Research point - Landscapes of Durer, Lorrain & Lowry

It was not until the 15th century that landscape painting became a genre it its own right, in the western world,  prior to the this landscapes were just garnish in medieval painting of biblical scenes. Durer is considered one of the first western artist of the this period to produce both paintings and drawings of landscapes.

Most of his landscapes appear to have been done in water-colour, and in my opinion, the colour is a lot more intense than the I would have expected for the period.

 My sketch of Durer's View of Katchreuth near Nuremberg 1511

Particularly like the "sketchbook" quality of this landscape some of the other landscape that I could find have overly composed feel about them (e.g. Landscape with woodland pool 1496).  Certainly get a better feel for Durer's abilities as a draughtsman through is animal drawings than I do in his landscapes

Much prefer Lorrain's Landscapes to Durer's (not suggesting that Lorrain is better artist). But again, given the fashion/ tastes of his time,  I find the compositions a little too polished, beautiful building offset by a tree set off centre in the foreground ( e.g., Landscape with the Nymph Egeria)

Two drawings of his pen and ink drawings that I particularly like,  again both have the appearance of sketch, are  A group of trees in sunlight and Landscape.  Would not be surprised if Van Gogh had be influenced by such drawings.


My sketch  of  Lorrain's A group of trees in sunlight:

Lowry landscapes unlike the early artists are less, if at all  romanticised and tell us the viewer about life in a northern industrial city, figures are very evident in his work conveying the hustle and bustle of the life in such a setting as oppose to the solitude of country landscapes with odd figure. His work is very much about the interaction of the setting with the people in it.

My sketch of Lowry's The canal bridge 1949