best landscape artists: 1400-present

Top 10 Best Landscape ArtistsWorld's Greatest Painters of Landscapes.

The Hay Wain (1821) (detail)National Gallery, London.By John Constable.

LANDSCAPE ARTISTS: ENGLANDFor some of the most importantlandscape painters, during theeighteenth and nineteenthcenturies, (1700-1900) see:Best English Painters.

World's Best Landscape Artists

Introduction to Landscape

Landscape art (from the Dutch word 'landschap', a patch of cultivated ground)refers to portrayals of outdoor scenery such as meadows, fields, trees, rivers,mountains, lakes, valleys, coastlines, beaches, estuaries and so on. Sky andweather conditions may also appear prominently in a landscape composition.Human figures however are traditionally included only as staffage or as a minorelement. When people become an important feature, the picture is usuallydefined as an outdoor genre-painting (everyday scene).

Although landscape painting was established as a genre during the 15thcentury, it wasn't until the 17th century that Dutch Realist artists began to takeit seriously. Then in the 18th century, concurrent with the architecturaltownscapes of Canaletto (1697-1768) of the school of Venetian painting, camethe cultivation of country estates - especially in Britain - which stimulateddemand for topographical pictures (like "photos") from proud landowners. Theearly years of the 19th century witnessed the Golden Age of English landscapepainting, led by Turner and Constable, and also the development of plein-airtechniques by the Barbizon school, and later by Monet's style of outdoorImpressionism - methods greatly facilitated by the invention of portablecollapsible tin paint tubes in 1841, by American painter John Rand. In America,the Hudson River School (c.1825-75) was the first landscape paintingmovement to portray the grandeur and remote beauty of the newly discoveredcontinent. The School spawned other mini-movements like Luminism and theRocky Mountain School.

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The Burning of the Houses of Lordsand Commons (1835)Philadelphia Museum of Art.By JMW Turner.

BEST ART IN IRELANDBest Irish Landscape ArtistsReview of the top exponentsof landscape painting in Ireland.

WORLD'S GREATEST ARTISTSSee our compilations of the topcreative practitioners in history:Best Artists of All TimeThe greatest painters & sculptorsBest History PaintersTop 10 exponents of allegorical,mythological, narrative art.Best Portrait ArtistsTop 10 portraitists ever.Best Genre PaintersTop 10 exponents of genrepainting, notably Dutch Realists.Best Still Life PaintersTop 10 exponents of still lifepainting.

BEST ART MUSEUMS IN WORLDFor a list of the finest publicart galleries in Europe, Americaand worldwide, see:Art Museums: Greatest

WORLD'S GREATEST ART WORKSFor a list of masterpiecesof painting & sculpture, see:Greatest Paintings Ever.

19th-Century Landscape Artists From RussiaWhen it comes to listing famous late 19th-century landscapepainters, the first and most obvious candidate is the FrenchImpressionist Claude Monet (1840-1926). After all, who has notheard of his haystack or water-lily canvases? After Monet, wemight choose another Impressionist plein air devotee like AlfredSisley (1839-1899) or Camille Pissarro (1830-1903). But very fewof us would think of mentioning a Russian artist. This, despite thefact that Russia has raised some of the finest scenic and naturalistpainters in the history of European art. Right now I'll mention justtwo who are well worth getting to know: Ivan Shishkin (1832-98)and Isaac Levitan (1860-1900). Shishkin's specialty was paintingtrees and woodland, hence his nickname "Czar of the Forest", andone of his many masterpieces is Oak Grove (1887, Museum ofRussian Art, Kiev). Isaac Levitan is less epic than Shishkin, thoughmore varied in style and subject matter. His rendition of light canbe absolutely breathtaking. See for example his awesome SecludedMonastery (1890, Tretyakov Gallery). He travelled extensively, andmany of his pictures - such as The Road To Vladimir (1892,Tretyakov), and Golden Autumn (1895, Tretyakov) - offer anauthentic glimpse of Mother Russia.


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EVOLUTION OF FINE ARTFor details about the developmentof Western painting and sculpturesee: History of Art Timeline.

