‘A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or human-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.’ – google

History of Landscapes

Landscapes Roots/Origin:

• Began with the Greeks and Romans – creating wall painting
• Wasn’t as common after the fall of Roman Empire
• Was then seen as something for religious and figural scenes
• After the 16th century, artists viewed landscapes as its own thing – seeing nature as its own subject
• The renaissance made it even more popular

Origin of The Word ‘Landscape’

• The word ‘landscape’ originates from the Dutch word landschap which meant ‘region’
• Artists took the word and applied a new definition “a picture depicting scenery on land” in the early 1500s
• Landscape images first became popular in the Netherlands
• The subject ‘landscapes’ were inferior to other subjects such as: religious, mythological and allegorical themes
• When they started becoming popular they were still used for religious paintings

Finally accepting Landscapes:

• Accepted in the 18th century
• French artist Pierre-Henri de Valenciennes saw the opportunity of landscapes as a ‘worthy status of history painting’
• In 1800 he published a book about landscapes highlighting the aesthetic ideal of the historic landscape

Photography and The 20th-Century Landscape:

• Ansel Adams was able to capture Americas attention by taking a picture of the American West
• The subject of landscape wasn’t as popular because of the increase of industrialization, the threat of global destruction and the ecological disasters
• Due to this landscape photography was challenged and now and included concepts like urban, cultural, industrial landscapes etc