The Forest in Winter at Sunset

A dense forest of bare, gnarled trees fills the canvas beneath a dim, cloud-streaked sky lit by the last glow of sunset. Thick, loose brushwork builds up the dark trunks and branches, while a small pool and rocks sit in the shadowy foreground.

Look closer: A faint pale patch of light glimmers near the middle of the distant trees, below the branches.

Artist

Théodore Rousseau

Date

ca. 1846–67

Medium

Oil on canvas

Source

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Size

4000 × 2504 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of P. A. B. Widener, 1911