Soil in Art. Its Representation in Naturalistic Painting of the 17th and 19th Centuries

Soil has rarely been represented as the central object in the art of painting. Its occasional presence on canvases appears to be accidental, not depicted for itself but as a subordinate element of the landscape. In pictorial works, it is more frequently shown on its surface and rarely seen in profile or with the details that interest soil scientists. However, exceptionally, certain pictorial works show striking images of the soil, even allowing us to recognize its horizons and other soil features, which can be interpreted with today’s knowledge. In the history of Western art, we observe that this has occurred coinciding with the periods in which naturalistic landscape painting developed. At such times, artists more frequently left their studios to take sketches from nature and, occasionally, to execute complete works outdoors, capturing details of reality not perceived in other artistic periods, including subtle characteristics of the soil. This would first occur in the 17th century, in the landscape art that emerged in the Nordic countries, and particularly in Dutch painting. This would later occur in the 19th century, especially in the landscape painting movements manifested in the so-called English School, the Barbizon School, and the Hague School. This article identifies and justifies, in their historical and cultural context, the paintings and painters who, during these exceptional artistic periods, focused more specifically on the representation of the soil.