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Photographic portrait of Gustav Klimt Photo sourced from

15 Most Famous Landscape Painters

Landscape painting as we know it is a genre of art that focuses on the depiction of natural scenery, such as mountains, valleys, forests, lakes, and rivers. This style of painting has over the years developed into one of the most used genres of painting with a very long history. It however started to be used most in the 16th and 17th centuries.

It is currently one of the most used genres of art in the world and has over the years produced some of the greatest painters throughout the centuries who have made names for themselves and influenced the world. Let’s take a look at some of the most famous landscape painters who have influenced the world with their works;

1. Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) 

Vincent van Gogh – Self-Portrait Photo sourced from

First on our list and perhaps the most famous landscape painter is Vincent Van Gogh. Although better known for his portraits and still lifes, van Gogh was also an accomplished landscape painter who used bold, vibrant colors and thick brush strokes to capture the beauty of nature.

What is outstanding about Van Gogh’s landscape paintings is that they are characterized by their vivid colors, expressive brush strokes, and a deep appreciation for the beauty and wonder of the natural world. One of van Gogh’s most famous landscape paintings is “Starry Night,” which depicts a swirling, starry sky above a small town in southern France.

Read more about him in Top 10 Interesting Facts about Vincent Van Gogh

2. Albert Bierstadt (1830-1902)

A portrait of Albert Bierstadt Photo sourced from

Albert Bierstadt was a German-American painter who is best known for his large-scale paintings of the American West and was heavily influenced by the Romanticism movement, which placed a strong emphasis on emotion, imagination, and the beauty of nature.

Bierstadt was also deeply interested in the natural world and frequently traveled to remote areas to sketch and paint his landscapes. His paintings also often feature dramatic landscapes with towering mountains, rushing rivers, and lush forests. He was also most known for his use of light and color to create a sense of depth and atmosphere.

3. Thomas Cole (1801-1848) 

Thomas Cole was an American painter who is considered to be the founder of the Hudson River School, a group of landscape painters who were inspired by the natural beauty of the Hudson River Valley and other regions of the United States. Cole’s landscapes are often characterized by their dramatic and romanticized depictions of nature.

Most of his paintings often feature lush forests, winding rivers, majestic mountains, and expansive skies. He also used a range of techniques to create these images, including strong contrasts of light and dark, intense colors, and careful attention to detail.

4. John Constable (1776-1837)

A portrait of John Constable Photo sourced from

John Constable was an English painter who is known for his romantic depictions of the English countryside, particularly the area around his home in Suffolk. He is most famous for his paintings of the English countryside, which he captured in a realistic and highly detailed style.

He was especially interested in the effects of light and atmosphere on the landscape, and his paintings often depict the changing weather and seasons. He is regarded as one of the greatest landscape painters of his time because he influences English art.

Read more about him here

5. Asher Durand (1796-1886) 

Asher Durand was an American painter who was a member of the Hudson River School and is known for his realistic and detailed depictions of nature, and for his use of light and color to create a sense of atmosphere and mood in his paintings.

Durand’s landscape paintings often feature dramatic scenes of the natural world, such as waterfalls, mountains, and forests. He was particularly interested in the way that light and shadow interacted with the landscape. He is one of America’s most remembered painters for his achievements in the art world.

6. Caspar David Friedrich (1774-1840)

Caspar David Friedrich was a German painter who is considered to be one of the most important landscape painters of the Romantic era. He is best known for his atmospheric and emotionally charged landscapes, which often feature solitary figures contemplating vast, awe-inspiring natural scenery.

Friedrich’s landscapes are characterized by their use of light and shadow, dramatic contrasts, and the intense emotions they evoke. He often painted forests, mountains, and seascapes, and his works are notable for their precise and detailed rendering of natural elements.

7. J.M.W. Turner (1775-1851) 

Joseph Mallord William Turner Self Portrait Photo sourced from

J.M.W turner or just William Turner was an English painter who is known for his dramatic, atmospheric landscapes, which often featured stormy skies and seascapes. His landscapes are also known for their luminous, atmospheric effects, and their ability to convey a sense of the sublime.

