“Black Landscape” is an evocative work by Graham Sutherland, a renowned artist who was a prominent figure within the Neo-Romantic movement. Created in 1940, this artwork falls into the genre of landscape, yet through its distinct style and modulation it transcends the traditional confines of the category to reflect the psychological and emotional tenor of its time.
The artwork delineates a brooding and somewhat abstracted landscape. It seems to be dominated by dark, voluminous forms that stretch across the canvas, hinting at natural features morphed into something more symbolic. The color palette is subdued with deep blacks and greys, but punctuated by areas of warmer hues, like the reddish glow that appears to the left of the composition, which might suggest the presence of fiery, destructive forces or perhaps the glimmer of a setting or rising sun. There is a discernible contrast between the solidity of the blackened shapes and the fluidity of the softer tones that suffuse parts of the scene, giving the impression of a landscape that is both tangible and ephemeral.
The sense of scale and space in the artwork is ambiguous, contributing to an atmosphere that is at once confining and expansive. This duality could be reflective of the turmoil of the era in which the painting was created, capturing a sense of unease and the sublime which are characteristic elements of the Neo-Romanticism that Sutherland is associated with. There is also a visible absence of human figures, which amplifies the solitude and intense focus on nature in its most raw and perhaps foreboding forms.
