Art and Beauty Tuesday--Monsted

In today's Art and Beauty Tuesday segment, we feature Peder Mork Monsted's Forest in Winter.  As usual, the small picture here does not do it justice.

The horse pulls the man and his gathered wood down a snow covered road.  We see the tracks of other travelers that preceded him.  They do not mar the beauty of the scene, but show that the people who live here continue their lives through the cold, snowy winter season.

The painting is nearly photographic.  In the foreground we see white branches bowed under by the weight of the snow.  Behind them, the trees' branches as well, are covered with snow and their trunks show us the direction of the storm as it came through the forest.

The sky is a subtle mix of wintery pastels, any dreariness there being overpowered by the reflection of light on snow.

On the right we see 2 piles of wood--possibly the destination of the man and the horse, having traveled  a long distance in the cold.

This painting makes me want to get outside, far away from people and architecture, to enjoy the architecture of creation.