Guide to Landscape Painting (Dover Art Instruction)

This book is often listed in the best books on art that appear online. Anyone who is worried about the age of this book-that was written in 1928 -or the fact that Carlson painted landscape in oils limiting its value to them if they work in other media can stop worrying. The language in it is of its time and a bit high-flown but quite readable and his enthusiasm for his subject carries you along. There is only one chapter on materials and equipment for plein-air painting in oils and this is peppered with good advice for painters in any medium. (However any painter in oils should beware of following Carlson's advice about or ways with solvents and toxic pigments . These now would be seen as both detrimental to their health and damaging to the environment .)Primarily this book addresses how to properly see landscape, why it looks as it does and how to make a painting of it. It is packed with observations and information that explains why some things work and others don't explained in a simple but memorable way. In it I discovered explanations for why some of my watercolours had worked and others did not and a lot of very cheering reinforcement for the way I tackle things.If you want help in getting clouds and skies to look right, getting your trees to look convincing or are struggling to convey depth in your landscapes you will probably find useful information and solutions in this brilliant book. (I was especially cheered by seeing where I had accidentally hit on one of his recommendations and now understanding why it made a good painting, so I can consistently repeat it in future.)I am unsure how much benefit a complete beginner would get from this book, although it was originally developed as a text book for Carlson's art students. I think anyone who wishes to progress in their approach to landscape would get a lot from it though.The fact it is illustrated in black and white was not a problem for me as this is not a step by step book, however I found the copious explanatory diagrams to be very informative and useful. There are some parts of the book I think can safely be ignored, the early 20th century idea of Art was very different to how it is now and the author was a painter of his time espousing contemporary philosophies.However there is so much in this book that is useful that I really do wish I had discovered it years ago and recommend it to any painter of landscape as essential reading.

I first read this book while staying with a friend in San Diego - and it kept me up half the night! I was allowed to read it on the strict understanding that it didn't go home with me!My reason for reading it was because I'd read about 'Carlson's Guide to Landscape Painting' for years in internet art forums - it's regarded as the absolute standard for traditional instruction on landscape painting. When I came to read for myself I quickly began to understand why people raved about it - and lamented when I had to leave because I'd never seen it for sale in an art bookshop in England.Which is where the wonders of the Internet and Amazon comes in - I was able to order a copy for myself and it's now prominent in my collection of books about landscape painting.One thing - you need to understand this book was written a long time ago. I think it was first published in 1929 - and in those days the language used for art instruction was rather different. This is also not a big picture book - it only includes monochrome illustrations and there's not a lot of those. Which means that this book will come as quite a big shock to the system for those who are only used to modern art instruction books.That doesn't make any of its content any less valid - you just have to adjust to a different approach to instruction and a different way of saying things.Plus keep reminding yourself of two facts:1) Having fewer illustrations means that there are MORE words covering MORE topics. This is emphatically not a dumbed down book! It's excellent in its coverage of topics relevant to landscape painting2) This is a book which has stayed popular for the last 85 years because it's a very good instruction book which people keep buying!

I was recommended this book on an art course run by the Federation of Canadian Artists. One of the instructors, Michael Workman, recommended this book, and I must say that my painting has improved no end as a result of reading it. Not only that, but I can now 'see' better - as in I no longer look at a sky and see that it is bright blue, but actually notice the lightening of colour at the horizon etc... It has also helped me distinguish tones better and given me renewed enthusiasm.Not everything is still relevant. For example, the glazing medium the author recommends in this book uses ingredients I have not been able to obtain, at least not in England, but then there have been a lot of new products on the market since the book was published, and today it is easy to buy a glazing medium already mixed and ready to go. Thus I don't think small issues such as this should put you off.I bought the Kindle version, which displays very well on the Fire, but the photos are not in colour anyway, so even with a different type of Kindle, you will not be held back. I can thoroughly recommend it, especially on a Kindle, which makes it easy to highlight passages without trashing the book.

Reads like an art college lecture. Full of personal insight but marred by early 20th century language and phraseology. No colour illustrations - just black and white - although I didn't find this a problem.This is a good book for a would-be artist who is already experienced in the practical technicalities of painting. You will not find any paint mixing recipes or 'how to' direction. But you will find guidance in the problem areas of producing art.

One of the best tutorial books I have ever purchased or used. I would highly recommend this book to students or self-developers in the world of art. Many modern books are very prescriptive in their 'teachings' and rely on photographs to back up the theory / techniques. Carlson's book has very few and those that made it into print are in black and white. The value of the book is in the way it is written; easy to understand, encouraging experimentation, facts without frills. In fact, Carlson takes the time, like a kindly parent, to explain the why's, what-if's, how's etc. I bought this edition as a kindle book so that I have access to it at anytime when away from home.

Let’s get this out of the way - this book is in BLACK & WHITE. It was printed in the 20’s. Any reviews that give this book a low rating because of that is a reflection of the reviewer being unable to read the details of the product.With that out of the way, this is indispensable to anyone who seeks to paint nature. Ruskin praises the Pre Raphaelite Brotherhood for “putting nothing in, leaving nothing out”. Carson fundamentally disagrees - he asks us to look at our view, discern the essential motif and then arrange the structure of the painting around that motif. He states that nature is rarely beautiful of itself - it must be arranged to make it so. Such profound thinking is then added to by layers of essential detail, from a life of observation and narrow eyed study.One can disagree with much of what he writes - for example, his recommendation of Rose Madder is totally out of date given that other, less fugitive, versions are available, but take the golden pieces of advice and leave the things aside that don’t fit with you. But buy the book and make the most of it. It will improve your sight, your vision and your painting.

Lots of useful information but seriously limited by all images being in black and white.

Very good book explaining how to construct a great composition from many a perspective

I found it to be a clear, concise and authoritative guide to landscape painting. A little old school and the plates are in black and white, but looking beyond that, it's a gem of a guide to painting landscapes. Line, form, composition, value and colour are all well covered together with sections on difficult subjects such as clouds and trees. It explains in precise language several advanced concepts that have made me look at my own paintings in a completely new way. Already I'm seeing improvements that came from directly from this excellent book. I ordered it based on a recommendation by James Gurney.

Que decir de este libro. Es la biblia de la pintura paisajística. Casi los “grandes” actuales se basaron en él. Eso si, es del año de la pers, es totalmente en blanco y negro, nada de step by step, teoría pura y dura. Un tostòn, que merece la pena.

日本語に翻訳されていない本なので、読むのに時間がかかります。まだ半分も読み進んでいませんが・・・絵画の勉強には素晴らしい本だと思います。

Carlson really gets to the grass roots of all things involved in painting landscapes. He tells things only learned in an art class and after years of painting experience. Due to the culture at the time of writing I found some passages had to be read over and over again so as not to misinterpret the meaning and I had to keep a dictionary beside me for some of those lesser used words. A compendium of information to keep on hand at all times.

C'est sûr, il faut lire l'anglais et surtout, il faut lire car tout se trouve dans le texte. Ce n'est pas un livre moderne rempli de "pas à pas" plus ou moins réussis, mais un livre essentiel de conseils écrits par un grand maître du paysage. Vraiment un très grand livre pour les amateurs de peinture réaliste de paysages.NOTA. Les quelques repros de tableaux sont en noir et blanc. Mais on peut trouver des reproduction sur le net.