Landscape Painting: Essential Concepts and Techniques for Plein Air and Studio Practice
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Arrives
Friday, Nov 13
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At a glance
- Condition
- New
- Model
- RAX-30322
- Dimensions
- 9.33 x 0.79 x 11.3 in
- Weight
- 2.49 lb
- Publisher
- Watson-Guptill
- Publication date
- November 17, 2009
- Edition
- First Edition
Description
Because nature is so expansive and complex, so varied in its range of light, landscape painters often have to look further and more deeply to find form and structure, value patterns, and an organized arrangement of shapes. In Landscape Painting, Mitchell Albala shares his concepts and practices for translating nature's grandeur, complexity, and color dynamics into convincing representations of space and light. Concise, practical, and inspirational, Landscape Painting focuses on the greatest challenges for the landscape artist, such as: • Simplification and Massing: Learn to reduce nature's complexity by looking beneath the surface of a subject to discover the form's basic masses and shapes.• Color and Light: Explore color theory as it specifically applies to the landscape, and learn the various strategies painters use to capture the illusion of natural light.• Selection and Composition: Learn to select wisely from nature's vast panorama. Albala shows you the essential cues to look for and how to find the most promising subject from a world of possibilities. The lessons in Landscape Painting—based on observation rather than imitation and applicable to both plein air and studio practice—are accompanied by painting examples, demonstrations, photographs, and diagrams. Illustrations draw from the work of more than 40 contemporary artists and such masters of landscape painting as John Constable, Sanford Gifford, and Claude Monet. Based on Albala's 25 years of experience and the proven methods taught at his successful plein air workshops, this in-depth guide to all aspects of landscape painting is a must-have for anyone getting started in the genre, as well as more experienced practitioners who want to hone their skills or learn new perspectives. Read more
Specs 9
| Publisher | Watson-Guptill |
|---|---|
| Publication date | November 17, 2009 |
| Edition | First Edition |
| Language | English |
| Print length | 192 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 0823032205 |
| ISBN-13 | 04 |
| Item Weight | 2.49 pounds |
| Dimensions | 9.33 x 0.79 x 11.3 inches |
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Top Amazon Reviews
Wow-Amazing. One of the best books on painting.
Format: Hardcover
One of the best books on painting. Not just landscape painting, although that is all this book is about. You can tell this is a book written by an educator with 20+ years of experience, he is able to distill fairly complex ideas into understandable concepts. Chapter One sets the tone for the book. Simplification of Massing. Selection and Composition. Light and Color. This chapter gives a brief overview of where he is going. For those of you who are intermediate to advanced painters, you will find yourself alternately confirming long held unspoken thoughts and finding practical solutions to the unique problems presented by painting the landscape subject. For beginners, this is a book you will read many times and continue to gain insight as you gain experience. For painting is, in essence, an experiential process that needs an anchor of clear thought. This book is not only a how to (step one, step two, etc.) but a why do. How to books are easy to write as an artist, just photograph your work as you produce it. The why is much harder to write. For one thing it requires a lot more literary effort. ie. you need to have read a fair amount. There is no question that he he has been influenced by Carlson, Payne, etc. The book is filled with quotes from Hofmann, Monet, Maisel,...great example: "All color is no color"-Kenneth Clark. That is a perfect example of how this book is written for the intermediate to advanced painter. There is no way that would have made any sense to me as a beginner. It is only understanding composition and how color can be manipulated to move others through a painting. Know the importance of graying colors with complements to accentuate other colors. And the primary importance of value over color. (It took me ten years to learn that!!) You get the idea. Physically the book is beautiful. In an act of humility, his examples in the book are mostly from 36 other artist, many of whom are new to me. (I look forward to finding out more about some of these artist.) We see Chatham and Shils, a couple of modern day masters as well as Payne and Pinkham. Fantastic selection. We also get a nice selection of Mitchell's paintings, which are wonderful. The reproductions are top notch. This book is physically quite similar to Classical Painting Atelier by Aristides. Well thought out and well presented. It has been quite a while since I have seen such a book full of so much. Maybe Richard Schmid's was the last I found of such strong material. Addendum: It has been mentioned that this is a book for beginners. That being the case, if one were to understand and implement successful all that is in this book, you would be well beyond a beginner.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2009 by Rico Lebrun
A Complete Guide to Creating Better Landscape Paintings
Format: Hardcover
An excellent instruction book that covers all the basics, as well as discussing more advanced painting techniques in later chapters. From the start the author acknowledges that there is more than one way to make a successful painting, unlike many art books which use a "my-way-or-the-highway" approach to art instruction. The book also provides the best explanation I have read on how different artists approach color and the many different strategies employed to use color to create the desired effect. Using artwork examples by many different artists to highlight the concept or technique being discussed is much better than if the author had tried to "fit" something of his own or created something simply to illustrate the point being made. Excellent quotes from many artists and creative thinkers, as well as the author's insightful margin notes, are helpful and inspiring. The chapter on working with photographs and using digital effects as a tool for creating better paintings is refreshing. However, the book also acknowledges that photos and the computer are not replacements for painting outdoors, directly from nature, but provide a way to learn and grow as an artist using the tools currently available. The chapter on abstracting nature will be helpful to anyone who has yet to try pushing their paintings in this direction. One thing that would have made the book even better would have been to include more painting exercises, like the three on massing. However, this is a minor point. There is enough information for painters at any skill level, beginner to advanced, to study and then try out on their own.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2010 by DJC
Best instructional art book ever!
