Mountain Landscape 1930

This landscape by Adalbert Erdeli is conjured with strokes of green and blue oil paint. I can imagine Erdeli standing before the mountains, squinting as he mixes his hues and nervously dabs the canvas. There’s something so earnest in the way he builds the mountains and valleys, each layer a little more defined, but never quite resolved. The paint feels thin, like watercolor, yet the density of the composition is so thick and layered that it feels like a dense forest. I sympathize with him as he tries to find a way to make the paint work to his advantage. The way he builds up the layers it feels like a conversation with other painters throughout history. I see echoes of Cezanne’s landscapes and I wonder what would have happened if they ever met.