Landscapes - Martin Constable Western

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- Landscapes - Martin Constable western

- Landscapes - > Martin Constable Content 1. The Pre-History of Landscape Painting 2. Painting from Observation / in the Studio 3. How a Landscape Painting is Constructed I: Depth Planes 4. How a Landscape Painting is Constructed II: 2D Space 5. How a Landscape Painting is Constructed III: Skies 6. Hudson River Painters 1: The Pre-History of Landscape Painting ‘Landscape with scene from the Odyssey’ Around 60 – 40 b.c. Unknown artist Painted 2,000 years ago, the landscape in this painting serves as little more than as a support for a classical narrative.

‘Landscape with scene from the Odyssey Around 60 – 40 b.c. Unknown artist ‘No. 36 Scenes from the Life of Christ: 20. Lamentation (The Mourning of Christ)’ Between 1304 and 1306 Giotto (1266–1337) painted 1,000 years later, here the classical narrative has been replaced by a biblical one.

‘No. 36 Scenes from the Life of Christ: 20. Lamentation (The Mourning of Christ) Between 1304 and 1306 Giotto (1266–1337) ‘The Tempest’ 1508 Giorgione (1417 - 1510) Giorgione’s ‘Tempest’ is very formalised, exhibiting a strong diagonal divide: Left: male, culture, conquest, straight forms. Right: female, nature, family, curvy forms.

‘The Tempest’ 1508 Giorgione Just about visible: a stork! Then (as now) this bird represented family, childbirth and the love of children. Though this painting (as most other pre-modern paintings) can be read as some sort of dialogue between male and female, we are not sure exactly what it means. Its title was ‘given’ by scholars and its ﬁgures do not correspond exactly to any known male / female pair (e.g. Adam and Eve, Paris and Oenone etc). This opacity to clear reading perhaps accounts for its lasting appeal. This, and the preceding Roman wall paintings, can be understood as being ‘proto-landscapes’: early progenitors before the genre had fully developed. ‘Landscape with Saint Jerome’ 1516 Joachim Patinir (1480 - 1524) Joachim Patinir was the ﬁrst person to use the term ‘landscape’.

‘Landscape with Saint Jerome 1516 Joachim Patinir ‘St Christopher Bearing the Christ Child’ c1525 Joachim Patinir (1480 - 1524) ‘Crossing the River Styx’ c1525 Joachim Patinir (1480 - 1524) All of his landscapes support some sort of classical / biblical narrative.

‘Crossing the River Styx’ c1525 Joachim Patinir ‘Icarus’ c1560 Pieter Bruegel (1525 - 1569) Bruegel was the germ of what we now know as ‘realist’. Realism claims to present to the world an unvarnished truth, without idealism and not an illustration of any classical / biblical reference. The ﬁgures in this painting are dressed as people would have dressed at the time it was painted. They are also not ‘notable’ (i.e. not rich, powerful, or known people).

‘Icarus’ c1560 Pieter Bruegel Despite being titled ‘Icarus’ there appears, at ﬁrst glance, to be no overt visual reference to Icarus himself. However, if we look carefully…

‘Icarus’ c1560 Pieter Bruegel Here!

‘Icarus’ c1560 Pieter Bruegel It seems as if this artist went as far as he possibly could in ‘doing a landscape for its own sake’ yet can not quite let go of the need for it to have overt content.

‘Icarus’ c1560 Pieter Bruegel ‘Danube landscape near Regensburg’ c1522 – 1525 Albrecht Altdorfer (1480 - 1538) Altdorfer was probably the ﬁrst to do a landscape ‘for its own sake’. This painting contains no humans, however like most of his landscape paintings, it features traces of human activity (in this case a castle). It is relevant that the title of this painting refers directly to a known place. In this sense, it is a true ‘painting of a place’.

