Autumn landscape 1934

Mikhail Nesterov created this ‘Autumn Landscape’ with oil paints, though the exact date is not known. What strikes me is the softness, the quietude that seems to emanate from this painting. Nesterov’s touch is so gentle, layering browns, greens, and whites to conjure this woodland scene. Look how the birch trunks aren’t just white, but subtly graded with greys and blues, giving them a ghostly presence. The paint application is fairly thin, allowing the texture of the canvas to peek through, adding to the overall sense of atmosphere. I love the way the reflections in the water are broken up, less like a mirror and more like a memory. It reminds me of some of the Symbolist painters, like Odilon Redon, in its dreamy, meditative quality. Like much great art, it prefers to suggest rather than declare, inviting us to bring our own feelings and experiences to the canvas.