LANDSCAPE:
Definition:
In fine art, the term ‘landscape’ – from the Dutch word ‘landschap’, a patch of ground – describes any painting or drawing whose “principal subject” is the portrayal of a scenic view. Such scenery encompasses meadows, hills, mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, forests, coastal views and seascapes. The view depicted may be that of a real place, or it may be an imaginary or idealized scene.
Courtesy of: http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/genres/landscape-painting.htm
Although landscape painting was established in Chinese art by the 4th Century it wouldn’t actually become a major influence in The West until the 16th Century and the emergence of The Renaissance. It was Albrecht Altdorfer’s ‘Landscape with Footbridge’, that was considered to be the first ‘pure’ landscape. Even then it was not considered to be that influential as it was only ranked 4th of the 5 genres in the hierarchy of painting as set out by Andre Felibien, the secretary to the French Academy in 1669.
Albrecht Altdorfer – Landscape with Footbridge (1518-20)
Courtesy of: http://nevsepic.com.ua/ [Accessed 16 April 2015]
Considered by many to be the first ‘pure’ landscape painting.
It would be the rise of the Dutch & Flemish schools of art in the 17th Century that would finally see landscape painting emerge as a genre of note. Aelbert Cuyp became renowned for his riverscapes and scenic views with placid livestock. Whilst Jacob van Ruisdael is regarded as one of the most influential landscape painters of his time. Who, along with his uncle Saloman van Ruysdael and Meindert Hobbema became the biggest influences on the English School of landscape painting. By the mid 18th Century England had produced the first of its major landscape painters with the arrival of Richard Wilson, Thomas Gainsborough and Thomas Girtin. They would be followed by two of the greatest landscape painters that ever lived: John Constable and Joseph Turner…
Joeseph Turner – Fighting Temeraire (1838)
Courtesy of: http://www.alloilpaint.com/turner/ [Accessed 20 April 2015]
Joeseph Turner – Chichester Canal (1828)
Courtesy of: http://www.alloilpaint.com/turner/ [Accessed 20 April 2015]
John Constable – Flatford Mill (1817)
Courtesy of: www.canvasreplicas.com [Accessed 20 April 2015]
Three classic paintings from two of the most prominent artists England has ever produced. I feel they show the eloquence that elevated landscape painting to a new level.
Landscape painting has continued up to the modern era. It may have been redefined and changed through various art movements including Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Fauvism, Cubism and Surrealism, but it still remains a genre that has stood the test of time. Paul Nash, Graham Sutherland and David Hockney have all continued the tradition of outstanding English landscape artists…
Rolling hills covered in long blades of green grass that bend with the wind stretch out beyond the horizon, a river eases itself between them and empties into a small lake… Words provide a description, but a great landscape photograph brings the image to life with all the energy, vibrancy and awe of being there. Landscapes have captivated and fascinated artists and photographers for centuries and now, and thanks to the relative affordability and portability of digital photography, just about anyone can capture nature’s beauty and create a masterpiece. The 1800s also saw the early days of photography as art. Though the technology of photography had been around for some time, camera prototypes were only just becoming portable enough to take on trips. As individuals started exploring the world for themselves, glimpsing for the first time sights they had only read about, they documented their travels. Though early landscape photography imitated the look and feel of landscape paintings, innovators in the medium such as Peter Henry Emerson began encouraging photographers in the late 19th Century to think of their craft as a distinguished art in its own right.(Courtesy of: http://www.pixel77.com/)
In November 1932 eleven photographers announced themselves as Group f/64, after the smallest aperture that was available at the time in large format view cameras. It signalled the group’s conviction that photographs should celebrate rather than disguise the medium’s unrivalled capacity to present the world “as it is.” Amongst these 11 was Ansel Adams a man who would go on to produce some of the most iconic black and white landscape photographs of the USA. Another photographer who became renowned for his black and white landscapes was German born Bill Brandt, who would would become famous for his dynamic, intense and powerful images. He was regarded as one of the most influential British photographers of the 20th Century. Below are a selection of photographs that I think are superb examples of their work:
Ansel Adams – Boulder Dam 1941, Looking across river to dam.
Courtesy of: http://www.archives.gov/research/ansel-adams/ [Accessed 20 April 2015]
Ansel Adams – Yellowstone Lake, Mount Sheridan.
Courtesy of: http://www.archives.gov/research/ansel-adams/ [Accessed 20 April 2015]
Ansel Adams – Grand Canyon with ravine winding through centre, high horizon.
Courtesy of: http://www.archives.gov/research/ansel-adams/ [Accessed 20 April 2015]
Bill Brandt – Nudes.
Courtesy of: imgfave.com [Accessed 20 April 2015]
Bill Brandt – Grand Union Canal, Paddington.
Courtesy of: www.beetlesandhuxley.com [Accessed 20 April 2015]
Bill Brandt – Rainswept Roofs.
Courtesy of: www.beetlesandhuxley.com [Accessed 20 April 2015]
The next two are courtesy of another famous landscape photographer Joel Sternfeld. The reason I’ve picked these are because of the desolation they show…
Courtesy of: http://everyday-i-show.livejournal.com/ [Accessed 20 April 2015]
My final offerings are of my own photographs of landscapes, I hope you think they are appropriate…
London Skyline – Gherkin & Shard.
St. Michael’s Mount Garden.
Brizzle from the Bridge.
Photo-Media, Year 2 - Term 2!!! 