I am no art expert or painter by any means, but I have always been fascinated by impressionist and especially post-impressionist paintings. The images could very easily be a real view, but are painted with a fantastical abstract twist so that they are just barely escaping reality. It feels almost as if you glanced at a beautiful view and had to paint what you saw just off the top of your head only remembering the fuzzy elements, allowing you to exaggerate the colors and fine tune details that may not have even been there in the first place.
I am interested to see how others feel about visual art. Feel free to share links to some of your favorite works!