Antonio Pietro Martino, November

Martino’s composition is not a conventional landscape with a picturesque view, but one in which the earth itself dominates as a tangible presence. The hard edges of houses and man-made structures contrast with a rich range of reddish-brown organic forms, including a dirt road that cuts through the sloping earth. Some indistinct buildings along the left side serve as a counterpoint to a cluster of farmhouses in the upper right. It is late fall. Leaves have either turned red or fallen, and winter approaches. A single illuminated window suggests the presence of a solitary individual.