One the oldest and most established art forms, landscape art is found in all cultures, time-periods and mediums, spanning the length of history. The most basic understanding of this genre is a portrayal whose principal subject is a scenic view—without a human presence. While the tradition of painting or drawing the surrounding countryside was prevalent in Chinese and Japanese art, it wasn’t until the early sixteenth century that landscape became an established genre in the Western canon. Prior to this shift, scenery was primarily included as a background or setting for depicting human activity. 

One of the most iconic landscape artists to come out of the genre was JMW Turner, whose atmospheric use of light and texture set his work apart from the other English countryside painters. French artist Claude Monet, widely considered the founder of Impressionism, continued this fascination with rendering light in his unconventional, color driven works, which captured the fleeting beauty of nature. In the twentieth century, landscape was further explored through the lens of various artistic movements and styles, from Salvador Dali’s psychoanalytic dreamscapes to David Hockey’s vibrant California scenes. The invention of photography in the Nineteenth century also revolutionized both the method and concept of landscapes, enabling people to capture intense detail. While the nature of landscape has changed throughout history, contemporary artists continue to redefine this age-old genre in innovative ways.