Landscape holds an important place in art history, both from an aesthetic and symbolic point of view. It represents a complex phenomenon that transcends the visual depiction of natural space. It traces the history of humanity’s connection to the landscape and its cultivation, and thus serves in artistic practice not only as a means of reproducing natural space, but also as a tool for expressing cultural, philosophical and emotional meanings.

Artists were driven by an effort to capture the formal characteristics of landscape, but also its symbolic and spiritual dimension, which reflected their inner world and social context. In the ancient conception of landscape and its artistic representation in the so-called Arcadian landscape, as well as in traditional Japanese art, the landscape was initially a bearer of philosophical and spiritual meanings. These depictions reflected the idea of the harmonious coexistence of humankind and nature, often as part of a broader cosmological vision. 

In Central European visual art, landscape was subordinate to narrative function and initially appeared mainly as a backdrop for biblical and allegorical scenes. A more significant emancipation of the landscape motif came with the Renaissance, when interest in perspective and realistic depiction of space led to the relegation of the human figure and the plot to the background. “Late Renaissance Mannerism tended towards everything strange and mysterious. Nature was like that. In addition to fantastic themes of bizarre creations and erotic subjects, artists turned their attention to landscape with unprecedented intensity.” Sociologist and ecological thinker Hana Librová sees Dutch art and the depiction of culturally familiar and agriculturally used landscapes as one of the most significant types of social perception of landscape. The landscape began to be depicted as an autonomous artistic motif, no longer composed in an ideal form, but realistically depicted. In the works of A. Dürer or P. Bruegel the Elder, for example, it also radiates a specific atmosphere and is firmly linked to everyday life. 

A fundamental change then came in the 19th century when, within the framework of Romanticism, landscape became a full-fledged means of expression. As part of the intellectual victory of emotion over reason, artists ceased to depict landscape merely as a specific place and began to imbue it with subjective meanings, emotions and spiritual transcendence. Thanks to direct contact in the form of pilgrimage, landscape came to be understood as a living, changing organism, a medium for exploring identity, roots and existential anchoring. 

Artists were motivated by a desire to capture the developments in the landscape as a result of social and environmental changes, and so landscape painting also took on a documentary and critical dimension. Prominent aestheticians of the time contributed to a shift in the critical evaluation of landscape painting, and critical perception began to focus not only on the aesthetic qualities of the work but also on its social and socio-documentary dimension. The landscape thus became an environment that reflected current social changes, including urbanisation and industrialisation. “For the Romantics, the bright contrast to the city is the landscape and the countryside, which is permanently connected with nature and the landscape… in some European countries, the cult of peasantry was reinforced for nationalist reasons. In Bohemia, too, the national revival was associated from the outset with the rural people, both in a factual and symbolic sense.” 

Another significant shift came with the Barbizon school. Its representatives left their studios and devoted themselves to realistic painting directly in the open air, thereby intensifying their interest in light, atmosphere and immediate impressions of nature. In the 20th century, landscape painting developed through various stylistic approaches, from realism to impressionism to abstraction. It thus became a means of expression for reflecting inner feelings, cultural values and current issues. The aesthetic experience offered by the landscape plays a fundamental role. The visual representation of the landscape is a means of evoking a mood or meditative state that allows both artist and viewer to engage in a deeper dialogue with nature, but also with themselves. Landscape is thus not only a motif but also a layer of meaning that opens up space for metaphysical and emotional reflection. Critics gradually abandoned the hierarchisation of genres and began to understand landscape painting as one of the possible expressions of complex cultural and individual experiences. 

Since the second half of the 20th century, landscape has been perceived as a cultural construct, a space where historical, political and environmental issues collide. In a globalised world, landscape has become a place of memory and a projection screen for personal and collective ideas. Contemporary professional discourse views landscape painting as a multi-layered genre that has evolved from the ideal of harmony, through the documentation of reality, to a space for experimentation and cultural interpretation. The significance of landscape painting thus lies not only in its artistic form, but also in its ability to articulate the changing relationship between humans and nature, landscape and themselves. 

In the Czech context, landscape painting in the second half of the 20th century and at the beginning of the 21st century, was often perceived as a non-conflictual and easily accessible genre. This image of landscape as an apolitical theme that did not provoke controversy dominated not only art criticism but also the general perception of the work. Landscape was understood primarily as a decorative or nostalgic motif that, at first glance, did not carry any significant social or political message.
However, this view has been changing in recent decades. On the Czech and international art scene, we can observe a renewed interest in landscape painting, which is once again attracting the attention of artists, galleries and both professional and lay audiences. Contemporary Czech and Slovak landscape painting builds on a long tradition of depicting landscape as a cultural phenomenon. But it enters into dialogue with new themes and media that have significantly changed the form and meaning of the genre. Landscape is no longer just an image of visual reality, but also a space for memory, political reflection and ecological concern. 

