Landscape with a Flock of Sheep 

Thomas Gainsborough painted this landscape scene with oil on canvas sometime in the late 18th century. Look closely, and you’ll see his brushwork isn’t about capturing the precise details of nature; instead, he suggests forms with loose strokes, creating a sense of atmosphere. Gainsborough was known for his portraits, but he yearned to be recognized for his landscapes. While portraits brought in the money, landscapes were seen as a higher form of art. Think about the labor involved, though. A portrait captures a moment in the life of a wealthy patron, while a landscape, like this one, romanticizes rural life, obscuring the labor of the shepherd and the realities of agricultural work. Gainsborough used painting, a traditional fine art technique, to create a vision of nature that was far removed from the economic realities of his time. So, the next time you look at a landscape painting, remember to consider not only what is shown, but also what is left out.