Landscape is such a common subject in art that we take it for granted. Yet landscape as a category of European painting emerged only during the Renaissance. Throughout much of the Middle Ages, artists emphasized figures at the expense of setting. During medieval times, the depiction of landscapes as an independent genre did not exist. The natural world was typically viewed more as an enemy or threat than anything positive to be glorified in a painting. Aristocratic lords and ladies, even monks, were advised not to take note of any sensual pleasures that might be present in, say, a rose garden or the refreshing waters of a wading stream. Beginning in the late 1300s, however, artists took a new interest in the observation of nature and the poetic character of natural surroundings. During the Renaissance, the garden was a prominent feature of aristocratic estates. In art, the garden was also used allegorically, for example to represent love in the popular theme of the garden of love. Perhaps the most innovative feature of landscape painting in the 1400s and 1500s was the conception of landscape as a vast terrain with deeply receding space. Artists began to depict the distant horizon and capture the palpable atmosphere that lies between the viewer and the far distance. In Renaissance Italy the study of perspective gave rise to a careful rendering of scenery according to conventional formulas; for example, objects like trees that are closer appear much larger than trees of the same size that are far away. The rediscovery of classical world radically altered the art of painting. By the year 1500, the Renaissance revived ancient forms and content. The spiritual content of painting changed - subjects from Roman history and mythology were borrowed. Here there are two paintings by Veronese at Villa Barbaro (Maser) on the right,and in between, while on the left there is an ancient Roman painting from the Museo Nazionale Romano in Rome. You can se how Veronese, among the others, was inspired by the classic Roman examples that were becoming known and studied during this period. Thank you for your kind comments.