MOVEMENTS, PERIODS, ARTISTSFor more information, see:History of Art

MOST FAMOUS ARTISTSOld Masters (1300-1830)Great European painters.Famous Painters (1830-present)Greatest painters of modern era.

Position of Landscape in the Hierarchy of the Painting GenresLandscape was ranked number 4 in the hierarchy of the genres (types ofpicture) by the great European academies of fine art, as announced in 1669 byAndre Felibien, Secretary to the French Academy. The other genres (in order ofimportance) were History painting, Portraiture, Genre-Works, and Still Life. Thelow ranking bestowed on landscape art stemmed from its lesser "narrative"content (that is, moral message). In an attempt to overcome this, earlylandscape artists tried to infuse their pictures with an uplifting message,connecting the views captured with mythological or aesthetic significance.

The Top 10 Landscape Artists

This list of famous landscape painters has been compiled by our Editor NeilCollins MA LLB. It represents his personal view of the ten best exponents ofscenic art. Like any such compilation it reveals more about the personal tastesof the compiler than the landscape painters being ranked. (See also our articlefor students/teachers: Art Evaluation: How to Appreciate Art and also How toAppreciate Paintings.)

JOINT No 10.Thomas Cole (1801-48) and Frederic Edwin Church (1826-1900)

THOMAS COLE: The greatest American landscape painter of the early 19thcentury, and a founder of the Hudson River School, Thomas Cole was born inEngland where he worked as an apprentice engraver before emigrating to theUSA in 1818, where he achieved rapid recognition as a view painter, settling inthe village of Catskill in the Hudson Valley. Already an admirer of both ClaudeLorraine and Turner, he visited England and Italy 1829-32, after which (partlydue the encouragement he received from John Martin and Turner) he began tofocus less on the depiction of natural scenery and more on grandiose allegoricaland historical themes. Greatly impressed with the natural beauty of theAmerican scenery, Cole infused much of his landscape art with great feelingand an unmistakable romantic grandeur.

Famous Landscapes by Thomas Cole- The Last of the Mohicans (1827) oil on canvas, Fenimore Art Museum, NY- View on the Catskill - Early Autumn (1837) oil on canvas, Metropolitan, NY

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- American Lake Scene (1844) oil on canvas, Detroit Institute of Arts

FREDERIC EDWIN CHURCH: A pupil of Cole, Church arguably exceeded hismaster in his monumental romantic panoramas, each of which conveyedsomething of the spirituality of nature. Church painted spectacular views ofnatural scenery from all over the American continent from Labrador to theAndes. For more, see: Frederic Edwin Church Biography.

Famous Landscapes by Frederic Church- The Falls of Niagara (1857, Corcoran, Washington)- The Heart of the Andes (1859, Metropolitan Museum New York)- Twilight in the Wilderness (1860, Cleveland Museum of Art)- Cotopaxi (1862, Detroit Institute of Arts)

No 9. Caspar David Friedrich (1774-1840)

Introspective, melancholic and somewhat reclusive, Caspar David Friedrich isthe greatest landscape painter of the romantic tradition. Born near the Baltic,he settled permanently in Dresden, where he focused exclusively on thespiritual connections and significance of landscape, being inspired by thehaunted silence of the forest, as well as the effect of light (sunrise, dusk,moonlight) and the seasons. His genius lay in his ability to capture a hithertoundiscovered spiritual dimension in nature, which gives his landscape paintingan emotional, mystical edge which has never been equalled.

Famous Works by Caspar David Friedrich- Winter Landscape (1811) oil on canvas, National Gallery, London- Landscape at Riesengebirge (1830), oil on canvas, Pushkin Museum, Moscow- Man and Woman Gazing at the Moon (1830-5) oil, Nationalgalerie, Berlin

No 8. Alfred Sisley (1839-1899)

Often called the "forgotten Impressionist", the Anglo-French Alfred Sisley wassecond only to Monet in his fidelity to spontaneous plein-airism: indeed, he wasthe only one of the Impressionists to devote himself exclusively to landcapepainting. His seriously undervalued reputation rests on his skill in capturing theunique effects of the light and seasons on a wide range of landscape,waterscape and riverscape scenery. His depiction of early light and dullafternoons is especially memorable. Not high fashion at present but still ranksas one of the greatest exponents of Impressionist landscape painting. Couldwell become re-evaluated since - unlike Monet - his works never suffer from alack of form.