In the context of environmental aesthetics, landscape can now be perceived as a multi-layered cultural construct, a space for experience, interpretation and transformation. Landscape is not only a physical space, scenery or backdrop for human existence, but also a mirror of values, relationships and ways in which people perceive their place in the world. Even whether we perceive the landscape as beautiful or natural is conditioned by social norms, education and personal experience. Aesthetician and environmentalist Karel Stibral emphasises that “the aesthetic experience of nature is not merely a supplement to knowledge, but brings a dimension of meaning and deep emotional engagement to the relationship between humans and nature.” Hana Librová also draws attention to the issue of responsibility towards the landscape. It is not only about protecting natural values, but also about caring for the landscape as a space of meaning, home and continuity. However, this motivation often conflicts with a modern lifestyle focused on performance, consumption and mobility. In times of climate crisis and urbanisation, the painted landscape becomes a place of slowing down, renewal and confrontation with the changing relationship between humans and nature. Many contemporary authors build on the legacy of Romanticism or lyrical realism, but reinterpret it with an awareness of ecological uncertainties and cultural criticism. There is a noticeable shift from mimetic representation to an exploration of the phenomenon of landscape itself as a cultural and environmental construct. Landscape becomes a space for experimentation – a combination of gestural painting, conceptual approaches and performativity. From the perspective of fine art, landscape is not just a visual motif but a symbol. It can express belonging, loss, criticism and hope. The dialogue with landscape reflects not only aesthetic or emotional experience, but the entire value framework of society – its ideas about nature, home and the future.

At the Aleš South Bohemian Gallery, we are expanding the theme of landscape painting in our collection primarily through art symposia, a tradition we revived in 2018. These meetings represent an ideal form of artistic and gallery collaboration, opening up space for dialogue and cooperation between artists, galleries and curators managing art collections. The symposia build on the character and acquisition history of our collection, with the significant representation of landscape painting from its beginnings to the present day also setting a specific framework for their holding. The symposia take place mainly in the form of plein air painting and are situated in the picturesque landscape of the Šumava foothills. The collection of the Aleš South Bohemian Gallery reflects both traditional depictions of landscape and dreamlike, inner or conceptually conceived landscapes. The aim is to supplement the collection with the latest artistic approaches and diverse views of landscape in all its breadth and complexity. This approach has enabled us to establish cooperation with Tomáš Žemla, who accepted our invitation to a symposium in 2023 and spent a week with us in the foothills of the Šumava Mountains. 

Tomáš Žemla is undoubtedly one of the most prominent figures in contemporary Czech-Slovak landscape painting. In his work, he uniquely builds on the rich tradition of Central European landscape painting, moving between realistic depiction and a conceptual understanding of landscape as a cultural or spiritual phenomenon. Žemla’s work is not merely a record of what he sees, but rather a record of inner experience and a sincere exploration of the relationship between humankind and nature.
A characteristic feature of his paintings is the unique technique he has developed over the years. Each canvas is created by gradually applying tiny dots and lines of colour, a layered process that ultimately creates a specific visual structure. This raster is not only a compositional tool, but also the bearer of the painting’s inner rhythm. The painting thus captures a specific place, its atmosphere and luminosity, but at the same time seems to vibrate gently in the viewer’s consciousness, evoking the passage of time, the memory of the place and its spiritual potential. 

Žemla draws inspiration primarily from his immediate surroundings, the Slovak countryside, whose environment and structure are familiar to him. He observes with meticulous attention the landscape shaped by agricultural areas, narrow copses, rows of trees along roads and old orchards embedded in village urbanism. In addition to the visually appealing endless fields contrasting with the sky, his focus also turns to the strips of greenery between the fields – copses. Hedgerows are islands of life, often small but extremely valuable biotopes that concentrate the diversity of the landscape and provide a refuge for small animals, birds, insects and native plants. In an otherwise homogeneous agricultural landscape often marked by collectivisation, they function as stabilising elements, places for the restoration of biodiversity and ecological balance. In his research, Žemla approaches them as microcosms, small universes where not only biological but also visual diversity is concentrated. Their materialisation in images and objects is therefore not accidental, but refers to their importance and the need to reappreciate the value of what is seemingly marginal. 

Žemla’s work is also a quiet celebration of ordinariness. He sees beauty even in seemingly mundane elements of the landscape – in monotonous fields of grain, in hedgerows and wild fruit trees, or in the most common grasses. Where most of us would look away without interest, he finds subtle aesthetics, calm and tension. There is nothing insignificant in his paintings; everything has its place, rhythm and dignity. With exceptional attention and consistency, he is able to extract visually, emotionally and ecologically powerful motifs from familiar surroundings and then convey them. And when we look at the paintings, we ultimately see that they are synonymous with landscape – that, like landscape, we can no longer perceive them as a collection of forms, but as a living organism that is a source of contemplation and deep understanding.

Dita Kozler