Dimensions: 22 5/8 x 26 3/8 in. (57.47 x 66.99 cm) (sight)33 x 37 5/8 in. (83.82 x 95.57 cm) (outer frame)
Copyright: No Copyright - United States
Bruno Liljefors made this oil painting of a Moose Family Entering a Clearing sometime around 1930. It’s really all about the atmosphere, isn't it? See how Liljefors captures the hazy light filtering through the trees. The brushstrokes are loose and gestural, kind of like how you might quickly sketch something you see out of the corner of your eye. Look closely at the way he builds up the foliage with these dabs of grey and green. There's a real sense of depth created by the layering of tones. And then, bam, the moose family emerging from the shadows, solid and real against the misty background. This reminds me a little of Whistler, someone else who liked to use a muted palette and focus on capturing a mood. It’s like he’s inviting us to step into this quiet, almost dreamlike scene, where the line between reality and imagination blurs.
Comments
minneapolisinstituteofart over 1 year ago
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Bruno Liljefors was probably the most influential animal painter of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, at a time when wildlife art was still emerging from its association with scientific depiction and taxidermy. Liljefors's lifelong activities as a hunter motivated his close study of animal life, and in his art he approached his subject not as a descriptive narrator, but as an ecologist, seeking to show animals in interaction with their environmental setting in the landscape. Moose Family Entering a Clearing is a strong example of Liljefors's late work. Through its convincing sense of immediacy, shimmering light effects, and accurately rendered subjects, the painting demonstrates the fine line between impressionism and painterly realism.
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