An artist’s goal is to convey some sort of message through their work. While in theory this seems simple, a lot of thought goes into every detail presented in a piece of work. Looking at Art by Alice Elizabeth Chase discusses the influence that region and culture have had on art during different time periods and how they compare to one another. Details some may take for granted are well thought out decisions made by the artist. Landscape painting is found in many different cultures, but each one approached it in a unique way. Chase addresses this by stating, “Scenery varies in different parts of the world. Ways of looking at it and painting it vary even more.” (19)
Chapter 3 expresses the importance of landscape painting and how it developed and changed throughout history. Chase begins in ancient times and discusses how landscape paintings were more like maps. They conveyed exactly what was there even if it didn’t look as realistic or accurate. As time went on landscape painting served other purposes. The Romans would use them to tell stories about captured land and to create the idea of a pleasant, carefree countryside to city dwellers while other countries used landscape as a way of admiring the work done by God. The Chinese, for example, painted in only black ink but still illustrated detailed mountainous views with the use of different brush strokes and shades. They often paired their work with a poem in order to show appreciation for it. Chase states that the Chinese thought landscapes to be the most important subject to paint because they conveyed “both the moods of man and the infinity of God” (21)
The religious aspect to painting landscapes was not limited to the Chinese. A solid gold or black background traditionally backed medieval paintings of saints and other religious figures in the West. As the North and South developed more worldly views they began using landscapes to back these figures in order to fully tell the story behind them. This is backed by religious concept that God is the creator of all of nature and by painting it; you are painting God within your work. In other regions, this appreciation for the land not only branches from religion but also nationalism. Chase writes about Dutch artists who painted the landscape because they loved their country and they were fascinated by the different views of it. This is also seen once the United States became a country. Artists in these places used their work to take pride in the land they occupied and to show the beauty of it to the world.
Chapter 4 discusses the methods used throughout time to depict space, distance and dimension. Chase again begins with ancient times, describing how Egyptian and Mesopotamian artists told stories within their paintings without them being realistic or physically accurate. The artists drew mostly profiles of people as they did everyday tasks. The paintings did not show depth and often had figures that overlapped. The artists of this time did not use size to show accuracy but rather used it to illustrate the importance of certain figures. The Greeks and Romans on the other hand tried to make their paintings as realistic as possible even if they ended up not being scientifically correct. It was not until medieval times that science made its way into the painting of depth and space. Artists began to study different perspectives and laws that “govern the relation of sizes and shapes as they appear in space.” (45). Even with the newfound knowledge there were still errors that were unaccounted for. By the 17th century paintings became more accurate and correctly used parallel lines and a vanishing point to depict a scene realistic to what the eye would show.
-Kristy Carlin
