Research on Landscapes Artist from different eras

Albrecht Durer, Germany, 1471-1528

Durer, one of the first landscape artists of the northern renaissance used watercolour primarily for his landscapes which are depicted in precise detail. Some examples of his work are:

The House by a Pond

This is a very atmospheric painting; the dramatic clouds on the top right suggest a storm is about to happen, and Durer created a sense of depth by placing a boat in the left foreground, a tall house in the middle of the island with its reflection on the water, and mountains and forest in the background. The dark threatening clouds in the sky contrast with the calm water of the pond.

View of the Arco

Durer’s View of the Arco is one of his finest, best known and most elaborate landscapes, a scene in springtime. The luminous colours, the hard rock in the foreground, trees in the middle ground, and village in the distance, make a very engaging and balanced composition.

References:

www.Albrecht-Durer.org

http://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/view-arco-valley

Claude Lorrain, France, 1600 - 1682

Pastoral Landscape: The Roman Campagna

The contrast between the intense light in the background and the shadow in the foreground is characteristic of Lorrain’s landscapes, as is the building to the left,

This landscape gives me a sense of peace and calm, the composition and detail is exquisite; the animals and vegetation in the foreground, the tower and the boat in the middle ground, and the green-bluish mountains and trees in the background give a real sense of depth. The use of colour and contrast makes an almost cinematic composition.

L. S. Lowry RBA RA, Great Britain, 1887, 1976

Coming from the Mill

In contrast to the Durer and Lorrain landscapes, Lowry’s Coming from the Mill is full of detail, crowded, and not at all relaxing. There is a very strong sense of movement, of going somewhere, of the pressures of modern daily life.

In terms of composition he applies the same principles however, the fence and people in the foreground are well defined, the walkers and buildings in the middle ground are less defined, and the buildings in the background are quite faded, and this gives an incredible sense of depth and perspective.

Reference: www.tate.org.uk

George Shaw, England, 1966

Scenes from the passion: Late

This is a very realistic painting, almost photographic, as are most of his paintings. The scene is very much of our time; very familiar, similar places can be found in most towns in our country. The composition is unusual but effective, the diagonal row of derelict garages in need of maintenance, presenting a linear perspective with a vanishing point on the left edge of the canvas.

The greens and greys of the palette and the orange of the dry leaves give me a feeling of sadness, the open door on the right giving the impression that someone has just driven off in an old car and abandoned the place. I think Shaw wanted to register the ugliness of some of the places in our lives in contrast to the beauty we normally see in pictures

Reference: www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/

Sarah Woodfine, England, 1968

Sarah Woodfine has a very interesting, unconventional and innovative approach to landscapes; 3-dimensional in structure, quite involved drawings in pencil of sections of cars and toys very effectively put together. They remind me of cartoon scenes from my childhood, encouraging viewers to invent the story for ourselves. I find her work inspirational and at some point I will try to produce something in her style.

Some Examples of her work are

Alfred's Story

New found land

Reference

www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/n/newfoundland-by-sarah-woodfine/