Landscape Paintings

En plein air is a French expression which means "in the open air", and is particularly used to describe the act of painting outdoors, using a portable easel and carrying brushes, paints and other tools to the location. This type of painting requires patience with the constantly changing conditions of nature, and the variables of light, temperature and wind.

The popularity of painting en plein air increased with introduction in the 1870s of paints in tubes, which were lightweight and portable. Previously, painters made their own paints by grinding and mixing dry pigment powders with linseed oil. These premixed paints made it possible for artists to paint out doors, and to capture the effects of natural sunlight, and its constantly changing effect on the environment.

Plein air painting remains popular today, but in the late 1800s when the Impressionists ventured out of their studios into nature, it was considered revolutionary.