Great landscape with trees (The triangular field) 1955

Balthus created this 'Great landscape with trees', using oil paint, and it feels like a carefully observed record of a real place. The light is so beautiful, like a memory. Look at the surface. The paint is applied thinly in layers, creating a luminous effect. It's not about bravura brushstrokes or grand gestures. It's more like a slow and steady meditation. Notice the long shadows, almost like dark fingers stretching across the field, and how they intersect with the lone figure and the grazing horse. There’s something about this contrast between light and shadow, activity and stillness that holds the eye. Balthus reminds me of other painters, like Edward Hopper, who find a way of showing us the quiet and unexpected beauty of everyday scenes. Ultimately, this is a painting that invites us to slow down, to look closely, and to find our own meaning in the landscape. It's open-ended, and there's no single way to read it.