The Emergence and development of landscape painting - Article Example

The Emergence and development of landscape painting Introduction Landscape painting is a contemporary aspect of art that refers to the depiction of landscapes through strategic paintings. Also known as landscape art, the landscape painting of painting strives to portray wide view through the presentation of features of natural scenery such as rivers, forests, mountains and valleys among many others (Silver, 2012). Just as is the case with many other types of paintings, landscape painting requires both a coherent and a realistic representation of the features in the frame of the painting. Landscape painting just as the name suggests is the representation of the features of natural scenery. As such, a painter must capture the actual features of the scenery ensuring the use of appropriate colors among other elements of the art. The art has grown progressively to become a fundamental aspect of nearly every form of painting, landscape painting often form appropriate backgrounds for numerous paintings. Landscape painting has been an integral aspect of panting among other types of art for numerous years. However, the first actual landscape paintings were the frescos developed in Greece around the 1500BCE. Such were a series of paintings that had no human depiction. Besides the frescos, numerous other paintings at the time had depicted natural scenery owing to the importance of nature. Painters captured hunting scenes provided a detailed representation of the natural scenery thus giving rise to landscape painting. Landscape painting thus changed throughout the history of art. During such periods as the medieval, the renascence and earlier centuries, numerous artists contributed to the development of the landscape maintaining by adding new twists thus contributing to the development of the contemporary landscape painting. During the medieval times, landscape painting remained a reserve as backgrounds in other paintings. Most painters at the time depicted natural scenery only as part of other paintings. As explained earlier, natural scenery forms appropriate backgrounds for painters. As such, medieval painters used their rudimentary tools in representing their societies through painting. The painters however captured the natural scenery only as part of other forms of paintings. In the 14th century for example, Giotto di Bondone portrayed intense interests in nature often capturing features of natural scenery as background for his paintings (Clark , 1991). The school of thought spread rapidly throughout Europe as his followers picked up the trend thus creating appropriate backgrounds for their paintings. This enhanced the spread of the use of natural scenery as backgrounds in other painting, a feature that contributed to the development of landscape painting as a genre in paintings. In the 15th century, landscape painting became a recognized genre in Europe. The spread of religious themes facilitated the need for paintings of natural sceneries. Such series as the labors of the month facilitated the spread of landscape painting throughout Europe owing to the importance of art in religion. Painters at the time captured iconic features of natural scenery thus enhancing the growth of the genre. This formed an appropriate basis for the renaissance painters who would later foster the growth of the genre of painting. The painting above is The Harvesters, painted in 1565 by Pieter Brueghel the Elder. Such were the trend in the early medieval times when painters often captured luxury scenery of nature only to form backgrounds for the action packed paintings thus placing their artifacts in appropriate contexts (Sickman & Soper, 1971). Despite the fact that the painting strives to communicate the position of agriculture in the society thus representing the farmers, the painter provides large ratios of the painting to the features of natural scenery. Nature extends from the background to the foreground thus foreshadowing the farmers who communicate the central message in the painting. This for example portrays the importance of natural scenery in paintings at the time thus contributing to the development of landscape painting as a genre in painting by the end of the 15th century. Reitlinger, (1961) explains that landscape painting as a genre of painting developed prominently during the renaissance period. Artists became increasingly skillful and artistic thus fostering the growth of landscape painting as different painters tried different styles in the representation of the natural scenery. Such painters as Leonardo Da Vinci and Fra Bartolomeo among many others at the time fostered the growth of the genre as they tried various ways of capturing nature. The painters began capturing various elements of nature including climatic conditions among others in their paintings. This exhibited the diversity in the genre of painting a feature that led to the contributed of arts as the iconic painters and their followers upheld landscape painting in their successive works. Painted in 1630 by Jan van Goyen, Dune landscape above is a portrayal of the growth of landscape painting as a genre of painting during the renaissance period. In the background, middle ground and foreground of the painting, the painter captures the various features of natural scenery. Such is a typical example of a landscape painting in which the painter does not capture any other feature besides those of natural scenery. Another equally important feature the art that developed at the time was publication. The publication of paintings was a fundamental invention that enhanced the growth of art as the works of various artists spread throughout the world thus facilitating the spread of the genre of painting. The small landscapes were among the most widely distributed publications at the time (Jackson, 2008). Developed by an anonymous painter in Antwerp, the paintings portrayed the extent of publications thus fostering the growth of the genre of painting besides fostering the growth of painting as an art. The growth of publication in the century thus formed an appropriate basis for the growth of painting into successive centuries. As knowledge grows so did the art of painting and the science of publication. The two enhanced the spread of art as a cultural feature. Landscape paintings became an integral aspect of art that distinguished the East from the West as painters in the two regions captured different features of natural scenery prevalent in the regions. Such features as snows became characteristic of the west. Furthermore, painters in both regions represented such natural calamities as tornadoes, earthquakes and storms among many others thus portraying the indiscriminate nature of natural calamities in both regions. The 17th and 18th century saw the growth of both landscape painting and publishing. This epitomized the growth of the art as the works of different artists from different regions globally received international recognition a feature that enhanced the growth of the art. Painters traveled to different parts of the world to capture unique natural scenery thus fostering the growh of the art globally. Frans Post for example is an iconic painter of the period who travelled to Brazil thus developing a series of paintings in which he captures the different features of the iconic landscape. Publishing implied that painters could gain financial benefits from their works as they sold and displayed their works in different galleries throughout the world (Andrews, 1999). Publishing was therefore fundamental technological feature of the century that fostered the growth of landscape painting as a genre in painting that fostered the growth of the art. In retrospect, landscape painting has grown progressively to become an essential aspect of arts in the contemporary society. The genre that refers to the representation of natural scenery is a currently a large aspect of painting as artists from various parts of the world portray their professionalism in representing features of natural scenery. Contemporary galleries display numerous works in the landscape genre. Contemporary painters continue to portray the natural scenery both as parts of other paintings forming backgrounds in such paintings and as pure genres in which the painters capture the various features of nature. References Andrews, M. (1999). Landscape and western art. London: Oxford university press. Clark , K. (1991). Landscape into art. New York: John Murray. Jackson, J. B. (2008). "The Word Itself", in The Cultural Geography Reader, Eds. New York: Tim Oakes, Patricia Lynn Price, Routledge. Reitlinger, G. (1961). The Economics of Taste, Vol I: The Rise and Fall of Picture Prices 1760 1960. London: Barrie and Rockliffe. Sickman, L. & Soper, A. (1971). "The Art and Architecture of China", Pelican History of Art, 3rd ed 1971. Yale: Penguin. Silver, L. (2012). Peasant Scenes and Landscapes: The Rise of Pictorial Genres in the Antwerp Art Market.New York: University of Pennsylvania Press. Read More