Landscapes are the perfect subject for artists. Art gives the viewer the opportunity to see not only the landscapes that famous landscape painters saw but also to see the world through their eyes and their stylistic interpretations of nature. Today we will look at a few examples of famous landscape paintings and the landscape artists who created them.
The Dream (1910) by Henri Rousseau
Henri Rousseau was a self-taught artist who painted in a style similar to that of the Primitivism movement and the Native style. He started painting seriously in his early forties, eventually retiring at the age of 49 to focus on painting full-time. His landscape paintings became a source of inspiration for many future generations of artists in the avant-garde movement.
The Sainte-Victoire mountain seen from the Bibémus quarry (1897) by Paul Cézanne
Paul Cézanne was famous for his Post-Impressionism landscape paintings. During his time at Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, the artist found great inspiration for his famous landscapes. He did not paint realistic landscape paintings but preferred to stylistically portray them through his unique depiction of irregular objects formed by geometric shapes, quite similar to Cubism.
The Starry Night (1889) by Vincent van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh was a post-impressionist Dutch painter. He painted many portraits, still lifes, and landscape paintings during his lifetime. His style helped lay the groundwork for modern art and is instantly recognizable for its dramatic application of color.
The Starry Night was painted in 1889 during van Gogh’s stay at the asylum of Saint Paul, located near Saint-Rémy in the south of France, near Provence. The famous landscape art is said to portray the view from the window of his room, depicted just before sunrise.
Sunlight and Shadow: The Newbury Marshes (c. 1875) by Martin Johnson Heade
Martin Johnson Heade was an American landscape painter born in Lumberville, Pennsylvania in 1819. He produced his first paintings in his early 20s, mostly portraits. But soon he started showing more of an interest in landscape paintings. He depicted swamps in different seasons and climates, how these elements helped to nourish and shape the swamp over time, and how the swamp was used by both animals and humans for fishing and hunting.
View of Toledo (c. 1600) by El Greco
El Greco was born in Crete in 1541 and was most active as an artist in Spain. He was one of the leading and most prominent members of the 15th and 16th-century Spanish Renaissance. Landscape art was not a common practice among artists in the western part of the world. View of Toledo was the first landscape painting of its time to come out of Spain.