Famous Landscapes by Alfred Sisley- Misty Morning (1874) oil on canvas, Musee d'Orsay- Snow at Louveciennes (1878) oil on canvas, Musee d'Orsay, Paris- Moret Bridge in the Sun (1892) oil on canvas, Private Collection

No 7. Aelbert Cuyp (1620-91)

A Dutch Realist artist, Aelbert Cuyp is one of the most renowned of allNetherlandish landscape painters. His greatest scenic views - river scenes andlandscapes with placid livestock - reveal great serenity and masterful handlingof glowing light (early morning, or evening sun) in an Italianate style: a sign ofsignificant Claudean influence. This golden light often catches just the edges


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and rims of vegetation, clouds or animals, with highlights laid on in thickimpasto paint. In this way, Cuyp turned his native Dordrecht into a dreamworld encapsulated in the start or end of a perfect day, with an all-pervadingsense of stillness and security, and everything in harmony with Nature. Popularin Holland, he was greatly appreciated and collected in England.

Famous Landscapes by Aelbert CuypDordrecht from the North (1650) oil/canvas, Anthony de Rothschild CollectionRiver Landscape w. Horseman, Peasants (1658) oil, National Gallery, London

No 6. Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot (1796-1875)

One of the greatest romantic style landscape painters, Jean-Baptiste Corot isrenowned for his unaffected picturesque depiction of nature. His particularlysensitive treatment of distance, light and form was dependent on tonal valuesrather than on drawing and colour, lending the finished composition an air oftimeless romance. Less encumbered by painterly theory, Corot's works arenevertheless among the world's most popular landscape pictures. A regularexhibitor at the Parisian Salon from 1827, and a member of the BarbizonSchool led by Theodore Rousseau (1812-67), he was immensely influential onother outdoor artists like Charles-Francois Daubigny (1817-1878), CamillePissarro (1830-1903) and Alfred Sisley (1839-1899). He was also anextraordinarily generous man who spent much of his money on needy artists.

Famous Landscapes by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot- Bridge at Narni (1826) oil paint on canvas, Louvre- Ville d'Avray (c.1867) oil on canvas, Brooklyn Museum of Art, New York- Rural Scene (1875) oil on canvas, Musee Toulouse-Lautrec, Albi, France

No 5. Jacob Van Ruisdael (1628-82)

Now considered the greatest of all Dutch Realist landscape artists, the work ofJacob Van Ruisdael had a huge influence on later European landscape art,although during his lifetime he was less popular than the Italianate-stylepainters. His subjects included windmills, riverscapes, forests, fields, beachesand seascapes, depicted with unusual emotional feeling, using bold forms,dense colours and vigorous impastoed brushwork, instead of the usual focus ontonal values. A pupil of his uncle Salomon Van Ruisdael, Jacob in turn taughtthe celebrated Meindert Hobbema (1638-1709), and was much admired byEnglish masters like Thomas Gainsborough and John Constable, as well asmembers of the Barbizon school.

Famous Landscapes by Jacob Van Ruisdal- Landscape w. Shepherds and Farmers (1665) oil on canvas, Uffizi Gallery- The Mill at Wijk Near Duurstede (1670) oil on canvas, Rijksmuseum- Jewish Cemetery at Ouderkerk (1670), Gemaldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden

No 4. Claude Lorraine (1600-82) (Claude Gellee)

French painter, draughtsman and etcher, active in Rome, who is regarded bymany art historians as the greatest painter of idyllic landscapes in the historyof art. Since pure (that is, secular and unclassical) landscape, like plain still-lifeor genre painting, was seen (in 17th century Rome) as lacking in moralseriousness, Claude Lorrain introduced classical elements and mythologicalthemes into his compositions, including deities, heroes and saints. In addition,his chosen environment - the countryside around Rome - was rich in antique


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ruins. These classical Italianate pastoral landscapes were further infused with apoetic light, which represents his unique contribution to the art of landscapepainting. Claude Lorraine was especially influential on English artists, bothduring his lifetime and for two centuries thereafter: John Constable describedhim as "the most perfect landscape painter the world ever saw."

