Painting “winter In The Harz,” Deer In The Snow

Oil on canvas, signed A. Weczerzick and dated 1928. It depicts a snow-covered mountain valley with fir forests, a cabin in the background, and a herd of deer in the foreground, beneath a golden sky. The paint is applied in short strokes, and the texture of the canvas remains visible, as an integral part of the painting’s effect.

Technical information:

Oil painting on canvas depicting a winter mountain landscape with a herd of deer. The viewpoint is elevated and looks down into a deep valley enclosed by rounded ridges, entirely covered in snow. The sky occupies the upper portion and is rendered in shades of yellow and gold, achieved with small touches of color that allow the texture of the canvas to show through.

The background is constructed in overlapping bands. The ridges of the hills are rendered in pink, lilac, and blue-gray, with darker patches of forest that follow the contours of the slopes. In the center, in the distance, stands a cabin with a snow-covered roof, situated at the bottom of the valley.

In the middle ground and foreground, groups of fir trees appear, rendered with vertical brushstrokes in brown, violet, and blue. At the center of the composition stands a solitary, snow-laden fir tree, whose silhouette divides the scene into two parts. On the left, a cluster of fir trees descends along the slope. On the right, a row of trees runs along the slope toward the edge of the canvas, and in front of it moves a herd of about ten deer, painted in warm brown. Some are on the move, while others stand still with their heads bowed. At the bottom, snowdrifts with azure and blue shadows frame the composition.

The painting is executed with short, parallel strokes, using impasto in the areas of light and thinner layers in the shadows. The canvas has a pronounced texture, and in several places, an orange-colored ground layer is visible among the raised fibers. This ground layer sets off the cool tones of the snow through contrast.

In the lower left corner are the block-letter signature “A. WECZERZICK” and the date 1928. The painting is set in a 2-cm-wide frame made of antique fir wood, custom-made in our restoration workshop. A 7-cm-wide version, also made of antique fir wood, is available upon request.