Picturesque – literally 'like a picture' – was a term used in the eighteenth century to describe an idealised type of landscape, often in reference to landscape gardening. Both an aesthetic concept and style, it was developed in the 1780s and 1790s by artist and writer William Gilpin who wrote several books on the subject. It should be understood alongside two other landscape definitions from this time: the sublime and the beautiful.
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But rather than favouring monumental or harmonious views, the picturesque celebrated irregular, wild vistas. Today the meaning of the term has evolved, with picturesque often used to describe a pleasing or charming view.