Famous Works by Claude Lorraine- Campus Vaccino in Rome (1636) oil on canvas, Musee du Louvre- Landscape with the Marriage of Isaac/Rebecca (1648) oil, National Gallery- Landcape with Tobias and the Angel (1663) oil, Hermitage, St Petersburg

No 3. John Constable (1776-1837)

Ranks alongside Turner as one of the best English landscape painters, not leastfor his singular ability to recreate the colours, climate and rustic scenery of theromantic English countryside, and for his pioneering role in the development ofplein-airism. In contrast to Turner's distinctively interpretive style, JohnConstable focused on nature, painting the Suffolk and Hampstead scenery heknew so well. His spontaneous, fresh compositions were often, however,careful reconstructions that owed much to his close study of Dutch Realism aswell as Claudean Italianate style works. The renowned artist Henry Fuesli oncecommented that the life-like naturalist renditions of Constable always madehim call for his umbrella!

Famous Landscapes by John Constable- Boatbuilding Near Flatford Mill (1815) oil, Victoria & Albert Museum, London- The Hay Wain (1821) oil on canvas, National Gallery, London

No 2. Claude Monet (1840-1926)

The greatest modern landscape painter and a giant of French painting, he wasthe leading figure of the hugely influential Impressionism movement, to whosetenets of spontaneous plein-air painting he remained faithful for the rest of hislife. A close friend of Impressionist painters Renoir and Pissarro, his quest foroptical truth - above all in the depiction of light - is exemplified by his series ofcanvases portraying the same object in varying light conditions, and atdifferent times of the day, like his Haystacks (1888 onwards), Poplars (1891on), Rouen Cathedral (1892 on), and the river Thames (1899 on). This methodculminated in his famous series of Water-lilies (among the most famouslandscape paintings ever) created from 1883 in his garden at Giverny. His lastset of monumental water-lily pictures with their shimmering colours have beeninterpreted by several art critics and painters as being an important precursorto abstract art, and by others as the supreme exemplar of Monet's search forspontaneous naturalism.

Famous Landscapes by Claude Monet- Impression, Sunrise (1873) oil on canvas, Musee Marmottan Monet, Paris- Poppies Near Argenteuil (1873) oil on canvas, Musee d'Orsay- Haystack in the Morning, Snow Effect (1891) oil, Boston Museum Fine Arts- Waterlilly Pond (1899) oil on canvas, National Gallery, London

No 1. JMW Turner (1775-1851)

In my opinion, JMW Turner is the greatest ever landscape painter: his uniquestyle remains enduringly popular. Overshadowed initially by Thomas Girtin,


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Turner worked exclusively in watercolours until the age of 21, Turner's earlystyle of oil painting was Italianate, rather than Dutch Realist, but his matureworks of pale brilliance did not materialize until after his 1819 sketching tour ofItaly. His unique genius was his ability to capture the differing effect of light ina revolutionary style of proto-Impressionism verging on abstractexpressionism, making him one of the first genuinely "modern" artists, reveredby Claude Monet as well as 20th century expressionists. The Turner style ofEnglish landscape painting remains, like the frenzied brushwork of Van Gogh,an instantly recognizable contribution to the history of art. He became a fullmember of the Royal Academy at 27, Professor of Linear Perspective at 32, andDeputy President in 1845. On his death, he left 300 paintings and nearly20,000 drawings and watercolours to the National Gallery in London.

Famous Landscapes by JMW Turner- Burning of the House of Lords and Commons (1835) oil, Philadelphia Museum- The Fighting Temeraire (1839) oil on canvas, National Gallery, London- Dawn after the Wreck (1840) watercolour, British Museum, London- Snow Storm: Steamboat off a Harbour's Mouth (1842) oil, Tate Gallery

For a list of the top painters/sculptors, see: Visual Artists: Greatest. For more biographies of great landscape painters, see: Homepage.

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