Turner’s painting style was characterized by loose brushwork, bold color, and an emphasis on the effects of light and atmosphere. Many of Turner’s paintings depict the natural world in a state of turmoil, with storms, fires, and other dramatic events dominating the composition.

Read more about him here

8. Claude Monet (1840-1926) 

Claude Monet was a French painter who is famous for his Impressionist paintings of gardens, water lilies, and the French countryside. Throughout his career, he produced a vast number of paintings that depicted the natural world, including gardens, countryside scenes, and coastal views.

Monet was interested in capturing the effects of light and atmosphere in his paintings. He would often paint the same scene at different times of the day or under different weather conditions to capture these effects. He was also interested in the changing seasons and how they affected the landscape. He remains one of the most renowned landscape painters.

9. Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986)

Georgia O’Keeffe Photo sourced from

Georgia O’Keeffe was a skilled landscape painter who captured the rugged beauty of the American Southwest. O’Keeffe was particularly drawn to the landscapes of the Southwest, where she spent much of her life.

Her paintings of the region’s mesas, canyons, and deserts are characterized by their bold, abstract forms and vivid colors. She sought to capture the essence of the landscape rather than its literal details, often focusing on the way light and shadow played across the terrain. She remains one of the only few female landscape painters.

10. Frederic Edwin Church (1826-1900) 

Frederic Edwin Church was an American painter who was also a member of the Hudson River School and is known for his sweeping landscapes of the American West and South America. He remains one of the most famous American landscape painters.

Church was known for his large-scale and more detailed paintings of natural landscapes and often featuring sweeping vistas and dramatic lighting effects. He traveled extensively throughout the Americas, Europe, and the Middle East, seeking out new and inspiring landscapes to paint

11. Gustav Klimt (1862-1918)

Photographic portrait of Gustav Klimt Photo sourced from

Gustav Klimt was an Austrian painter who is known for his Art Nouveau style and his landscapes, which often featured gold and other metallic colors. He was also a prominent member of the Vienna Secession movement.

Klimt’s landscapes are characterized by their decorative and ornamental style, which reflects his interest in the Art Nouveau movement. He often used bright colors and intricate patterns to create visually striking scenes that combined elements of nature with abstract forms.

Read more about him in 10 Best Facts about Gustav Klimt

12. Edward Hopper (1882-1967) 

Edward Hopper was an American landscape painter who painted landscapes that captured the solitude and beauty of the American countryside. Hopper’s landscapes are characterized by their starkness, simplicity, and sense of isolation.

He often depicted rural scenes, such as lighthouses, barns, and houses in the countryside. His paintings are known for their strong use of light and shadow, which create a sense of drama and emotion in otherwise simple scenes.

13. John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) 

John Singer Sargent Photo sourced from

John Singer Sargent was an Italian portrait and landscape painter who captured the beauty of the Italian countryside and the rugged coast of Maine. He had a great interest in nature and would often go on sketching expeditions in the countryside to capture the beauty of the landscape.

Sargent’s landscape paintings are characterized by his loose brushwork, bold use of color, and keen eye for detail. He was particularly interested in capturing the effects of light on the natural world, whether it was the dappled sunlight filtering through the trees, the shimmering reflection of water, or the golden glow of the setting sun.

14. Paul Cézanne (1839-1906) 

Paul Cézanne was a  French Post-Impressionist painter who is known for his landscapes of the French countryside, particularly the area around his home in Provence. Cézanne’s approach to landscape painting was characterized by a focus on the underlying structure and form of the natural world.

He believed that a successful landscape painting should convey the essential geometric shapes and volumes that make up the landscape, rather than simply replicating its surface features. He remains one of the best landscape painters in the history of art.

15. Camille Pissarro (1830-1903) 

A portrait of Camille Pissarro Photo sourced from

Last but not least is Camille Pissarro who was a French Impressionist painter known for his landscapes of the French countryside, particularly the area around his home in Pontoise. Pissarro was deeply interested in the natural world and spent much of his time painting landscapes, particularly rural scenes.

He was drawn to the effects of light and atmosphere on the landscape, and his paintings often capture the subtle shifts in color and light that occur over the course of a day. Pissarro was also interested in the social and political implications of landscape painting.