Description of the picture:
Lled Valley in Wales – Hans Fredrik Goode. Canvas, oil. 63 x 98 cm
Hans Gude spent several years in North Wales. The wild nature of England made a huge impression on him, which was reflected in his paintings.
A winding river flows quietly along a small cozy valley surrounded on all sides by majestic mountains. Recently it has finished raining, low gray clouds still cover the tops of distant rocks. Between the clouds a little blue sky peeps out.
On the slopes of the mountains, among the crusted grass, there are large stones, ingrown into the ground, once brought here by glaciers. In the foreground lies a huge piece of rock, lit by a dim sun. Its wet edges, not yet dried out after the rain, gleam in the sun. To his right is a tall, withered tree with gnarled branches.
A narrow road, wet with rain, winds through the valley, lost behind the nearest dark hills covered with rare trees. In the background is a village bathed in sunlight surrounded by a forest.
You do not immediately notice the figures of travelers below on the road. A small glare of the sun on the croup of a white horse, on which two people ride, attracts attention. Most likely, this is a husband and wife returning home. A third person walks next to them, leaning on a cane. But the people in this picture are not the main ones, all the attention is attracted by the amazing landscape.
The artist uses many color nuances in painting the landscape. Almost imperceptible strokes of various shades of gray – from almost black to the lightest – create an incredibly natural surface of stones. Brown moss hides in cracks and indentations. Warm colors in the foreground of the picture are perfectly combined: swamp-green shades of wilting grass, reddish-brown and light sand earth tones, brown branches of the bush.
Examining the canvas, you notice a little bit of carefully written out details: a reflection of the blue sky in puddles on the road, a small bird on the branches of a tree, white smoke from the pipes melting in the air.
The romantic artist Hans Gude seems to promise that no matter how long and difficult the road, no matter what obstacles stand in the way, a bright future is ahead."