‘Danube landscape near Regensburg c1522 – 1525 Albrecht Altdorfer (1480 - 1538 ‘The Battle of Issus’ c1522 – 1525 Albrecht Altdorfer (1480 - 1538) This is a bit of a cheat. Whilst not strictly speaking a landscape painting, Altdorfer’s ‘The Battle of Alexander at Issus’ is so dam good it deserves a special mention. Depicting an historical battle, the painting is magniﬁcently detailed…

‘The Battle of Issus’ c1522 – 1525 Albrecht Altdorfer (1480 - 1538)

2: Painting from Observation / in the Studio Like any observational artist, the landscape painter has to negotiate a relationship to the thing that they are painting. In the case of landscape, this requires that the artist has to leave the studio. This constitutes part of the ‘special case’ of landscape painting. For most of art history, artists would construct a landscape whilst they were in their studio, using the observed landscape as a distant reference. As stated, these landscapes were mere backdrops for a theme, usually derived from the Bible or classical literature. ‘Road through an Oak Forest’ 1646 Jacob van Ruisdael (1628 - 1682) Flemish and Dutch painters, like Jacob van Ruisdael, offered a very ‘realistic’ view of nature. However, these were still very idealised, being made in the studio from reference drawings and sketches.

‘Road through an Oak Forest 1646 Jacob van Ruisdael ‘Flatford Mill’ 1820 John Constable (1776 – 1834) Landscape painting was very popular with the Romantic painters. Most of them featured the usual traces of human activity.

‘Flatford Mill 1820 John Constable (1776 – 18 ‘Wanderer above the Sea of Fog’ 1818 Caspar David Friedrich (1774 – 1840) ‘Petworth Park’ 1830 Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775 – 1851) ‘A Storm in the Rocky Mountains, Mt. Rosalie’, 1866, Albert Bierstadt (1830 -1902) ‘A Storm in the Rocky Mountains, Mt. Rosalie’, 1866, Albert Bierstadt (1830 -1902)

The Hudson River painters were an exception, with much of their work being of known places in the US, often devoid of humans or any human trace. However, the implied narrative was almost as strong: that it was the ‘manifest destiny’ of Americans to ‘conquer’ this new territory. ‘Valley of the Yosemite’, 1864, Albert Bierstadt (1830 -1902) ‘Valley of the Yosemite’, 1864, Albert Bierstadt (1830 -1902)

Frequently animals served as proxy humans, being placed in exactly the position a human would have been placed. ‘Valley of the Yosemite’, 1864, Albert Bierstadt (1830 -1902)

What they lacked in overt content, they made up for in meteorological excess. They were glorious in their lighting and color, and frequently depicted sunsets or storms (more Hudson River paintings later). ‘Valley of the Yosemite’, 1864, Albert Bierstadt (1830 -1902)

In response to increasing urban development and industrialisation, the landscape was seen more as a special place in which God lived. Something that was larger and more powerful than humans. ‘The Bridge at Narni' 1826 Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot (1796 - 1875) Corot was (probably) the ﬁrst artist who placed landscape front and centre, independent of any supporting human narrative and unmediated by the studio. They were painted directly from observation and not altered in the studio, a very unusual practice at that time.

‘The Bridge at Narni' 1826 Jean-Baptiste-Camille (1796 - 1875) ‘Civita Castellana' 1826 Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot (1796 - 1875) ‘A Rising Path' 1826 Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot (1796 - 1875) John Constable deserves a special mention in this context. His observations from nature were meticulous to the point of obsession. He kept a regular weather diary, noting the temperature, air pressure and suchlike. He also made many oil sketches purely as research, with no intension to directly incorporate them into his paintings.

‘Landscape in Suffolk' 1750 Thomas Gainsborough (1727 - 1788) From the other side of the hill comes Gainsborough. His landscapes were very synthetic things, being heavily invented within the studio.

‘Landscape in Suffolk' 1750 Thomas Gainsborough (1727 - 1788) He had an interesting technique: to arrange a table with coal, broccoli, cabbage and rocks. Then to invent a landscape based upon what he was looking at.

‘Landscape in Suffolk' 1750 Thomas Gainsborough (1727 - 1788) This is a recreation done as a student exercise: This is a recreation done as a student exercise: ‘Drawing of a Landscape' 1920 Pierre Bonnard (1867 - 1947) Bonnard had an interesting technique. He would ﬁrst draw the landscape from observation using no more than pencil and note pad paper. he would then move to his studio and produce a full color painting using no more than the drawing as reference. The color would come from the variety of lines he employed: the variance being in their weight, the marks he employed, the angle he was holding the pencil, how sharp the pencil was etc. In essence: he was drawing color. I set this as an excersise for my students. Only around 1 in 10 are able to satisfactory respond. ‘Drawing of a Landscape' 1920 Pierre Bonnard (1867 - 1947) ‘Mr. and Mrs. Andrews’ c1750 Thomas Gainsborough (1727 - 1788) Here the couple have been painted in front of land that they own. Clearly in this case some sort of verisimilitude is necessary, with the painting serving as evidence of ownership.

