Emile Claus Autumn Farmhouse with Thatched Haystack Postcard

Two shapes compete for this scene. A large curved haystack, straw-brown and rounded, fills the lower half of the canvas; behind it, a Flemish farmhouse asserts its right angles — cream plaster, a red-tiled roof, and shutters painted an unexpectedly bright green. Overhead, an autumn tree drops gold and russet across the whole scene. Claus lays the paint on thicker here than in almost any of his sunlit landscapes.

Worth a look for the brushwork alone — a good addition to a collection built around texture, or a card for someone who paints in oils themselves.