Format: Hardcover
If I could give this book 10 stars I would. I have probably read 10 art books in the past year and this is the best one by far. Mitchell Albala explains the fundamentals of creating art in a way that makes sense and gives examples to illustrate. I find myself going back to it again and again. Although the book is written primarily for landscape painting the principles can easily be applied to any subject and to any medium. If you were not lucky enough to go to art school or major in art in college, this book will fill in all the gaps. I know some of the other reviews criticized the book for not having the author's artwork on the cover. I disagree-the author's own work is very ethereal and would simply not make a good book cover, it has nothing to do with the author's own value as an artist. He's a very talented artist and lucky for us an even more talented art instructor. I would give just about anything to live nearby and take an art class from him. And it takes a confident, wise and student-driven person to use other artist's work to illustrate a point when he knows it will help his student more than using his own artwork. Thank you, Mr. Albala, for teaching me in this book all the things that my other art instructors didn't teach me but that I desperately needed to know!
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Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2012 by KJF
Useful detail
Format: Hardcover
Contains more than tha basics, which is useful for beginners and intermediate students.
Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2024 by Amazon Customer
An excellent instructional manual from a modern master
Format: Hardcover
I am a professional painter who specializes primarily in still lives. I was looking for a good book on landscape painting that would help elevate my plein air and studio landscapes to the next level. Based on Amazon readers reviews, I purchased this book and Suzanne Booker's Landscape Oil Painting book. This book is a FAR better manual on landscape painting. Both books feature examples of their own and other artists' work. In my opinion, Mr. Albana is a landscape painter of the highest level and his instruction is better organized and presented. Ms. Booker obviously admires his work as her book features many examples of Mr. Albana's work. Her book is not irrevelent and had some good pointers, but she is just not painting at the same level of sophistication and expertise as Mr. Albana. Mr. Albana's book has step by step instructions and examples, as if you were working with him in a workshop. I think the clarity of his explanations would be easily understood by a beginner or intermediate student, not just the advanced or professional artist. If you have to choose one book on landscape painting, this is IT.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2016 by sladeatlanta
Great book with useful concepts for painting
Format: Hardcover
We used/discussed this book for my art book club. Everyone loved it, and it had so many useful tips and hints. The artwork included is lovely and varied.
Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2025 by Suzanne L
Fantastic learning book
Format: Hardcover
Absolutely love how he explains and describes painting concepts. He uses wonderful examples to back up his descriptions on what makes a good verses great painting. An easy read, however it’s a lot to take in all at once. I’ve enjoyed reading a few chapters and then implementing what I’ve read in my own work, then going back for more. What he says works and I love seeing how it has improved my own work. I’ve been painting for years and it goes to show that you can teach an old dog new tricks. I highly recommend this book.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2023 by Daniel Harris
This Book's a Keeper
Format: Hardcover
It's not very often that I come across a book on painting which is both well written and well illustrated. Most painters aren't writers, which isn't surprising but whch makes their prose about the art of painting wooden and awkward. Not so with Mitchell Albala's book, Landscape Painting: Essential Concepts and Techniques for Plein Air and Studio Practice He writes fluidly and interestingly about the techniques of painting, and while his focus is on oils and acrylics, there is still much in his book for a watercolorist like me. The book is a valuable addition to your art book library, whether you are just starting out or have been painting for years. Albala understands his craft and has thought his way through his presentation. His chapters flow smoothly from one to the next, if you are following his train of thought, or you can pull individual chapters out for a quick refresher, on say, "Simplification and Massing" (Chapter 5) where he looks at the key concept of composition, and how to simplify your work to make it stronger, or "Light and Color" (Chapter 8) where he focuses on the difference between real light and painter's light, and how painters go about achieving the illusion of real light. The illustration he uses from his own work and the work of many other artists, are fine examples of his points. I am often pulled into his descriptions by the illustrations, as I flip through the book looking for an idea or a way into a particular landscape. Lastly, I really like the sidebars he includes in each chapter, with apt quotations from other artists and focusing text on an artistic element which adds depth and intensity to each chapter's focusing discussion. Landscape Painting: Essential Concepts and Techniques for Plein Air and Studio Practiceis a keeper.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2012 by J. Peter Prest