Über dem Nebelmeer 1914

Edward Theodore Compton made this painting of snow-capped mountains, Über dem Nebelmeer, presumably in his studio, though I like to think he was lugging his easel up a mountain! Look at the soft brushstrokes, the cool palette of blues, grays, and whites, subtly describing the landscape. I wonder what Compton was thinking when he made this painting? Perhaps, how to convey the immensity of nature? How to represent the interplay between light and shadow on the rugged mountain peaks? To get this effect, he must have mixed thin washes of paint, layering them to capture the misty atmosphere and the play of light on the snow. It’s almost like looking at a dream, or a memory of a place. Paintings like these make me realize how artists are constantly looking at each other's work. Each painting contributes to a visual conversation, an evolving language of mark-making and image-making. And that conversation is still going on today. Isn't that cool?