Travel Painting

Edwin Lord Weeks (American, 1849-1903), A Shepherd on a Hillside, Tetuan, 60.3 x 88.5 cm

Painting as a record of travel experiences was a popular genre of the 18th and 19th centuries. Colour photography has greatly reduced the desire for painted records; however, many artists find their work is reinvigorated by travel; and the sketchbooks they bring home may be a valuable resource for paintings.

Edwin Lord Weeks was an American, explorer and painter who specialised in Orientalist scenes encountered on his many travels.
A figure in local attire adds greatly to the evocation of place. 

Google Art Project

I found this work ('Rye') by the Russian painter Ivan Shishkin, on Google Art Project, a wonderful tool that allows you to zoom  in to incredibly high resolution images of art in Major Galleries around the world. It's possible to look at the brushstrokes as if you were peering at the painting only a few inches away from the paint surface. 

One thing that I noticed right away was how thinly the oil paint was applied in many of the 19th century works. Up close they appeared like watercolours in some areas. In comparison, 20th century paintings tend to have much thicker paint layers.

Close up, you can see finely spattered whitish paint in the sky near the horizon, giving the effect of hazy distance.

There's no substitute for seeing a real painting in a gallery, but this comes very close.

www.googleartproject.com

Alfred William Hunt

Wind of the Eastern Sea, by Alfred William Hunt (1830-96). Watercolour. England, 19th century.

Hunt balances the dark purplish shadows of the cliffs with the golden light of the sun on the horizon.

Kerry Martin

Lake Lea, High Country - 1, 70 x 70 cm

Dream

A dream-like depiction of the Australian landscape by Gordon Robinson. Though demonstrating a deep understanding of 'real' landscapes, this kind of painting draws from memory, imagination and dreams.

The stream leads us into the inner world.

Blue and mauve shadows are contrasted to yellow rocks and the stamens of native grass trees.

Prince Eugen

The Cloud, 1896
Prince Eugen was the son of the Swedish king and queen. He took up painting as a career, and was no mere royal dilettante. His parents, perhaps surprisingly for someone in his position, supported his decision.

Jungle Scene

Admiral Sir Edward Inglefield, The Blue Mountains of Jamaica, detail.