own one of these pieces.
A more economical option is to go for prints of works by famous landscape painters. You can get these online or from some art galleries. You may also visit art museums where the artists' works are displayed, since these museums usually have shops that sell poster-sized prints that you can buy as travel souvenirs, have framed once you get home and then display as a reminder of your journey.
A landscape painting usually shows a scene from afar, so that you have a wide view rather than the close-up view of a portrait. Most of these paintings have nature as their subject matter, whether it's wild and rugged mountains or agricultural fields. Houses, animals and human activities may be included too. One element that is present in most cases is the sky.
Landscapes have been inspiring artists since the earliest times. Early murals often depict scenes of people hunting in the wild, with mountains and rivers in the background. The ancient Romans often painted imaginary places that represented their idea of paradise. The Chinese did the same and often still do.
In Europe, the Middle Ages saw a decline in paintings of landscapes as artists focused on scenes with a religious theme instead. The genre became more popular from the 14th century and during the Renaissance. By the 17th century, when the art world was dominated by Dutch and Flemish painters, landscapes were so popular that some artists, including Esaias van de Velde, Jacob van Ruisdael, Jan van Goyen, Aelbert Cuyp and Pieter de Molyn specialized in the subject. At around the same time Dutch artists like Anthony van Dyck went to work in England and inspired the art scene there too. Soon English artists like Samuel Palmer, John Constable and JMW Turner were among their country's foremost painters of landscapes.
The exploration and colonization of the New World brought with it a treasure trove of new landscapes to paint. For example, in 1825, Thomas Cole traveled up the Hudson River, painted the Catskills and became the founder of the Hudson River School. Other artists in this group were Asher Durand, Frederic Edwin Church, Albert Bierstadt and John Frederick Kensett.
Not all famous landscapes were painted by artists specializing in the genre. 'View of Arco', for instance, is a watercolor done by Albrecht Durer, best known for his religious paintings and engravings. Vincent van Gogh's dreamy 'The Starry Night' and broody 'Wheatfield with Crows' were very different from the portraits and still lives he usually tended to paint. Georgia O'Keeffe's New Mexico scenes are among her best work.
The best place to try and find landscapes by big-name artists is to attend art auctions. Some galleries may also have a few of these paintings for sale. Unfortunately you need about a million dollars or more if you want to own one of these pieces.
A more economical option is to go for prints of works by famous landscape painters. You can get these online or from some art galleries. You may also visit art museums where the artists' works are displayed, since these museums usually have shops that sell poster-sized prints that you can buy as travel souvenirs, have framed once you get home and then display as a reminder of your journey.
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