Learning about Landscapes
 Click here for the interactive version! Have you ever noticed that artists use special tricks to make their pictures look like they are going back into the distance? Let's explore some of their tricks and tips. |
Horizon Line
The horizon is the line where the land or sea appears to meet the sky.If an artist wants us to feel like we are looking at the painting from
higher above, the horizon line will be put further up in the painting.
If an artist wants us to feel like we are looking at the painting from below,
the horizon line will be put lower down in the painting.
Aerial Perspective
Landscape paintings are split into 3 main parts: foreground, middleground and background.Land in the background appears more blue and pale than land towards the front. Artists makes things look further away by painting them a pale colour. They make things look closer by painting them a dark colour.
Linear Perspective
Artists give a feeling of distance by making the horizontal lines of objects and buildings meet at a 'Vanishing Point'. The point is placed on the horizon line. Objects in the distance get smaller as the lines move together.
Landscapes in the Gallery
There are lots of landscapes to see at the Birmingham Art Gallery!- 'Landscape Near Rome with a View of the Pont Molle' by Claude Lorrain.
The artist makes us feel as if the painting goes far back into the distance using aerial perspective. Colours in the background are much paler than those in the foreground.
- 'Rue a Pontoise' by Maurice Utrillo.
This landscape could also be described as a cityscape. The artist uses linear perspective in his painting, making the horizontal lines join together at the vanishing point.
- 'La Route avec Peupliers' (The Road with Poplars) by Maurice de Vlaminck, painted in 1920.
back
to top