Autumn

This 1876 work on cardboard titled 'Autumn' is a companion piece to The Apple Cart of the same year, and represents Munthe's early naturalist engagement with seasonal subject matter. Autumn as a subject had deep resonance within European landscape painting — associated with harvest, decline, and the chromatic abundance of turning foliage — and Norwegian painters brought their own seasonal experience to this tradition. In Norway, autumn arrives early and decisively in the highlands and arrives with a particular quality of light and colour that reflected the northern latitude. Working on cardboard in 1876, Munthe was producing rapid, direct studies that captured this seasonal character with the freshness of immediate observation. The Munich naturalist training he had recently undergone emphasised close observation of tonal values and atmospheric conditions, and these early cardboard studies represent the application of those lessons to the Norwegian environment he knew from childhood.

Cardboard as a support absorbs paint differently than prepared canvas, resulting in more matte surface qualities and faster drying that suits rapid, direct application. Autumn's characteristic colours — orange-red of rowan berries and maple, gold of birch, the dark green of remaining conifers against pale sky — create a warm-dominated palette with cool accents that Munthe manages within the constraints of the small, informal support.