FOREST IN LATE AUTUMN YULIY KLEVER (1850–1924), 1903
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In Forest in Late Autumn, painted by Yuliy Klever in 1903, the artist evokes the solemn poetry of natures fading cycle — majestic, hushed, and profound. Moonlight penetrates the thin autumn mist, silvering the crowns of spruces and birches, sliding over mossy trunks, and illuminating a fallen tree as if frozen in a final gesture. In this stillness, a faint rustle: a pair of wild boars moves through the leaves, adding breath and motion to the almost suspended pulse of the forest. The work is executed in Klever’s mature manner — with delicate transitions of cool and warm tones, layered light, and a meditative silence that invites personal contemplation.
Inscriptions: Signed in Cyrillic lower right: 1903 Ю. Клевер; inscribed on the reverse in German: Wald im Spätherbst / J. v. Klever (“Forest in Late Autumn”), indicating the artists original title for the composition.
Dimensions: 113.5 × 77.9 cm (canvas only); 133 × 102 cm (framed)
Material: Oil on canvas
Condition: In good collector’s condition. Lined canvas; stable craquelure; paint surface well-preserved. Presented in the original richly ornamented and gilded frame.
Provenance: Private collection, Munich
Expert attribution: Dr. Olga Sugrobova-Roth, Candidate of Art History
Yuliy Yulevich Klever (1850–1924) is considered one of the most spiritually resonant figures in Russian Romantic landscape painting at the turn of the 20th century. His works became a voice for nature itself — articulated through light, shadow, and silence. Born in Dorpat (modern-day Tartu, Estonia) to a Baltic German family, Klever was shaped by a dual cultural heritage that deeply influenced his worldview. He began his training under Konstantin von Kügelgen, and continued at the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg, studying under the prominent masters Mikhail Klodt and Sokrat Vorobiev — pillars of the Russian realist tradition.
By the early 1870s, Klever had established himself as a painter of profound, emotionally charged landscapes that combined natural realism with lyrical tone. In 1881, at just 31 years of age, he was appointed professor of the Academy — a rare honor that underscored his precocious mastery. His works quickly gained international acclaim, with exhibitions in Paris, Munich, and Berlin, where his poetic visions of Russian nature captivated audiences.
A defining theme in Klever’s oeuvre is the forest — portrayed not as a backdrop, but as a living entity, breathing, suffering, speaking through silence. In his paintings, moonlight, encroaching autumn, the tension between damp air and dry leaves become metaphors for introspection and time’s passage. The forest is not scenery — it is subject.
In 1893, Klever was granted hereditary nobility by decree of Tsar Alexander III — a mark of high imperial favor and recognition of his artistic stature. In the early 20th century, he increasingly lived and worked in Germany, while maintaining a deep connection to Russian visual culture. His late works — including Forest in Late Autumn — are distinguished by contemplative clarity, refined color harmony, and poetic restraint, hallmarks of a mature master at peace with his medium.
Today, Klever’s paintings are held in the collections of the State Russian Museum, the Tretyakov Gallery, as well as museums and private collections across Germany, France, Switzerland, and the United States. His art continues to resonate not through spectacle, but through silence — the kind of silence where eternity can still be heard.
The work is in good collector’s condition. The canvas has been professionally reinforced and lined; the paint surface is stable, with no losses or significant interventions. Craquelure is fine and even. The surface retains its original depth and tonal nuance. Presented in its original frame with rich carved decoration and gilding.
The condition report is provided for informational purposes only.
It is not comprehensive and may not reflect all defects, restorations, alterations, or adaptations, as Antiqon does not perform professional conservation-level assessments. The information is based on a qualified, yet subjective, evaluation by our specialists.Before purchasing, we recommend consultation with an independent expert.Please also consult our Terms and conditions and Glossary A-Z, which contain important information on lot characteristics and sale conditions.