‘Mr. and Mrs. Andrews’ c1750 Thomas Gainsborough (1727 - 1788 ‘View of Halliburton's Hills' 1818 Captain Robert Smith (1787-1873) Here the ownership is larger in scale. Captain. Robert Smith’s paintings were done as testament to one nation’s ownership of another.

‘View of Halliburton's Hills' 1818 Captain Robert Smith (1787-1873 That having been said, he did not just paint regions of economic or cultural relevance. He clearly knew the region well (Penang) and always chose his locations very well.

‘View of Halliburton's Hills' 1818 Captain Robert Smith (1787-1873 ‘The Chinese Mills' 1818 Captain Robert Smith (1787-1873) This sensitivity did not extend towards the denizens of the region, who he typically exited with bizarre and / or inaccurate costumes. ‘Glugor House And Spice Plantations' 1818 Captain Robert Smith (1787-1873) ‘View From Convalescent Bunglow' 1818 Captain Robert Smith (1787-1873) A photo taken by me from the same vantage point. Not relevant, but kinda interesting. ‘View of Singapore, from Dr Little's garden' 1870 Marianne North (1830 - 1890) Mariam North was similar, but took a special interest in the botany of the region.

‘View of Singapore, from Dr Little's garden' 1870 Marianne North The Mariam North gallery in London’s Key Garden. 3: How a Landscape Painting is Constructed I: - Depth Planes - 3: How a Landscape Painting is Constructed I: - Depth Planes -

Warning: this section a bit technical! Space in a painting is organised according to depth planes. These planes are simplifications of real space. In the case of portrait painting these planes are simply the foreground (the figure) and the background (everything else). First I must briefly introduce the three perceptual components of color: hue, saturation and lightness.

H Hue

S Saturation

L Lightness Lightness is the ‘master’ component of color, being the skeleton of a painting and also essential to the act of perception.

H Hue

S Saturation

L Lightness Hue and Saturation are the chroma components of color. They are non- essential yet carry a lot of the emotional weight of a painting…

H Hue

S Saturation

L Lightness Hue is the ‘name’ of the color (the ‘color term’)…

H Hue

S Saturation

L Lightness Whist saturation is the intensity of the color…

H Hue

S Saturation

L Lightness ‘An Extensive River Landscape With A Castle On A Hill Beyond’ 1880 Frederik Marinus Kruseman (1817 - 1882)

In a landscape painting the planes are more numerous. The traditional planes are: background, middle ground foreground and sky. Sky

MG BG

FG Foreground: This is usually where the action is in a painting. If the painting features figures, this is where they are likely to be found. It also usually contains the darkest and the lightest regions of the painting which are usually black and white respectively. Additionally, it contains the sharpest and clearest edges: e.g the perimeter of a tree or building. Middleground: This has a wide tone range but not as wide as the FG. Though it might contain white regions, it is unlikely to contain black regions. Background: This is usually very pale and blue. It has so little congrats it is likely to be monochrome. It’s edges are very diffuse and soft and there is little in the way of definition. Sky: Strictly speaking the sky is not a plane, but the curved face of a dome that extends over our head. However, we may treat it as if it is a plane. The sky is special for several reasons. It has a huge influence over the emotional impact of the landscape. It can be gloomy, celebratory, dramatic or (should it be so needed) entirely neutral. Is is more likely to contain the highest hue variety of all the regions. It is also usually the most exaggerated of all the regions, bearing the least resemblance to that which is found in nature. Given its importance but also it’s mutable nature and the ease with which skies may be invented, this is no surprise. The illusion of depth is maintained by: The contrast within each region (intracontrast) The contrast between each region (intercontrast)

See how the tonal intracontrast of the FG region is high, with extremes of light to dark. More distant planes have less tonal intracontrast See how the hue intracontrast of the FG region is high, with extremes of green to red. More distant planes have less hue intracontrast The illusion of depth is managed by the intercontrast between these regions ... The intracontrast of a painting expresses so called ‘atmospheric perspective’. This is an exaggeration of the atmospheric perspective found in a natural scene. Space in a painting is rarely as simple as that of a portrait (where the space is simple figure/ not-figure). The depth regions are sometimes difficult to discern and frequently interact with each other in odd ways. For example… see how in this painting the background wraps around the foreground. For example… see how in this painting the background wraps around the foreground. The different values of a landscape perform different tasks.

