Sunset

The sun sets roughly in the centre of the picture, behind two tree trunks. The thick yellow paint expands from the sky to the foreground, and Monticelli has applied it using short, directional brushstrokes which allow him better to convey the light. Portions of the wooden panel used as a support are left partly visible, especially along the borders, to play a part in the final image. In fact, the warm tone of the support gives vibrancy to the composition.This is a companion piece, or pendant, to the artist’s Sunrise. Both works are typical of Monticelli’s later style, and the subjects are characteristic of his Provençal landscapes. This landscape was probably painted outdoors, in the last years of the artist’s life, around 1882–4.