The Hut of the Herb-Woman in Full Moon 1907

Julius Sergius Klever painted "The Hut of the Herb-Woman in Full Moon" using oil. The overall tonal quality reminds me of a photographic print, the limited palette of browns and blues heightening the dreamlike nature of the scene. Look at how Klever has handled the paint in the foreground. The brushwork is dry and broken, not quite covering the canvas. It's as though he is suggesting a layer of snow over a textured ground, a landscape remembered rather than observed. The trees stand tall, their rough bark rendered with small, precise marks of brown and black paint. See the herb-woman struggling up the hill. The artist is interested in her journey rather than her individual features. The moon glows behind the trees, an eerie beacon in the night. This painting is not about capturing a specific moment, but about evoking a feeling, and that feeling is melancholic. It reminds me a little of Caspar David Friedrich. Like his work, it speaks to the awesome and often overwhelming power of nature.