See how the dark tone is predominantly aligned along a diagonal... See how the mid tone is predominantly aligned along a horizontal... See how the highlight is scattered yet predominantly horizontal... See how the darks enhance the ‘root’ of the image... See how the point of highest saturation is held by the centre of interest (the ﬁgures)... See how the hue is spilt along a red / green axis (i.e. high antagonism) Here within a predominately green region, warm and cool greens have been employed. Here within a predominately green region, warm and cool greens have been employed. Here within a predominately green region, warm and cool greens have been employed. 4: How a Landscape Painting is Constructed II: - 2D Space - As well as going into the depth of a picture, space also ‘sits on top of it’ This is the picture plane or 2D space

See how their is a ‘spiral’ into the depth of the picture. But see how there is also a flat snake form down the face of the picture plane. The edges and corners are important parts of the picture plane. The four edges constitute the frame of the painting. As a landscape crosses these edges, they play a far more significant role in the painting than a portrait or still life. Placement of the landscape within these borders is especially difficult when the artist is painting from observation. Van Gogh made a sighting mechanism to aid in this placement. See how in a painting the centre is intentionally brightened. This is the typical ‘vista’

Average lightness distribution of paintings

Average lightness distribution of photos The vista can be understood as being a spiral hole drilled down the axis of the depth.

Average lightness distribution of paintings

Average lightness distribution of photos Usually, one top corner is lighter than the others. This enhances the spiral form of the vista

Average lightness distribution of paintings

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Average lightness distribution of photos For some reason, it is more often the case that the top right corner is the lightest corner. Why? I don't know.

Average lightness distribution of paintings

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Average lightness distribution of photos See how there is a hard border on the left and a soft border on the right. This enhances the spiral of the vista. See how there is a hard border on the left and a soft border on the right. This enhances the spiral of the vista.

Soft edge

Hard edge ‘Morning in Riesengebirge’ 1810 Caspar David Friedrich (1774 – 1840) The horizon line of this painting is exactly along the centre line. This is surprising rare in landscape paintings, the norm being…

‘Morning in Riesengebirge’ 1810 Caspar David Friedrich (1774 – 1840) … to place it quite low on the picture plane. This corresponds to ‘human normal’ (humans tend to look up slightly, which lowers the horizon line).

‘Dedham Mill’ 1820 John Constable (1776 – 1834) However, high placements are not unknown, their strength being to place the viewer more directly ‘in the action’.

‘Landscape with Philemon and Baucis’ 1625 Peter Paul Rubens (1577 – 1640) ‘The Red Vineyards in Arles’ 1888 Vincent van Gogh (1853 – 1890) We look at the points where major forms intersect the edges. These points rarely lay on the corners or the exact middles.

‘The Red Vineyards in Arles 1888 Vincent van Gogh (1853 – 1890 4: How a Landscape Painting is Constructed II: - 2D Space - 5: How a Landscape Painting is Constructed III: - Skies - Skies in paintings are either very dull, to act as a neutral backdrop for the landscape...... or wildly exiting. Either way they have a huge inﬂuence on the emotional impact of the landscape. Despite the precedent set by Giorgione, for most of art history the skies in landscapes were pretty dull… …Serving as little more than neutral backdrops assist which the human drama was placed.

‘Landscape With Funeral Of Phocion’ 1648-1650 Nicolas Poussin (1774 – 1840) In contrast, the Romantic painters placed a high importance on the sky as an active part of the painting: setting and enhancing the dramatic potential of the scene.

