Mountain Art for Sale

Only in modern times did European artists come to see mountains as enchanting landscapes, or encounter their dauntingness with awe and wonder. Previously, the mountain signalled to viewers what it would signal to the wary traveller: a dangerous wilderness, an obstacle to be overcome or circumnavigated.

As the landscape became formalized as a tradition in modern art, mountains took on central roles in framing subject matter. In German Romanticism or British landscape painting for example, mountains came to signal dramatic visions of nature, or become part of the standard visual lexicon of painted landscape.

Some of the most well-known innovations in mountain painting came from the American Hudson River School. Inspired by European romanticism, paintings by artists like Albert Bierstadt portrayed rocky hillsides and idyllic mountains alike as opening the way to the Western frontier.

In Japanese art, the mountain landscape has figured prominently as an artistic subject. Hokusai's series of prints Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji are some of the most memorable mountainscapes in art history.

Mountain photography was pioneered by adventurers, like the mountaineer Vittorio Sella, and carried on by famous landscape photographers like Ansel Adams. Today, the photo artist Hengki Koentjoro works in the shadow of Michael Kenna, creating dramatic, monochrome portraits of the East Asian landscape.

Decorating Your Walls with Mountain Art

Mountain art comes in all shapes and sizes, and are not strictly characteristic of any single stylistic attitude or design aesthetic.

Artworks by Alex Strohl and Daniel Kordan feature the Rückenfigur - or figure seen from behind. This is the same classic motif of Caspar David Friedrich's famous mountainscape portraits, featuring solitary, windswept figures staring off of mountaintops or precipices. Such works, as well as the majestic Alpine views provided by Rudolf Rother, combine well with a decor concept which emphasizes adventure, or the mountaineering spirit. Such works are well-placed as home office artworks, or as staircase wall art, where they will have the opportunity to captivate and inspire.

Pastel art introduces soothing accents and soft colors into a decor concept. The majestic pastel mountainscapes by Kate Shaw are well-placed as part of your childrens' room art design, and would be suited to any space which could benefit from inspiring and luminous accents.

The sun rising or falling over the mountains is one of the most popular motifs of mountain-themed art. Sunset art featuring mountains is an intersection of central photographic preoccupations, like the outdoors, natural lighting, and the landscape. Atmospheric, sun-soaked works by Peter Adams are stunning as large format prints, and make a bold choice for a living room art decor.