Elsheimer, Adam (1578-1610),

German painter, one of the first masters of the idyllic landscape.

He was trained in the dry manner of Flemish realism, but he acquired a liberating interest in light, atmosphere, and color when he settled (1598) in Italy.

In his pictures, which illustrate stories from classical literature or the Bible, the human figures usually play a secondary role to the calm, pleasant landscapes.

He fused northern romanticism with Italian clarity, and his scenes contain many of the elements—classical ruins, idealized landscapes, clear light, calm mood—that were to characterize the work of later French masters.