Painted by Helmer Osslund
Completed in 1907
Displayed in the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm, Sweden
Materials: oil paint on canvas
Dimensions: 116 cm tall by 202 cm wide
The brilliant colors of leaves in autumn are a natural art in themselves. As I watched the rush of gold and red go by on my train ride home this afternoon, I thought about the way those colors appear to us in the fall. Most of the pigments that give leaves their firey colors aren't being created as the foliage dies; they're merely being revealed as the chlorophyll is subtracted. It's strange to imagine that the yellow and orange are always already there, unseen, overwhelmed by green for so many months of the year. There is something of that strangeness in this painting, with its ghostly, windswept birch trees and dark, ominous mountains. The vibrant orange leaves and brushed texture of the tree trunks feel just beyond real. The scale of the painting is very large, creating an immersive effect when you stand in front of it. Realistic landscapes do not usually have much of an effect on me. Stylization, particularly the inventive use of texture, evokes the beauty of nature in a more human way. (October 21, 2024)