Winter Sunset 1913

Julius Sergius Klever painted this small jewel of a landscape, probably in oil on a board, sometime in the late 19th century. He used strokes of gold, orange, and gray. Look closely, and you can imagine him dabbing and dragging the paint across the surface, building up a luminous winter scene. I wonder what Klever was thinking as he built up this landscape of snow and setting sun? The orange light on the horizon feels like the sun is radiating its last warmth for the day. It’s pretty magical when you think about the emotional and intellectual resonance of color. The texture of the snow has so many layers of strokes and dabs, and you can feel how cold and still the water is. Painters are in constant conversation and exchange of ideas, inspiring one another’s creativity. In Klever's painting, there’s an embrace of ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations. It’s a quiet, beautiful moment.