Artist: Julius von Klever (Russian: Yuly Yulyevich Klever)
Title: Sunset in the Winter (Russian: Закат солнца зимой)
Date: 1891
What I love about this painting:
This is the first time I have come across Julius von Klever, and I will definitely be looking for more of his work.
I particularly like the depth of color, how even though dusk is shading towards night, it’s not quite there yet. The sun’s reflection on the frozen stream is just the way I have seen it in other places and other times.
I love the boat drawn up to shore, the way it looks as if it has not been usable for many years. The same with the house. Some thatch is missing and a pair of shutters are partially hanging off the windows. It may be someone’s winter hunting lodge, unused for several years.
Or it could be abandoned.
Someone trudges up the path, carrying a pack over their shoulder. Are they the long-absent owner, or a traveler looking for shelter? Will they reoccupy the old place? Will this house be repaired and once again be a place where fond memories were made?
About the Artist via Wikipedia:
Julius Sergius von Klever, (Russian: Yuly Yulyevich Klever), (31 January 1850 – 24 December 1924), was a Russian landscape painter of Baltic German descent.
His father was a chemist who taught pharmacology at the Veterinary Institute. He displayed artistic talent at an early age and took lessons from Konstantin von Kügelgen.[1] After completing his primary education, was enrolled at the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts where, at his father’s insistence, he studied architecture. After a short time, however, he began to take landscape painting classes; first with Sokrat Vorobiev, then Mikhail Clodt.
In 1870, he was apparently expelled from the Academy, for unknown reasons.[1] Undeterred, he started exhibiting his works. In 1871, one was purchased by Count Pavel Stroganov and, the following year, his painting “Sunset” was acquired by Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna. In 1874, he had his first solo exhibition at the Imperial Society for the Encouragement of the Arts. After Tsar Alexander II expressed interest in his work, he was named an “Artist” by the Academy, despite having not graduated. In 1878, he became an “Academician”
In the late 1890s, a friend of his from the Academy was implicated in a scandal involving gambling and embezzlement. He was drawn into it and suffered a nervous breakdown that forced him to give up painting temporarily. In 1908, he went to Germany with his family to avoid the situation and lived in Neustrelitz until 1915, when the war forced him to return home.
Three of his four children became painters; Maria (1878–1967) a theater artist, Julius (1882–1942) who taught at the Art and Industry Academy, and Oscar (1887–1975), a theater artist who also designed costumes.
For the full biography of this artist and his historical significance in Russian art, go to:
Credits and Attributions:
IMAGE: Sunset in the Winter by Julius von Klever. Wikimedia Commons contributors, “File:1891. Закат солнца зимой.jpg,” Wikimedia Commons, File:1891. Закат солнца зимой.jpg – Wikimedia Commons (accessed October 15, 2026).
[1] Wikipedia contributors, “Julius von Klever,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Julius_von_Klever&oldid=1363359786 (accessed October 15, 2026).
