What is Landscape as a Genre?

The Genre ‘Landscape’ is most often used within art and photography and it is the depiction of the natural elements/scenery around us, such as trees, rivers, forests, waterfalls, mountains, beaches and more. There are various types of landscape including:

• Natural Landscapes -the original landscape that exists before it is acted on by human culture

• Urban Landscapes – outdoor environments that are dominated by urban/man-made structures such as buildings, harbours, factories and more.

• Coastal and Marine Landscapes – ocean-related landscapes which may include waves, beaches, ships, cliffs, etc.

• Cultural and Historical Landscapes – historically significant places which show evidence of human interaction with the physical environment.

• Agricultural Landscapes – depicting farming and agriculture, such as farms and fields with crops.

The term ‘landscape’ originates from the Dutch word ‘landschap’, meaning ‘region, tract of land’. Landscape is now defined as ‘a picture depicting scenery on land’, this definition was acquired in the early 1500s.

Mood board – The Evolution of Landscape Photography

A Timeline of Landscape as a Genre

16th Century – Albrecht Altdorfer

Previous to the 16th Century, paintings of landscapes were seen as a setting for religious and figural scenes, rather than a genre themself. Albrecht Altdorfer was a German printmaker who was known for the 9 landscape etchings he produced between 1518 and 1522, the first known artwork to celebrate landscape as a primary subject matter, according to the met museum website. This particular etching is the Alpine Vista with mountains around it and it was created during the Renaissance.

17th Century – Nicolas Poussin

In the 17th Century, the Classical Landscape was born. In a Classical Landscape, the positioning of every feature, such as trees, flowers, rocks and animals, are considered. Nicolas Poussin was a French artist who is known for perfecting the Classical Landscape, along with Claude Lorrain. Nicolas Poussin worked to higher the status of landscape art because he believed that landscapes could express the same powerful emotions as history paintings. At this time, landscape art remained inferior, however, it became more popular as time went on.

18th Century – Pierre-Henri de Valenciennes

In the late 18th Century, Pierre-Henri de Valenciennes worked to convince the Academy and his contemporaries that landscape painting was worthy of a higher status because he believed that it was. He published a book in 1800 on landscape painting, emphasising how the ‘historical landscape’ should be based on the study of real nature. The Academy created a prize for ‘historic landscape’ in 1817 in response to the success of this book.

19th Century – Theodore Rousseau

During the 19th Century, there were many milestones for landscape art, including the birth of landscape photography and romanticism. With the industrial revolution, it pushed more people to become interested in the genre of landscape and it became more popular around the world. Theodore Rousseau, among other Barbizon (realism) painters, focus less on classical landscapes and, instead, focused on plain air painting. Plein Air Painting is when the artist paints outdoors with the subject in clear view.

20th Century – Ansel Adams

In the early 20th Century, painters continued to support the landscape whilst landscape photography also grew in popularity. Ansel Adams is a very well-known photographer from this time who photographed breath-taking views of the American countryside, including locations such as various National Parks

Within the second half of the 20th Century, the definition of landscape was challenged and different concepts of the genre of landscape were introduced, such as urban landscape and landscape architecture.