Landscape Paintings Techniques
Landscape paintings refer to the depiction of natural scenery, such as bodies of water, mountains, forests, and valleys. The sky is usually a main element, and weather often plays a key role in the overall total composition. A landscape painting can be created entirely from an artist’s imagination, or can be copied directly from nature. A landscapist can evoke mood with light and shadow, or they can carefully organize the details in a composition to create a sense of balance or disruption. Details, such as the placement of trees, people, or even clouds, can affect the overall mood of the composition. For instance, the Romantics would alter nature’s appearance in order to evoke a different emotional reaction from a viewer. “En plein air” is a French expression which means, “in the open air,” and refers to the act of painting out of doors. In the mid- 19th century, working outside in natural light became very important to the Barbizon School and Impressionist artists. This was made possible by the introduction of paint in tubes in the 1870’s, which allowed artists to more easily bring their painting supplies out of the studio. Before the use of paint tubes, artists had to make their own paints by grinding and mixing dry pigment powders with linseed oil.
Landscape paintings refer to the depiction of natural scenery, such as bodies of water, mountains, forests, and valleys. The sky is usually a main element, and weather often plays a key role in the overall total composition. A landscape painting can be created entirely from an artist’s imagination, or can be copied directly from nature. A landscapist can evoke mood with light and shadow, or they can carefully organize the details in a composition to create a sense of balance or disruption. Details, such as the placement of trees, people, or even clouds, can affect the overall mood of the composition. For instance, the Romantics would alter nature’s appearance in order to evoke a different emotional reaction from a viewer. “En plein air” is a French expression which means, “in the open air,” and refers to the act of painting out of doors. In the mid- 19th century, working outside in natural light became very important to the Barbizon School and Impressionist artists. This was made possible by the introduction of paint in tubes in the 1870’s, which allowed artists to more easily bring their painting supplies out of the studio. Before the use of paint tubes, artists had to make their own paints by grinding and mixing dry pigment powders with linseed oil.