Landscape painting is one of the oldest yet most adaptable genres in art history. At its core are depictions of nature, cities, architecture, or seascapes—typically without narrative context or human figures. While portraying nature may seem like an obvious artistic choice, it actually took centuries for landscapes to earn a spotlight in the art world. It wasn’t until the 1700s that what had long served merely as background became a subject in its own right, with landscapes moving to the center of artistic focus.
The Origins of Landscape Painting
The history of landscape painting dates back to antiquity. In Greco-Roman wall paintings, we already find scenes with plants, animals, or mountains—though usually stylized and rarely as the central subject. In medieval art, landscapes also remained more decorative than dominant, serving as backdrops for religious or historical scenes in which humans and mythological themes took precedence.
Only during the Renaissance did natural motifs become a recurring element. A few pioneering artists like Albrecht Dürer and Albrecht Altdorfer created works in which the landscape played a more significant role. Still, landscapes as central themes remained rare for the time being.
Landscapes as a Standalone Genre
In the 17th century, landscape painting truly broke through and developed into an independent genre within the visual arts. Painters across Europe began to explore depictions of nature more deeply—whether on panels, walls, or frescoes. Especially in the Netherlands and Italy, a wide variety of styles and motifs flourished. Dutch artists produced countless paintings of wide fields, rivers, coasts, or simple rural scenes. In contrast, Italian painters favored idealized landscapes portrayed in an elevated, romanticized manner. Around this time, even established artists like Peter Paul Rubens and Rembrandt van Rijn began experimenting with landscapes, marking a pivotal stage in their artistic development.
The Spread of Landscape Painting
In the 18th century, as the genre spread further across Europe, Romanticism began to leave a strong mark on landscape motifs. Spiritual and philosophical themes such as longing, reflection, and transience were woven into depictions of nature through imagery like cemeteries, forests, and ruins. Caspar David Friedrich, William Turner, and John Constable were some of the most notable painters of this period. They often experimented with color, light, and realism to evoke strong emotional responses in their work.
In German-speaking regions, a distinctive form of landscape painting emerged during the Biedermeier period. Unlike the symbol-laden Romanticism, Biedermeier painters focused on the familiar, domestic, and idyllic. Artists like Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller and Carl Spitzweg created technically precise, detailed nature scenes often featuring rural settings or local countryside. The landscape became a retreat, a symbol of order and bourgeois comfort.
A major turning point for landscape painting came with Impressionism in the second half of the 19th century. Painters such as Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, and Alfred Sisley left their studios behind and began painting outdoors. Their works captured fleeting impressions rather than static scenes. The focus shifted to atmospheric light and color, turning landscapes into vibrant elements of modern art.
Landscapes of the New World
While Impressionism flourished in Europe, a unique form of landscape painting developed in North America. North of New York, English-born painter Thomas Cole settled and founded the Hudson River School, a group of artists closely aligned with German Romantic painting. Their focus was on the vast, untamed nature of the United States. These artists regularly ventured into the American West, the mountain states, and the Niagara region. Their paintings helped fuel the spirit of exploration and contributed to the growing national park movement and U.S. territorial expansion. With their landscapes, these American painters made their first mark on the international art scene.
Their style was known for its realism and attention to detail, aiming to capture the beauty and grandeur of nature. Artists like Albert Bierstadt and Frederic Edwin Church often viewed nature as divine, portraying the untouched American West as a kind of Eden in the New World.
Landscape as an Expression of Emotion
By the early 20th century, landscape painting began to recede in popularity. Still, Expressionist artists adopted its themes and reinterpreted them in entirely new ways. Groups like Die Brücke and Der Blaue Reiter used bold colors, simplified forms, and expressive brushwork to portray inner emotional states. Nature was increasingly abstracted, and subjective feeling took precedence over visual realism.
From the 1920s onward, artists like Salvador Dalí began incorporating landscapes into Surrealism, where natural scenes were replaced with fantastical and symbolic dreamscapes.
After World War II, abstract expressionists and Pop Art artists had little use for traditional landscape painting. Art styles entered the mainstream in which landscapes played virtually no role.
Famous Landscapes for Your Home
Though its golden era may be behind it, landscape painting remains incredibly popular today. Works by Claude Monet and Caspar David Friedrich are among the best-selling prints in our shop, and exhibitions featuring these artists continue to draw large crowds. If reading this has sparked your interest in landscape art, we encourage you to explore our fine art prints. You might just find the perfect piece to bring a touch of natural beauty into your home!
