The Dniester River at Night

This nocturne shows a fragment of the river visible from a hill. The broad river, overflowing its low banks, sparkles in the light of the moon. The moon itself, hidden behind a cloud, forms an afterglow around it, brightening the sky and casting a lustre over the water. The composition is maintained in a narrow range of browns with lily-pink hues. The Dniester River at Night is one of Józef Chełmoński’s (1849-1914) finest works, and is certainly the greatest nocturne in his oeuvre.