Article: The New Scene of Landscape Art

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Apr 25, 2025

The New Scene of Landscape Art

Landscape is a truly enduring theme in art. It can be seen hanging on the walls of art novices, established collectors and just about everyone in between in some form. Whether it’s a painting, a print or a photograph, landscape art is not just a reflection of the world around us, but a deeply personal and emotional expression of how we connect with nature.

But recognising landscape as an art subject in its own right is a relatively recent phenomenon in art history terms. Until the seventeenth century, landscapes were reserved for portrait backgrounds or art centred around myth, religion or history. Throughout the centuries, landscape styles have expanded – from classical and naturalistic to the growth of urban and industrial imagery.

Today, landscape art is experiencing a powerful resurgence. The genre is being reimagined with fresh purpose, whilst retaining its ability to move, inspire, and reconnect. Here, we spotlight a selection of contemporary landscape artists who are using innovation, storytelling and sensitivity to light and mood to invite us into immersive, soul-stirring visions of place and memory.

Featured Art (L-R): 'Give Us Peace' and 'Waiting' by Lawrence Coulson.

Richard Rowan

Oil painter Richard Rowan creates captivating landscapes on glass using a pioneering reverse painting technique.

Developing this sub-genre of contemporary landscapes over decades, Rowan meticulously hand-paints each landscape to recreate moments that may have otherwise been missed.

In his spectacular Spring 2025 collection, A Tale to be Told, Rowan blends giclée printed foregrounds with individually hand-painted backgrounds, making each individual artwork one of a kind. Travelling the world for inspiration, Rowan pushes himself to adapt his methods to capture new subjects from around the globe. This collection of unique pieces depicts the ever-changing Scottish landscape, immortalising fleeting moments in nature.  

Rowan captures the dynamic beauty of the sky; from auroras that light up the night, to the Milky Way stretching overhead, to fiery sunsets, soft sunrises and dramatic rolling clouds. Finding that the landscape shifted minute by minute, each of the paintings captures the same image, observing how one scene can change so vastly throughout the days and months. Although the viewpoint of each piece may be the same, each has its own mood and personality.

“This collection is about escapism – the feeling of standing somewhere so vast and untouched that everything else fades away.”  Richard Rowan

Featured Art (L-R): 'A Tale To Be Told XV' by Richard Rowan. The artwork is hand-signed mixed media oil on glass uniques by Richard Rowan.

Lawrence Coulson

Combining lifelike details with imagined scenes, Lawrence Coulson creates romantic landscapes that allow viewers to write themselves into the story.

Known for his incredible attention to detail, Coulson experiments with bold colours and elements of surrealism to ensure that his works never become so refined that they no longer look like paintings. The sky often fills the majority of the canvas, reminiscent of the 17th century Dutch artists Jacob van Ruisdael and Meindert Hobbema.

Whilst the sky remains a key part in setting the scene in his stunning Summer 2025 collection, Coulson has focused intensely on the micro details in the foreground of the paintings to demonstrate the relationship between the mighty landscape and humankind. This was inspired by the likes of John Constable and J.M.W Turner, both of whom worked on a grand scale to express the power of nature with atmospheric qualities.

This ability to capture the realism and mood of a scene is in Coulson’s blood. His father, Gerald Coulson, was a globally successful landscape painter. He was placed in The Fine Art Trade Guild’s Top Ten Best-Selling Artists fifteen times – three times at number one – making him one of the most widely collected and highly regarded artists in the world today.