Father of Landscape Painting: Origins, Masters & Modern Techniques

When working with father of landscape painting, the honorific given to the early pioneer who defined how natural scenery is portrayed on canvas. Also known as originator of landscape art, this figure set the rules for light, atmosphere and composition that still guide artists today. The most widely recognized Claude Lorrain, a 17th‑century French painter whose luminous vistas created the template for the whole genre is almost universally called the father of landscape painting. His calm, hazy horizons inspired British giants like John Constable, the 19th‑century master who brought stormy skies and muddy fields into realistic focus, and later innovators who mixed figures into scenery, a topic unpacked in our guide on people in landscape paintings. At its core, landscape painting, the practice of depicting natural environments with paint depends on tools such as oil painting, the medium that lets artists layer translucent glazes for depth and richness. The Goya technique, for example, shows how dramatic underpainting and glazing can heighten mood—an approach first recorded in Lorrain’s sunrise studies. Understanding these links explains why the “father” title still matters when a digital creator turns a photo into an NFT or a photographer debates whether a mountain shot counts as fine art. The legacy connects history, materials, and modern practice in a single thread.