‘Among the Sierra Nevada Mountains’ 1868 Albert Bierstadt (1830 - 1902) Starry Nighty 1889 Van Gogh (1853 - 1890) Sunset on the Plains 1966 Frederic Whitaker (1891 - 1980) Street View 1896 Claude Monet (1840 - 1926) Here the painting has been desaturated, leaving only the Street View lightness values. See1896 how the sun is practically invisible? Claude Monet (1840 - 1926) Here the saturation (color intensity) values of the painting Street View have been isolated.1896 See how noticeable the sun now is? Claude Monet (1840 - 1926) In other words: the object boundaries have been deﬁned Street View through color intensity1896 (saturation) and not lightness. Claude Monet (1840 - 1926) This is a uniquely modern strategy, favoured heavily by the Street View impressionists. 1896 Claude Monet (1840 - 1926) Sunset on White Mountains 1861 Louis Rémy Mignot (1831 - 1870) Mignot was an American artist who died tragically young (aged 39). Ironically, his favourite subject was sunsets. He was associated with the Hudson River painters.

Sunset on White Mountains 1861 Louis Rémy Mignot (1831 - 1870 Lagoon of the Guayaquil 1863 Louis Rémy Mignot (1831 - 1870) Church at Dusk 1863 Louis Rémy Mignot (1831 - 1870) Twilight on the Passaic 1861 Louis Rémy Mignot (1831 - 1870) The Japanese Footbridge 1899 Claude Monet (1840 - 1926) 6: Hudson River Painters - Hudson River Painters -

Because they were good! The Hudson River painters were a coherent group of American Romantic painters who frequently painted around the Hudson River area, New York state. In my estimation, they represent the apogee of landscape art. I shall show a small selection of paintings by the following artists: Albert Bierstadt (1830–1902) Frederic Church (1826– 1900) Thomas Moran (1837–1926) Sanford Gifford (1823-1880) Thomas Cole (1801–1848) Hudson River Painters

Albert Bierstadt California Coast unknown Hudson River Painters

Here Bierstadt is painting directly into the light. Such a thing would not have been attempted before the advent of Romanticism. The color is very monotone: variants of orange / brown. The depth plane is very shallow: a simple FG / BG / Sky.

Albert Bierstadt California Coast unknown Hudson River Painters

Albert Bierstadt Day’s Beginning c.1854-1856 Hudson River Painters

Again, painting into the light. Different to the previous example, there is strong and clear depth plane separation: FG / MG / BG / Sky

Albert Bierstadt Day’s Beginning c.1854-1856 Hudson River Painters

Albert Bierstadt Study for Yosemite Valley Glacier Point Trail 1873 Hudson River Painters

Here the light is blooming, with the light hazing in the distance. Again, a single monotone is employed.

Albert Bierstadt Study for Yosemite Valley Glacier Point Trail 1873 Hudson River Painters

Fredrick Church The Andes of Ecuador 1855 Hudson River Painters

The sun is placed centrally, a very rare strategy. Also, a strong red / green axis has been employed.

Fredrick Church The Andes of Ecuador 1855 Hudson River Painters

Fredrick Church Sunset 1856 Hudson River Painters

A band of strong saturated yellow across the middle.

Fredrick Church Sunset 1856 Hudson River Painters

Fredrick Church Scene Among the Andes 1854 Hudson River Painters

Thomas Moran On the Berry Trail Grand Canyon of Arizona 1903 Hudson River Painters

Again, a very strong red / green. Such complementary pairs are very popular with artists, with red / green being the most popular.

Thomas Moran On the Berry Trail Grand Canyon of Arizona 1903 Hudson River Painters

Thomas Moran Green River Wyoming 1878 Hudson River Painters

Here the complementary pairs used have been yellow / purple. This is a rare combination in art.

Thomas Moran Green River Wyoming 1878 Hudson River Painters

Thomas Moran The Grand Canyon Hance Trail 1904 Hudson River Painters

Sanford Gifford Lake Scene 1861 Hudson River Painters

Sanford Gifford Road Scenery near Lake George 1849 Hudson River Painters

Sanford Gifford Mount Mansﬁeld 1859 Hudson River Painters

Thomas Cole The Subsiding of the Waters of the Deluge 1829 Hudson River Painters

Here the vista is ridiculously strong and overt.

Thomas Cole The Subsiding of the Waters of the Deluge 1829 Hudson River Painters

Thomas Cole Prometheus Bound 1846-47 Hudson River Painters There is a very strong tilted diagonal that terminates away from the exact corners.

Thomas Cole Prometheus Bound 1846-47 Hudson River Painters

Thomas Cole Romantic Landscape with Ruined Tower 1832-36 - END - Martin Constable