Landscape with the hermits Paul and Anthony

Pseudo Jan Wellens de Cock created this landscape around 1524, reflecting the growing importance of natural scenery in High Renaissance art. Landscape painting was developing from a background element into an independent genre. The painting is in the Gemäldegalerie Berlin. The tempera-on-panel medium required a carefully gessoed surface and was painted in fine, precise layers, yielding a luminous, jewel-like surface of great durability.

The landscape composition demonstrates skill in rendering atmospheric perspective and natural textures. The treatment of light and space reflects contemporary developments in landscape painting.