Winter Landscape with Rising Moon

"Winter Landscape with Rising Moon" saw the light in the year of Adolf Kaufmann's death. In a way, it summarizes all of the self-taught techniques this virtuoso possessed, as well as some of the teachings he had received during his life. As our gaze travels on the expertly placed lines in this artwork, we can see the influences of Barbizon School - seeming looseness of brushwork, softness in the forms and tones. Also, " Paysage intime" (- believable landscape) is represented in this scene with the realistic look of a creek slowly flowing through the forest on a cool winter evening under the generous glow of a full moon. If we look close enough, each brushstroke tells us the story of painstaking precision it took to bring this image to life: we can admire all of the lighter hues on the snow and water, shades on and under the trees, and also on the creek banks and in the sky, where the moon lazily watches over the scene.