Landscape 1917

Janos Mattis-Teutsch made this landscape painting with thick strokes of oil paint. The colours feel earthy, but there is a freedom in the way they are applied. I can imagine him outside, squinting at the sun as he tries to capture the shifting light in the forest. The trunks of the trees become upright violet bars, anchoring the composition. Look at how the colors of the path - yellow, pink, orange, and green - create a sense of depth and movement. The paint is applied quite thickly, which gives the surface a wonderful texture, as though each color is competing for your attention. Mattis-Teutsch's work reminds me of other early modern painters like the German Expressionists, who also used bold colors and simplified forms to express their inner vision of the world. This piece feels alive; I'm reminded that painting is an ongoing dialogue between artists and their materials. It’s a conversation that stretches across time, inspiring new ways of seeing and feeling.