Alfred De Breanski Snr

Widely regarded as one of England’s most accomplished landscape artists, British painter Alfred de Breanski Sr. is known by collectors for his realistic depictions of the rugged, isolated beauty of the Scottish Highlands and Welsh mountains.

Born in 1852 in Greenwich, England, de Breanksi grew up in an artistic family. His elder brother was the noted seascape painter Gustave de Breanski and his younger sister Julie trained as an artist.

Many of de Breanksi’s paintings feature animals such as sheep and cattle, which he painted grazing along the grassy banks of the River Thames or in the undulating fields of Wales and Scotland. He was influenced by the likes of renowned British painter John Constable, making similar use of texture, light and color in his landscape paintings. 

De Breanski debuted his works at the Royal Academy in London in 1872, where he continued to exhibit until 1918. He also showcased at the Royal Institute of Oil Painters and the Royal Cambrian Academy in Wales.

In 1873, de Breanski married Welsh painter Annie Roberts, and together they had seven children. Two of their children — Alfred de Breanski Jr. and Arthur de Breanski — would follow their parents’ footsteps and become artists. In 1880, de Breanksi became a Freeman of the City of London, and in 1928, he died in London.

Today, de Breanski’s paintings can be seen in museums and galleries throughout Britain, including at the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle upon Tyne, the Southampton City Art Gallery and the Brighton Museum and Art Gallery in Brighton and Hove.

On 1stDibs, find a range of Alfred de Breanski Sr. paintings.

It could be argued that cave walls were the canvases for the world’s first landscape paintings, which depict and elevate natural scenery through art, but there is a richer history to consider.

The Netherlands was home to landscapes as a major theme in painting as early as the 1500s, and ink-on-silk paintings in China featured mountains and large bodies of water as far back as the third century. Greeks created vast wall paintings that depicted landscapes and grandiose garden scenes, while in the late 15th century and early 16th century, landscapes were increasingly the subject of watercolor works by the likes of Leonardo da Vinci and Fra Bartolomeo.

The popularity of religious paintings eventually declined altogether, and by the early 19th century, painters of classical landscapes took to painting out-of-doors (plein-air painting). Paintings of natural scenery were increasingly realistic but romanticized too. Into the 20th century, landscapes remained a major theme for many artists, and while the term “landscape painting” may call to mind images of lush, grassy fields and open seascapes, the genre is characterized by more variety, colors and diverse styles than you may think. Painters working in the photorealist style of landscape painting, for example, seek to create works so lifelike that you may confuse their paint for camera pixels. But if you’re shopping for art to outfit an important room, the work needs to be something with a bit of gravitas (and the right frame is important, too).

Adding a landscape painting to your home can introduce peace and serenity within the confines of your own space. (Some may think of it as an aspirational window of sorts rather than a canvas.) Abstract landscape paintings by the likes of Korean painter Seungyoon Choi or Georgia-based artist Katherine Sandoz, on the other hand, bring pops of color and movement into a room. These landscapes refuse to serve as a background. Elsewhere, Adam Straus’s technology-inspired paintings highlight how our extreme involvement with our devices has removed us from the glory of the world around us. Influenced by modern life and steeped in social commentary, Straus’s landscape paintings make us see our surroundings anew.

Whether you’re seeking works by the world’s most notable names or those authored by underground legends, find a vast collection of landscape paintings on 1stDibs.