WINTER LANDSCAPE 1964

Jaroslav Keluc painted this winter landscape with oils, and what strikes me is how he's not afraid to mix it all up. The texture in this piece is so alive, you can almost feel the cold, the snow, and the stillness of winter. It's like Keluc built this landscape layer by layer, with these assertive strokes of color. I love how he doesn't shy away from dabs of red or green in the snow; there's a kind of honesty in the way he sees and translates the scene. Check out how he's handled the trees, they have these big, bold strokes, and how they seem to reach out with a kind of raw energy. It reminds me a bit of Van Gogh, not in style, but in the way he's unafraid to let the paint speak for itself, embracing the act of painting, rather than illusion. It’s like a visual poem.