Kahnpartie im Spreewald 1910

Edward Theodore Compton created this oil painting, Kahnpartie im Spreewald, of a woodland river scene. The painting is so dense with leaves, it’s like a canopy of green and gold filtering light. Compton lays down shadows using these subtle, modulating tones. He must have been standing in a forest, feeling that dappled sunlight on his skin, trying to capture the fleeting moment. I imagine he was wrestling with the feeling of being surrounded by all that nature. The surface of the water is really alive, reflecting light like a mirror. See how those brushstrokes dance and flicker? It reminds me of the Hudson River School painters, but with a more intimate, European sensibility. Each artist looks to those who came before, then adds their own flavor, and it's like a conversation across time. It makes you wonder, what kind of conversation will we have with future painters?