The great Italian painters Giorgione and Titian were admirable in landscape. Annibale Caracci and Domenichino have left excellent pictures in this department. But as if the ugliness of the country stimulated its natives to study all the aids which make an ordinary scene picturesque, it was in Flanders and in Holland that landscape painting was most celtivated. In the school of Van Eyck, the back grounds are often elaborately imitated from nature : Joachim Patenier tb. 1497) and Berri do Illes (b. 1130, d. 1550) executed works in which the landscape claims an independent exietence, and the figures have already become accessories. Jan Breughel, or " Velvetallreughel," as has been mentioned, copied with wonderful minuteness all the variety uf ver,,eetation. Contemporary with Annibale Canted there lived at Rome a Flemish artist, Paul Bril tb. 1551. (1. 16261, who forms a sort of link between the landscape painters of the north and south.
In that kind of landscape the excellence of which consists in gran deur and the form of the large masses, Nicolas Poussin led the way. Ito was followed by Gaspar Duget, or Pouasin (b. 1600, d. 16631, and Sebastian Bourdon (b. 1616, d. 1671). Claude Gelu$e was a native of Lorraine ib. 1600, dal 682); he was first educated by A. Tami, a scholar of Paul Bril, but nature, and uature alone, taught him to tinge hie graceful forms of foliage and his rippliug water with the cool pearly hue of morning, or the rich glow of an Italian evening. His pictures acquired in his lifetime the value which they have over since maintained.
The style of Claude reacted on the Low Countries'. Hermann Swanevelt (h. 1620, d. 16801 was Ilia pupil : John lloth (b. 1010, d. ]8S0) and Adam Pynacker (1). 1621, d. 1673) were painters of the same ehara ter. 'Ile Dutch landscape painters kept rimer to Northern nature ; such are the works of John van Goyen (b. 1596, (I. 1656) ; generally low sea coasts, executed in a brown transparent tone. An. thouy Waterloo (b. 1619, (1. 1000) is better known by hie admirable etchings than by him pictures.
The genius of Rembrandt exercised considerable influence over landscape ; and he was admirably followed by his pupil Philip do liluninek (b. 161e, d. 1639), who in broad, open, flat landompee, often equalled, and semetimes nurpaesell, Rembrandt Iiiineelf. But the leaders of this particular were Jacob Ittlyedael Os 1035, /1. 1651) and his pupil Nindert llobbeina (b. 1611). The beat works of these mietera carry us Into the depth of the forest, and convey that sort of lonely feeling which retired woodland scenery imparts. Albert Ever. dingen (b. 1021, d. 1675) gave his pictures more of the Norwegian character, and often painted water-falls and pine-formts.
We have mid nothing of the pastoral aide of landscape, in which Nicolas Berghem (b. 1621, d. 1683), Albert Cuyp (b. 1600), Carl du Jaralin (b. 161S, d. 1078), and Adrian van der Velde (b. 1639, 0. 1672),
excelled. Philip Wouvermane (b. 1620, d. 166S) pursued a line pecu. liar almost to himself, or in which at least he has no rival. lie exe cuted battles, fairs, halts of cavalry, and all scenes in which hones occur, with truth and delicacy.
The most eminent marine painters were Bonaventum Peters (b. 1614, d. 1652), Ludolf Ilackhuyseu (b. 1631, d. 1709), and William van tier Veldo (b. 1610, d. 1693). John Fyt (b. 1625, th 1700), and John Weenix (b. 1644, d. 1719), tainted animals ; while De Heem, Van Schrick, Vromans, and others, devoted themselves with equal zeal to painting flowers, bisects, &c., Ds f icem being, all things considered, the first iti his line.
In the 13th century, painting was in Flanders and Holland as coldly imitative and conventional as elsewhere. Adrian and Pieter van der Werff, and Hendrick van Limborch, produced academically correct historical pictures ; Jacob de Wit displayed extraordinary dexterity in making his canvases look like bronze relievi ; the elder Van Micris painted portraits and flowers ; the younger wrought mythological sub jects and poultry yards ; the Van Nickelens, father and son, painted architecture and landscape; and Van Huysuin flowers, with a truth and taste only inferior to De Heem. The schools of Belgium and Rolland were somewhat late in arousing themselves from the slumber into which they had fallen in the last century ; but at the present time painting is nowhere more earnestly and diligently, nor in some of its branches more successfully followed, than in Belgium.
(The most recent and comprehensive general survey of the history of the Northern schools, is Kugler's ' Handbook of Painting : German, Flemish, and Dutch Schools,' as recast by Waagen, Lond. 1860. See also Cavalcaselle and Crowe's Notices of the Early Flemish Painters ;' Sandra-Vs Academia ;' Descamps, 1.4.1 Vie des Pcintres Flamands, Allemands, et Hollonclais; Par. 1753; ' Ilistoire de In rein titre Flamande et Hollondaiee,' Bruxelles, 1345-6; ' Hint. de l'Ecolo Flamande; Bruxelles, 1856 ; and Wornum's Epochs of Painting.') The Spanish School fve Pointing cannot be carried back farther than the first half of the 13th century, though it is certain that miniatori were employed in illuminating manuscripts as early as the 10th and 11th centuries. The cradle of Spanish painting was Toledo. The Castilians borrowed something from the Byzautines, with whom they had much intercourse. But, as might be expected, the Flemish painters exercised a far more powerful influence in Spain. Two Flemish painters are especially singled out : Maestro Rogel (who was in Spain in 1445), who is identified by some with Rogier van der Weyden ; and Juan Flamenco (1496), whom some, without much reason, suppose to be liens Mending. Somewhat later, Titian, who spent some years in Slain in the service of Charles V., helped to mould the Spanish painter-1s' principled of colour.