Landscape Painting：A History

SinceAntiquity,paintershavesoughttoportraythegloriesofnature,andmanyoftheirpictureshavebecomethebest-knownmasterpiecesinthehistoryofart.InthissweepingtreasuryofWesternart,distinguishedarthistorianNilsB?ttnerhaschosenpaintingsthatnotonlyportraynaturalvistasbutalsodramaticsceneswithpeopleandarchitecture.Hisbroadselectionofpaintingsinthisgenreconsistsmainlyofwell-knownworks,butsomeseldom-reproducedpicturesarealsoincluded.Thepaintingsarepresentedchronologically,beginningwiththeheritagefromtheancientworldandtheprecursorsoflandscapeartistsintheMiddleAgesandRenaissance,suchasLeonardodaVinci,GiovanniBellini,andRaphael.Thesixteenthcenturyheraldedanewperceptionoftheworld,reflectedintheworksofsuchmastersasAlbrechtD?rerandBruegel,asshown.Next,artistsofthefloweringageoflandscapesintheseventeenthandeighteenthcenturiesarefeatured,includingClaudeLorrain,NicolasPoussin,Rubens,Rembrandt,Fragaonard,David,andGainsborough.Intheearlynineteenthcentury,whichwasdominatedbythespiritofRomanticism,artistsbegantodisplayanewmanneroftreatingnature.TheserevolutionaryconceptionsofnaturearevividlypresentedwithexamplesfromConstable,Turner,Whistler,FredericChurch,Bierstadt,ThomasEakins,andWinslowHomer.Theseartistsarefollowedbyplein-airpainters,Impressionists,andPost-Impressionists,amongthemManet,Monet,Sisley,Renoir,C?zanne,Seurat,vanGogh,andRousseau.ArtistsrepresentedfromthetwentiethcenturyincludeMatisse,Picasso,Klee,Magritte,GeorgiaO?Keeffe,AndrewWyeth,andDavidHockney.Manyoftheextraordinaryworksarereproducedinfullalongwithadetailandaninformativecaption.Intheauthoritativetext,theauthortracesthehistoryoflandscapepaintinguptothepresentdaybutalsofocusesonindividualpaintingsandthecircumstancesunderwhichtheywerecreated.Alongwithadescriptionofapainting,thelucidtextexaminesthework?scultural,historical,andaestheticcontext.Theartoflandscapeartists,whichhaslongbeenanunder-publishedareaofarthistory,isfinallyandstunninglyrevealedinthisrichlyillustratedtributetotheirwork.Thisfreshvisionoflandscapeartistsiscertaintobewelcomedbyarthistoriansandmuseum-goers,aswellanyoneelseinterestedinWesternart.AUTHORNilsB?ttnerisaprofessorofarthistoryatDortmundUniversity.HeistheauthorofTheInventionoftheLandscape,theco-authorofseveralbooks,theauthorofnumerouscatalogessays,andacuratorofanumberofmuseumexhibitions.REVIEWS:"Assuredly,noonewilleverwritethedefinitivehistoryoflandscapethatwillpleaseeveryone,butNilsB?ttner,authorofTheInventionoftheLandscape,comesasclosetotheidealofwhatsuchahistoryofthegenremightbeinthisimpressivetome.Lavishlyandmagnificentlyillustrated,LandscapePainting:AHistorycoversarangeoftimethatbeginsinantiquityandendsinthepresent.Aswithanysuchcompendium,selectionmustoccur(whichiswhyB?ttnercallsit?a?historyandnot?the?history),butitmustatallcostsstrivetobeasinclusiveaspossible,andthishehasdonewithconsiderablethoughtandcare.Whateveryourpredilectionsandfavorites,thisisonebookthatisdestinedtobeafavoriteforagreatmanyaficionadosofthelandscapepainting."--ArtTimes(September,2006)Thispowerful,comprehensivehistoryoflandscapepaintingislavishlyillustratedwithreproductionsofpaintingsfromancienttimestothepresent...Strengthsinthisbeautifulvolumeareapparent.Textandillustrationsareskillfullyintegrated.Pictorialdetailsareintroducedwhereappropriate,eachsupportingtheother;theyenhancethetextsoreaderscanbetterunderstandandappreciatetheimage.Thetextitselfislucidaswellashighlyreadable.Illustrations,someunfamiliar,strengthenthescholarlypremisesthattheauthordevelops.B?ttnerapproacheshiscontentinanarrative,almostvernacularmanner,makingthisbookappealingintellectuallyaswellasaesthetically.HIGHLYRECOMMENDED.--ChoiceMagazine