Landscape painting

Landscape painting, also known as landscape art, is the depiction in painting of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, rivers, trees, and forests, especially where the main subject is a wide view—with its elements arranged into a coherent composition. In other works, landscape backgrounds for figures can still form an important part of the work. Sky is almost always included in the view, and weather is often an element of the composition. Detailed landscapes as a distinct subject are not found in all artistic traditions, and develop when there is already a sophisticated tradition of representing other subjects. Two main traditions spring from Western painting and Chinese art, going back well over a thousand years in both cases. The recognition of a spiritual element in landscape art is present from its beginnings in East Asian art, drawing on Daoism and other philosophical traditions, but in the West only becomes explicit with Romanticism. Quotes Like a clear, otherworldly stream, a landscape painting could gently flow through the hearts of countless scholars or those with spiritual pursuit. The secular world of today is decadent, but mountains and rivers remain pure. In the face of setbacks in one’s career and social unrest, a landscape painting hanging in one’s home may serve as a sanctuary for the soul. The thatched cottage in the painting, or the humble hermit sitting alone by the mountain stream, could be the embodiment of one’s inner world. That is, a three-foot-long landscape painting is like a one-square-meter monastery. Minghui, "The History and Essence of Chinese Painting" by Xiao Ge (August 23, 2026) External links Category:Art