Winter Landscape with Sunset

One of Gustave Den Duyts favourite themes is the city. In his paintings, however, he will rarely depict the centre but always the outskirts, the landscape that surrounds the city. The city is almost always visible in a church tower in the background. Or its proximity is suggested in the often oppressive atmosphere of the work. Den Duyts' melancholy painting is also evident in his preference for snow scenes, or rainy weather. In Winter Landscape, the morning or evening sun barely breaks through the heavy cloud cover. In the central plan, a number of rural houses and farms can be seen, surrounded by snow-covered fields and meadows. A row of pollard willows and a fence break up the panorama. The paint is applied with short, nervous strokes, giving the whole an impressionistic character. The melancholy character is put into perspective by the clever lighting effects in the clouds and the reflection of the sunlight on the snow in the foreground of the canvas.