Mountains on Canvas

European Artists

The Wanderer Above the Sea Fog 1818 Caspar David Friedrich

German artist Caspar David Friedrich traveled to various locations around the world to see natural beauty. He is known as one of the most prolific painters from the Romanticism Era. This is his most famous mountain painting. It depicts a man standing on a rocky outcrop overlooking a mountain range that is blanketed by fog. The painter uses casual brush strokes and brings out intense detail in the foreground. Many art critics thought the man in the painting was a depiction of the artist himself.

Mont Sainte Victoire (Courtauld) 1887 Paul Cezanne

French artist Paul Cezanne is one of the most iconic French painters in history. He helped to shape the evolution of art in the Post-Impressionist movement. He is known for painting many landscapes and mountains. Among his most notable paintings is this artwork depicting Mont Sainte Victoire, a massive limestone ridge in the south of France. The painting includes bright colors making the fields in the valley stand out from the bleak slope of the mountain.

Japanese Artist

South Wind, Clear Dawn (Red Fuji) 1832 Katsushika Hokusai

Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai was one of the most celebrated artists in Japanese history, Most of his artwork focused on natural settings like mountains and oceans. This is one of his most notable paintings that was part of a 36-painting series focusing on many different depictions of the legendary Mount Fuji in Japan. This artwork depicts the unique red coloration that Mount Fuji is known for in the right conditions at dawn. The artist’s paintings are not allowed to be sold outside of Japan but many of his paintings and copies of them got into the hands of American and European art collectors.

American Artists

The Heart of the Andes 1859 Frederic Edwin Church

American landscape artist Frederic Edwin Church was a member of the Hudson River School. Among his most memorable paintings was this artwork depicting a scene from the Andes Mountain ranges in South America. He traveled to the South American continent to capture the beauty of the mountain ranges. In this work, snow-capped mountains can be seen in the distance, and a cascading waterfall in the foreground. The valley stretches to the edge of the mountain range.

Looking Down the Yosemite Valley 1865 Albert Bierstadt

German-American landscape artist Albert Bierstadt was among the most brilliant landscape artists to ever create paintings. He was known for painting the most strikingly lovely landscapes in the US. Many of his paintings were of the Yosemite Valley and the surrounding mountains. This area was designated a National Park in 1890. This artwork took the artist many weeks to capture just the right display of light that reflected off the walls of the mountains on either side of the valley. He would venture to the valley every afternoon.

The Rocky Mountains 1863 Albert Bierstadt

German-American landscape artist Albert Bierstadt is known for his amazing landscapes, particularly his mountain paintings. This artwork depicts the Rocky Mountains in the western US. His paintings gave people an idea about what kind of land lay beyond the Mississippi River.

The Golden Hour 1875 Thomas Moran

American artist and printmaker Thomas Moran was known for his artwork created during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This artwork depicts the rugged mountain peaks against the golden glow of the setting sun. The painting depicts the mountains next to the Green River in southwestern Wyoming. The artist was known for his ability to blend a sunset with a mountain landscape.

Pass at Glencoe Scotland 1882 Thomas Moran

American artist and printmaker Thomas Moran created this artwork which is considered to be one of his masterpieces. In this painting, he depicts the famous mountain pass in the heart of Scotland. It features a rainstorm blowing across the distant mountains while a calm stream babbles in the foreground. The artist has blended the clouds and the weather to create a memorable scene as a cooling rain moves in.

The Voyage of Life, Childhood Thomas Cole

American landscape artist Thomas Cole is known for being the father of American landscape painting. He founded the Hudson River School in the early 1800s. This painting is among his most famous artworks done between 1844 and 1848. It features four distinct paintings representing a different stage in life. This painting depicts a majestic mountainous landscape featuring a boy who grows into an old man throughout the artwork. The boy is guarded by an angelic figure.

Scene from the “Last of the Mohicans” Cora Kneeling Kneeling at the Feet of Tanemund 1827 Thomas Cole

Unfortunately by the early 1800s many Native American people and tribes in the US were being pushed off of the lands they inhabited. This artwork depicts a scene from the famous novel “The Last of the Mohicans” by James Fenimore Cooper. He told the story of the Mohican tribe in a fierce struggle with settlers who eventually drove them off their homeland. The painting captures one of the most impressive scenes from the book when the Mohican tribe gathers at the foot of the White Mountain in New Hampshire. The tribe is gathered in a circle on the edge of a cliff at an overlook near White Mountain. It shows the changes of light and dark light of the setting sun upon the landscape.