| A landscape
painting, as the name suggests is a painting of some
part of an extensive area of land. It can be a
painting of mountains or a desert or a forest. What
is essential to have a painting fit the genre of
landscape paintings is that it must include the
natural elements like land, water, animals, and
other elements of nature. The very word landscape is
in fact derived from the word ‘Landschap’ from Dutch
vocabulary, which means land.
When you think
about landscape art, whether it is watercolor or oil
painting, landscape art refers to the use of
landforms in the art form, whatever the media. In
modern times, one can also use ‘landscape
architecture’ which would include elements like
planning and design and for example would include
the scene from a public garden or park.
The history of
landscape art can be traced back to the time of the
Romans and the first century. In that era, paintings
of Roman landscapes were used in decorative and
applied art forms to beautify the interiors of Roman
rooms and halls. Such creations were visible in the
ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum and have hence
served as evidence of the existence of this art form
in that era. It was only around the fifteenth
century, that this form of art gained popularity in
Europe. And still, landscape art, in that era in
Europe had a comparatively limited use and was
mostly only a medium of depicting scenes from
mythological and religious stories. Closer towards
the nineteenth century, landscape art had begun to
be more understood and appreciated in Europe.
It was then that
four main elements were believed to be the essence
of any landscape artwork, irrespective of whether it
falls into the category of tropical landscape
paintings, winter landscape paintings, impressionist
landscape paintings, contemporary landscape painting
or any other genre of the art. The quality and
expertise of an artist in respect of a landscape
painting, it was then defined, depends on the use of
descriptive symbols, the use of the elements of
nature and the details thereof and the deeper
message or depiction in the painting. The latter
refers to the artist’s intent and ability to convey
the beliefs of the time in his or her painting.
As with all fine
art, a landscape oil painting usually tells the
story of the time. For instance, ancient, famous
landscape paintings that hailed from Canada often
depicted the scenes of European travelers and their
battle against harsh weather and stormy seas.
A landscape in oil
painting can be created by using several effects as
well. Aside from symbolism and story-telling,
landscape art is still art and therefore demands the
use of textures and variations of styles to create
variety and uniqueness. Hence, artists have
experimented with various forms of landscape art,
especially with oil colors as oil paints lends
themselves to various techniques. The artist would
therefore employ different brushstrokes and methods
using oil-based colors on canvas or even on paper.
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