Landscape Painting:

Let's say you have an idle moment. And you just happen to have some paints available in front of you on your table. So, you take some light blue color, a little misty dark green, and possibly a bit of light and bright yellow-green. Then you decide to align these three hues in horizontal strips on a flat surface--a piece of paper, say, or a plain piece of cloth, or perhaps an unused wall space. What have you got now? A landscape painting, of course, minimalist for sure but including landmark essentials!

Works of art described as landscapes can be just that simple. Throw in a few trees, maybe a rocky crag, or something watery like a river, lake or seashore, and you have created a traditional genre piece. It could even be very beautiful, or inspirational, even dramatic or poetic, and all at the same time! It could speak to you on a deeply emotional level or elicit a nostalgic mood. Or it may leave you unimpressed; and, in that case, you may want to throw your latest table-top experiment out, or consider taking art lessons, or even forgo the art experience altogether.

Happy or unhappy experiences in arts and crafts classes notwithstanding, most educated people have some knowledge of landscape painting. Some will have heard of Claude Monet, the French impressionist painter known for colorful and seemingly spontaneous treatments of garden views, like lily ponds and bridges over small rills amid glittering foliage. His large- and small-scale works are avidly sought out by collectors, while many fine examples reside in museums in Europe and the U.S. He often worked outdoors, en plein air as the phrase goes, thus enabling close observation of changing light and its resultant fascinating effect on everything, from blades of grass to droplets of water to flowering water lilies. His earlier works included views of Venice, seascapes, and images of haystacks and poppy fields.

Another relatively well-known painter, the American Winslow Homer, favored weather-inflected scenes completed in oils or watercolors. From tropical vistas in Bermuda to the stormy Maine seacoast and to scenes of hunting, fishing, and children playing, this artist's rich and high-contrast palette produced memorable works of art including many fantastic landscapes. The National Gallery in Washington, D.C., owns "Right and Left," an evocative waterscape with ducks under fire from hunters.

Nowadays most contemporary art galleries in any city will have on hand at least a few landscapes. The genre is never out of style or season because it fits in anywhere, whether the placement is in a cozy cottage or a modern conference room. Well crafted works show up in average hotel rooms, fine dining establishments, corner cafes, and university art centers. However, the elite-level art world in general does not display a great deal of interest in contemporary landscapes, whether traditionally rendered or handled in a more abstract manner. Instead, most contemporary critics have moved on to consider environmental works, including outdoor installations, as more attuned to the 21st-century art ethos.

A prime example of the trend may be Maya Lin's "Wave Field," which opens to the public next spring at the Storm King Art Center, located an hour's drive from New York City. This outdoor installation piece covers 11 acres and features rolling hillocks of green grass, reminiscent of rolling waves of water. This work is likely to attract much attention as appreciation for the artist, previously celebrated for having designed the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C., is considerable.

Accordingly, perhaps you should leave the table with the colorful paints for now and go outside to find a grassy hillside to observe. If you frame your horizontal-strip picture and place it on your wall, you could be guilty of doing something totally retrograde even if totally understandable. Anyway, grassy hillsides are notoriously difficult to tame, bring home, and enjoy in comfort and privacy.

Seriously, while landscape painting may be given short shrift by the critics, regular folks still find scenic views desirable for contemplation, decoration, and aesthetic development. Encouraging local painters is one possible way to demonstrate support for this art form. But it is probably not necessary to stop and hug the very next outdoors-with-easel artist you stumble across. Just don't pass up opportunities to check out touring landscape exhibits or visit any shows hosting local and regional painters, whether they be environmentally conscious or just nature-lovers with enviable gifts for observation and illustration.

"Right and Left" National Gallery of Art Information Page (Winslow Homer)

"The Japanese Bridge" National Gallery of Art Information Page (Claude Monet)

Michael J. Lewis, "The Ley of the Land", The New Criterion

Carol Kino, "Once Inspired by a War, Now by the Land", New York Times

Gabriel, Kiley, "Time-honored appeal: traditional landscapes flourish in a changing market", Art Business News